The draughts set that outlasts the season
or 4 payments of £2.16 with Klarna
🛡️ 30-day full refund, no questions. Fewer than 30 returns from 23,000+ orders.
- No batteries needed
- Wooden hand-finished pieces
- Folds away neatly
- Solid card board
- Ages 6 and up
- Fits in a gift box
- 30-day returns
- Klarna available
Delivery in 2-3 working days · 30-day returns · Est. 1795
as seen in
Real talk
The moment she stopped asking for the iPad
A proper draughts set changes the maths. Not another plastic toy that breaks after 3 uses. This one has weight, real wood pieces you want to move, a board that folds closed so it stays in one piece. Your 4 or 5-year-old can hold the pieces, think about their next move, and you get 20 uninterrupted minutes of actual gameplay.
You're not paying for a toy. You're buying back attention span, and a game that still works when they're 8, 12, and asking their own children how to play.
Joe Jaques, Jaques of London
What's in the box
What arrives at your door
One complete set, ready to play. No assembly. No missing pieces hunting you down three weeks later.
12 inch folding board
30.5cm x 30.5cm when open. Card construction, hand-finished. Folds closed to keep pieces safe. Sits flat on any table without warping.
- ✓ Folds for storage
- ✓ Smooth play surface
- ✓ Lasts through 100s of games
24 wooden playing pieces
Hand-crafted from fine timber. 2.5cm diameter. One set in natural wood, one in stained. Weight and feel that feels like a real game, not a novelty.
- ✓ Solid wood, not plastic
- ✓ Hand-finished
- ✓ Easy grip for small hands
Jaques presentation box
Arrives wrapped in our trademark tissue paper. Looks like a gift because it is one. No plastic clamshell. No frustration opening it.
- ✓ Gift-ready packaging
- ✓ Historical tissue wrapping
- ✓ No plastic wrapping
Age 6+. Played for years. Passed on.
Was £19.99
Folding Draughts Set - 12" Board & Pieces: £8.67
While they play
What grows while they play
Looks like play. Works like a lesson.
Strategic thinking
Every move has a consequence. Your child learns to look 2 moves ahead, spot a trap, plan her own attack. That's concentration in action.
Problem-solving
No right answer, only better moves. She learns to evaluate options, accept a loss, come back sharper next game.
Turn-taking and patience
Takes roughly 15 minutes. Long enough to build focus. Short enough to not test your nerves. made for that screen-free hour before bed.
Connection
You're playing across from each other, talking, laughing. No scroll. No notifications. Just the two of you and a board between you.
What families say about Jaques of London
Parents who've made the switch
"Excellent quality wood toys, so well made, no sharp edges, all lovely & smooth, very colourful & plenty of choice. Very reasonably priced & so beautifully wrapped you don't want to open them. Highly recommend this company."
"Fast delivery, excellent products, extremely good quality and long lasting. My granddaughter loves the toys from here. Good age ranges covered."
"These toys tick all the boxes, educational, colourful, fun, well made and great service. I just keep buying more and more."
"We love our toys from Jaques of London. The quality is excellent and they're the perfect size for little hands to hold and play with easily. Beautifully made, sturdy wooden toys that will last for years. Highly recommend!"
"Harrods grade gifting for a very reasonable price. Not the usual tat from China. Had several hand picked orders fron Jaques, nice to know its a UK business with old school quality."
"I am a real fan of this company. If only I had come across them years ago when my boys were little. It's my go to for beautiful, good quality toys for my granddaughter now and any gift I need to buy. They arrived quickly, prices are reasonable and the special touch is they are beautifully packaged too. I love the heritage of this business!"
Get ready for life
Why real play matters
Real brain growth comes from real play.
The sweet spot for learning
Old enough to hold pieces without throwing them. Young enough to still want Mum to play. Works beautifully with a 5-year-old stretched out next to it.
One full game
Long enough to build real focus. Short enough that you can both stay interested. made for right after school or before bedtime wind-down.
How long it actually lasts
Solid wood hand-finished pieces. Card board that doesn't collapse. Gets played, gets stored, gets brought out 3 years later still perfect.
Why this matters right now
We really are different
Why this draughts set, not the plastic one from the supermarket
| Jaques Folding Draughts Set - 12" Board & Pieces | Cheap Alternatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Pieces feel like a real game | ✅ | ❌ Lightweight plastic, feels throwaway |
| Survives 100+ games without warping | ✅ | ⚠️ Board bends after 6 months |
| Still beautiful after years | ✅ | ❌ Fades, cracks, looks sad |
| Passes to a second child | ✅ | ❌ Destined for landfill |
| No batteries, no screen | ✅ | ❌ Often has LED gimmicks |
| Arrives ready to play | ✅ | ⚠️ Requires assembly, missing pieces |
| Made by the world's oldest games company | ✅ | ❌ Made by whoever was cheapest this month |
- ✅ Real wood pieces
- ✅ Lasts for years
- ✅ Stays beautiful
- ✅ Passes on
- ✅ Screen-free
- ✅ Ready immediately
- ✅ Since 1795
- ❌ Plastic feels flimsy
- ❌ Warps quickly
- ❌ Fades and cracks
- ❌ Falls apart
- ❌ Has gimmicks
- ❌ Needs assembly
- ❌ Mass-produced
Age 6+. Played for years. Passed on.
Was £19.99
Folding Draughts Set - 12" Board & Pieces: £8.67
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Not right? Return it within 30 days. Full refund, no questions.
Questions & answers
Questions we hear from parents like you
Which draughts set should I buy? Isn't one board game the same as another?
Not even close. This one has hand-finished wood pieces and a sturdy card board that folds without collapsing. It stays in one piece for years. The plastic version from the discount shop? Three months, and the board bends. If you're buying for a 6th birthday or a grandchild you won't see every week, choose this one. One board, one set of rules, plays forever.
Will my 4-year-old actually sit still for a full game?
Probably not the first time. But after 3 games, yes. Draughts has a rhythm that hooks kids around age 5-6. Start with 5-minute games where you teach the moves. By game 4, they're asking to play again. The weight of the pieces and the satisfying click of moving them keeps hands busy. That's half the battle won.
Is it worth the price when I can get a plastic one for half as much?
Yes. The plastic one breaks or bends and you buy again. This one costs more upfront because it's solid wood, hand-finished, and built to last 10 years. That's roughly pennies per game. You also play it yourself, teach your child real strategy, and pass it on. That's worth every penny, full price. One parent said it best: 'worth every penny full price' and meant it.
What if my child gets bored or we move house and I need to return it?
30-day returns, no drama. But honestly, most families come back to this one. It's not trendy or flashy. It's a game people actually want to play, which is rarer than you'd think.
How much does it cost?
The Folding Draughts Set - 12" Board & Pieces is £8.67 today (down from £19.99). Klarna is available at checkout if you prefer to spread the cost.
What's your returns policy?
30 days, full refund, no conditions. Return it for any reason and we refund in full. We've been standing behind what we make since 1795.
Age 6+. Played for years. Passed on.
Was £19.99
Folding Draughts Set - 12" Board & Pieces: £8.67
Our story
Making toys worth keeping since 1795.
Jaques of London was founded in 1795. We invented croquet, table tennis, and the Staunton chess set. For 230 years, we've been making things that pull children away from passive entertainment and into active, curious, hands-on play.
Jaques has been making draughts sets since 1795 because the game itself doesn't need fixing. What needed fixing was the materials. Cheap boards warp. Plastic pieces feel like toys. Our 12" folding set uses hand-finished solid wood and sturdy card construction because that's what lets a game survive 100 plays, 5 years, and still teach your child to think three moves ahead. This isn't nostalgia. It's craft meeting something that works.
Toys and games that leave something behind: a skill, a memory, a piece of play that gets passed on.
Joe, Jaques of London
Ready when you are
Ready to trade screens
for time together
Was £19.99
£8.67 Save 56%
🛡️ 30-day money-back guarantee · 🚚 Delivery in 2-3 working days · 🏛️ Est. 1795
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