Dinner Party Games · Est. 1795★★★★★ 150 reviews

The board that keeps everyone at the table

£36.99£50.99 Save 27%

or 4 payments of £9.24 with Klarna

🛡️ 30-day full refund, no questions. Fewer than 30 returns from 23,000+ orders.

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Standard · 2-3 working days

Plays flat on any surface
Hand-carved wooden pieces
Folds to pocket size
No batteries or setup
2.5-inch King piece
Walnut and sycamore board
30-day returns
Klarna available

Delivery in 2-3 working days · 30-day returns · Est. 1795

1 Free Gift Spend £50

2 Free Gifts Spend £75

3 Free Gifts Spend £100

as seen in

Real talk

The game that doesn't get packed away at 9pm

You already know what kills a dinner party: scrolls, awkward silences, people checking their watches. A proper board game stops that. This chess set arrived in 1849 as Jaques' signature piece, and it still does what it did then: draws people in for hours. It's the Staunton design (the one tournament players use), but small enough to unfold at any table.

Your guests remember the night the board came out, not the meal.

Joe Jaques, Jaques of London

What's in the box

What you get

A complete travel set ready to play in seconds. No pieces missing, no assembly.

Folding chess board open with carved wooden pieces set up mid-game

In the box

The folding board

Walnut and sycamore wood, 11 inches across when open. Folds flat to 11.5 x 29.5 x 2.5cm. Baize-lined interior keeps pieces from sliding during play or travel.

✓ Solid wood construction, not veneer
✓ Magnetic clasp holds board closed
✓ Plays on laps, tables, train seats

Hand-carved wooden chess pieces in traditional Staunton design

In the box

Staunton chessmen

32 hand-carved pieces in the design Jaques created in 1849. King piece stands 2.5 inches tall. Each piece feels substantial and moves like it belongs on a serious board.

✓ Hand-finished wood, not plastic
✓ Tournament-standard piece shapes
✓ Weighted bases for stable play

Jaques of London branded gift box with chess set inside

Play style

Gift-ready packaging

Arrives in Jaques' signature box. No gift-wrap fee, no plastic waste. Hand it over and you're done.

✓ Opens like a proper gift
✓ Fits straight on a shelf after
✓ Tells the recipient this isn't impulse

Order by 2pm, arrives within 3 working days

Was £50.99

Wooden Chess Set - Travel Chess Set: £36.99

While they play

What chess quietly builds

Looks like play. Works like a lesson.

♟

Read ahead

You can't play chess on reaction. You think 3 moves forward, spot the trap before it closes. That's not chess jargon, that's your brain working at dinner-party level.

⏱

Hold attention longer

A meal ends in 90 minutes. Chess goes till someone wins. No phones, no fidget, no 'what's next?'

🤝

Play across ages

An 8-year-old and their grandmother sit at the same board. No screens, no rules-skipping, no one feels left out.

🧠

The conversation game

Every move is a choice. Every choice gets talked about. You're not quiet, you're debating the board.

What families say about Jaques of London

What people say after the evening

★★★★★

"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."

Lynda Evans✓ Google review

★★★★★

"Fast delivery, excellent products, extremely good quality and long lasting. My granddaughter loves the toys from here. Good age ranges covered."

Danella Jones✓ Google review

★★★★★

"These toys tick all the boxes, educational, colourful, fun, well made and great service. I just keep buying more and more."

Irene Johnstone✓ Google review

★★★★★

"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!"

Tegan✓ Google review

★★★★★

"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."

John A✓ Google review

★★★★★

"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!"

Sarah Lardner✓ Google review

★★★★★ 4.5/5 from 194 reviews of this product · 4.6 average across 46,000+ Jaques reviews on Reviews.io and Trustpilot

Get ready for life

Why real play matters

Real brain growth comes from real play.

90 sec

Unfold and set up

Open the board, lay out 32 pieces in their squares. It's the slowest part. Then play starts.

→

2-4 hrs

The game runs

Depends on who's playing. Beginners race it in 2 hours. Strong players settle in for 4. Either way, the table stays full.

→

10 sec

Fold and pack

Flip the board, pieces slide back into their slots, clasp shut. Gone. Fits in a cupboard, a bag, a car.

Why this matters right now

1849 Year Jaques designed the Staunton Every tournament and serious player since has used this piece shape. This isn't a novelty set. It's the real thing, travel-sized.

32 Hand-carved pieces, all different Not moulded plastic. Each piece is finished by hand, which is why they feel like something, not like toys.

23,000+ Orders placed by hosts like you Dinner-party hosts, grandparents, people who want to unplug a room for one night.

230 yrs of making things worth keeping Jaques of London has been crafting games and toys since 1795. This one is built to be handed down, not thrown out.

We really are different

Why this chess set, not a travel app or plastic set

	Jaques Wooden Chess Set - Travel Chess Set	Cheap Alternatives
Keeps people at the table	✅	❌ Phone games scatter focus
Plays the same way at home or away	✅	❌ Cheap plastic wears in weeks
Pieces feel like a real game	✅	⚠️ Magnetic sets catch and skip
Folds flat for travel	✅	❌ Full boards won't fit bags
Works for ages 6 to 86	✅	❌ App timers alienate non-gamers
No charging, no internet needed	✅	⚠️ Screen-based games die at 40%
Gets better looking each year	✅	❌ Plastic fades and cracks

Jaques

✅ Keeps everyone playing
✅ Plays anywhere, anytime
✅ Real game weight
✅ Fits travel bags
✅ Every age plays
✅ No power needed
✅ Improves with time

Cheap alternatives

❌ Apps scatter focus
❌ Plastic wears out
⚠️ Magnetic skip moves
❌ Full boards too big
❌ Apps limit ages
⚠️ Dies on low battery
❌ Plastic fades fast

Order by 2pm, arrives within 3 working days

Was £50.99

Wooden Chess Set - Travel Chess Set: £36.99

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Not right? Return it within 30 days. Full refund, no questions.

Questions & answers

Questions before you order

Is this set strong enough for serious players?

Yes. The Staunton design is tournament standard, and the hand-carved pieces are the same quality Jaques has made since 1849. It's not a toy set dressed up as chess. It's a real board, pocket-sized.

Will it fit a 6-year-old and a 60-year-old at the same table?

Exactly. Chess has one set of rules. No age brackets, no levels, no exclusion. Your grandchild and your parent play the same game. The 11-inch board is big enough to see all moves clearly, small enough to fit any lap.

How long does a game actually take?

Beginners and casual players: 1 to 2 hours. Competitive players: 2 to 4 hours. The point is nobody looks at their phone. Arrived next day, saved Christmas, as Leigh Hemmings said after ordering one for a birthday panic.

Will the pieces stay in place when the board is on a lap or uneven surface?

The baize lining inside the board stops pieces sliding during play. On an uneven lap, you'll need a book under one corner, but no worse than any travel set. The pieces are weighted for stability, not magnetic, so nothing gets stuck mid-move.

How much does it cost?

The Wooden Chess Set - Travel Chess Set is £36.99 today (down from £50.99). 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.

Order by 2pm, arrives within 3 working days

Was £50.99

Wooden Chess Set - Travel Chess Set: £36.99

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.

In 1849, Jaques of London created the Staunton design because chess needed a single standard. Every piece told you what it was without a rulebook. That design is still the only one you see in tournaments. This travel set carries that same intention: the craftwork of a serious chess set, folded small enough to travel. We make it the same way Jaques always made things: hand-carved wood, no shortcuts, priced so a dinner-party host can actually afford it. It's not nostalgia. It's 175 years of the same idea: proper games, properly made.

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