The Jaques Chess Set — Britain's Original Since 1849
Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Inventors of the Staunton Standard
The Chess Set Britain Has Trusted for Over 175 Years
In 1849, Jaques of London created the Staunton chess set — the design every chess federation on earth adopted as the world standard.
This is that chess set. Still made by Jaques. Still £38.60.
Add to Basket — £38.60
🚚 Free UK delivery over £60 · Ships in 2–3 days · 60-day warranty
Est. 1795 · Inventors of the Staunton Chess Set · Eight Generations · Britain’s Oldest Games Company
The History
We Didn’t Just Make Chess Sets.
We Made the Standard.
In 1849, John Jaques II sat down with Howard Staunton — the undisputed world chess champion — to design a new chess piece from scratch. The brief: unmistakable. Weighted. Impossible to confuse mid-game.
The result was the Staunton design. Every chess federation on earth adopted it within years. It remains the only design sanctioned for competitive play today — from your kitchen table to the World Championship.
Every other chess company copies the design Jaques created. We are the original.
Jaques Folding Chess Set — 15 Inch — SKU 51155
The chess set invented by Jaques. Still made by Jaques.
£38.60
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“
The Staunton chessmen, manufactured by Messrs. Jaques of London, are the finest I have ever seen.
Howard Staunton, World Chess Champion — 1849
The Jaques Folding Chess Set — 15 Inch
See What £38.60 Gets You
What You Get
Everything in the Box. No Compromises.
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✓Folding wooden chess board — 15 inch playing surface, stores flat
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✓32 solid wooden pieces — the original Staunton design, sized for a 15-inch board
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✓King height: 3.5 inches — proper weight and presence on the board
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✓Pieces store inside the board — fold it shut, everything travels with it
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✓Not plastic. Not resin. Real wood — the feel that £200 cheap sets can't replicate
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✓Made by the inventors — 175 years of Staunton craftsmanship in every piece
Be Honest With Yourself
You’ve Probably Bought a Chess Set Before That You Regret.
The plastic one that warped. The pieces that felt hollow. The board where the squares faded after three months. The set you bought on Amazon from a brand you’d never heard of because it was £14.99 and “looked fine.”
It wasn’t fine. And you knew it within a week.
Here’s the truth about the Jaques Folding Chess Set: you are buying from the company that invented the game piece design you have played on your entire life. Every chess set you have ever used — at school, at a club, at a friend’s house — was a copy of the Staunton design Jaques made in 1849. This is the original.
“There are two types of chess sets: Jaques originals, and everything else. And ‘everything else’ only exists because Jaques showed the world what a chess piece should look like.”
The 15-inch folding board is the right size. Not so large it dominates the table. Not so small the pieces feel cramped. 15 inches: the size serious players chose before “travel chess” became a marketing category.
It folds flat. Pieces store inside. You can take it to a grandparent’s house, a chess club, a holiday cottage — and it arrives looking exactly as it left. That’s not a feature. That’s engineering from a company with 230 years of practice.
Why Jaques Over Anyone Else
Six Reasons This Is the Last Chess Set You’ll Ever Buy
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The Original Staunton
Jaques created this design in 1849. It’s now the global standard. Every competitor sells you a copy. We sell you the real thing.
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Real Wood. Not Plastic.
Solid wooden board and pieces. The weight tells you immediately. There is no substitute for wood when it comes to chess.
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15 Inches. The Right Size.
Serious without being enormous. Fits a kitchen table, a desk, a coffee table. Works for a 6-year-old learning and a 60-year-old competing.
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Folds. Travels. Stores.
Fold the board and the pieces live inside. One item to carry. Zero fuss. The design has worked this way for generations because it works.
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The Gift That Means Something
You’re not buying a chess set. You’re giving a 230-year-old British heritage piece. For birthdays, Christmas, milestones — this lands differently.
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Screen-Free Since 1795
Jaques made screen-free games before screens existed. Strategic thinking, patience, reading opponents — chess builds minds. That’s not marketing. It’s 230 years of proof.
What Customers Say
Real People. Real Games. Real Wood.
★★★★★
“Bought this for my 7-year-old and the quality is exceptional. The pieces feel solid and weighty — nothing like the plastic sets you find elsewhere. We play every weekend now.”
Sarah M. — Verified Buyer
★★★★★
“A proper chess set. I grew up playing on a Jaques board and wanted one for my grandchildren. This is exactly right — the right weight, the right size, the right feel.”
David H. — Verified Buyer
★★★★★
“Perfect gift. The folding design means it travels everywhere with us. My daughter has taken it to school, to her grandparents, on holiday. Holds up brilliantly.”
Emma R. — Verified Buyer
Make the Decision
Stop Buying Chess Sets You’ll Regret.
Buy the One That Invented the Standard.
The Jaques 15-inch Folding Chess Set. Real wood. Staunton standard. Folds flat. Pieces stored inside. Ships in 2–3 days.
Made by the same family company that defined what a chess piece looks like. Est. 1795. Still here. Still building proper sets.
£38.60
Add to Basket
SKU 51155 · 268 in stock · Ships 2–3 business days · 60-day warranty · Est. 1795
