Custom 3D printed chess set pits famous US cities against one another

Custom 3D printed chess set pits famous US cities against one another

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A special range of 3D printed chess sets, created by Etsy designer AberuizDesign, lets you play the game as your favorite US city. The designer has created 3D printed sets for six US cities, with tiny replicas of famous buildings taking the place of the regular pieces.

Chess is an incredibly difficult game to master—but that’s not the only difficulty some players have with it. Each piece of a chess set is designated a status based on its in-game significance: kings and queens are the most important pieces, while pawns are expendable and weak. But for those living outside of a monarchy, many of the terms assigned to chess pieces are outdated and simply irrelevant. What even is a rook, anyhow?

Fortunately, Etsy designer AberuizDesign has completely revamped the chessboard with a range of 3D printed US city chess sets, letting players of the strategy game replace the traditional kings, queens, and bishops with 3D printed skyscrapers of famous American cities. The designer has made complete sets for the cities of San Diego, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle, and Los Angeles, with those cities’ respective iconic buildings faithfully recreated in nylon powder on a 3D printer.

3D printed chess sets: (t-b) Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle

Although it might be tricky remembering which skyscraper represents which piece, the scale has been kept constant as a guide, with the 3D printed buildings growing in size from the outside of the board inwards. Perhaps the best part of these 3D printed chess sets is that each “side” is sold separately, allowing players to pit one city against another—perfect for matches versus your friends from out of state. The sets are, of course, available in black or white.

“Allow the architectural monuments of the city to work together towards checkmate while admiring the new typology,” AberuizDesign recommends. “Buildings were carefully selected that not only represent the city, but that fit well into the game of chess.”

Magnetic chessboard

The 3D printed city chess sets cost between $96 and $194, and a magnetic wooden chessboard with an attractive map print will cost an extra $50. The pieces will, however, fit on a standard chessboard square of 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches. All 3D printed nylon pieces have magnetic bases.

Piece sizes for 3D printed city chess set:

  • King : 3 1/2" H
  • Queen : 3 1/4" H
  • Bishop : 2 3/4" H
  • Knight : 2 5/8" H
  • Rook : 1 1/2" H
  • Pawn : 3/4" H