Skyline Chess Set – Inspired by London’s Landmarks

Mix and match some architecture, famous London landmarks and a board game, and you get a cleverly designed monochromatic chess set called Skyline. Designers Ian Flood and Chris Prosser say that they “developed the idea over a few chess matches and went on to model the pieces in 3D.” “From there we had them 3D printed and we’ve been using these to replace our standard set ever since”, they say.

The Skyline Chess Set is hand cast, packaged in a laser-cut plywood case and, once the project reaches the manufacturing stage, the set will come with an optional presentation box. The designers also plan to make the finished boxes in Perspex.

You are probably wondering which London landmark is assigned to which chess figure…. The Pawn is the typical British terraced house, the Bishop is the loved / hated Gherkin Building, the Knight is none other than the London Eye, the Rook is the Big Ben, the Queen is Renzo Piano’s Shard of Glass building, and the King is, fittingly, the centre of London’s financial power Canary Wharf.

Flood and Prosser plant to take the Skyline Chess Set one step further: “We have visions of global domination. Why not play your home city against that of your friends or family; London vs. Paris, New York vs. Rome, Dubai vs. Shanghai?”

They are currently running a campaign on Kickstarter with the goal of collecting £25,000.