There are many problems when it comes to playing chess that an individual is likely to encounter. One of them is choosing the right chessboard that would be appropriate for the size of the pieces, it is pretty important.
There have been tons of publications from different websites on how to find the right chess board for a piece size, however, many guidelines are not practical.
Most tackle this question by taking the height of the king and dictating the appropriate sizes, however, the base diameter is actually the most important metric.
That is going to be the main focus of this article, here it will be explained how the base diameter of the King can be used to find the appropriate chess board for the pieces. Keep on reading to learn more.
The Base Diameter of the King can be Used to Determine the Right Chessboard
In order to find the best chess board that will be suitable for your chess pieces, it is important to look at the size of the king. Most sizes of the pieces will be complementary to the base diameter of the king.
It is generally recommended to choose an appropriate chessboard where the size of the squares are proportionate to the base diameter of the king.
If the king can appear fitting to the square size of the chess board it is very likely that the other pieces will be in similar proportions. The most important metric is the base diameter of the king.
The king can be in various heights yet have a similar base diameter, the proportion of the base diameter will be the most important when it comes to the sizes of the square.
If the base diameter is too small, the pieces would appear very small when placed in a standard square size (and vice versa). The base diameter of the king and the square size are the two most important metrics for the calculation.
Also Read: Best Designer & Unique Chess Sets for Décor, Study, Home Office or Library
Calculating the base diameter of the king to find the right chessboard
The best practice for determining which square size is fitting for a king size would be the ratio between the square size to the king’s base diameter in percentages. This can be confusing however.
Traditionally the ratio is between 72%-82% for most commercial chess boards. The U.S. chess federation recommends the ratio between the king diameter to the square size at around 72%-82% (in tournament settings).
The information out there is not consistent, some players even say that the square size/king size ratio should be between 68%-85%. If we take the median to all of this for the sake of calculation, it would be 76.5%.
With this number in mind the calculation is incredibly simple, we have already established that the base diameter should at least occupy 76.5% of the chessboard. We can now calculate using a simple division.
Let’s say that we have a King piece with a base diameter of 3.25″, all you have to do is to divide that by 0.765 (76.5%) and you will get the appropriate size for a chessboard.
3.25 (king’s base diameter) ÷ 0.765 (base diameter/square size percentage) = 4.2″ chess board (square size).
This means that if you have a king piece with a base diameter of 3.25″, the appropriate square size of its chess board should be around 4.2″.
You just need to take the king’s base diameter and divide it by the king’s base diameter/percentage ratio that you prefer. The 76.5% percentage is just used in this example since it is the median of the recommended sizes.
The Right Chessboard for the Standard King Size
Let’s take this formula to the test using the standard King’s base diameter practiced in formal chess tournaments. The standard base diameter for Kings used in tournaments is 1.75″.
If we divide it by 0.765 the square size would be 2.28“.
If we divide it differently, let’s say 1.75/0.78 (another standard percentage) the resulting square size is 2.25″. This 2.25″ square size is actually the recommended chess board size in USCF.
However there are many other recommended ratios as been discussed above, if we are going to stay at the 76.5%, the appropriate square size is 2.28″ (for a 1.75″ base diameter of the king).
This means that if you are going for a standard size with the king (which will have a base diameter of 1.75″) then you should choose a chessboard that has a square size of between 2.25″ and 2.28″.
Here in chessbazaar we have many chess boards that have the given ratios, an example of this is the Wooden Chess Board Ebony Sheesham Wood 21.8″ – 60 mm which would be a good pair for most piece sizes.
If you are looking for an actual pair though we have Reproduced 1849 Original Staunton Pattern Chess Pieces in Ebony / Antiqued Boxwood – 4.5″ King which should go well with the veneered luxury chessboard mentioned above.
A less expensive option for the standard tournament board size would be this FOLDING CARDBOARD 19″ CHESS BOARD WITH NOTATIONS IN BROWN AND OFF WHITE SQUARE – 55MM SQUARE which has basically a similar size yet is way inexpensive.
A good pair for the folding (cardboard) chessboard is this Tournament Series Staunton Chess Pieces with German Knight in Sheesham & Box Wood – 3.75″ King which would have the right size that follows most tournament standards.
There are many examples of the standard size pair since it is the most popular size for consumers, finding the piece/chess board combination that is more on the unusual side is quite difficult.
Also Read: Want to relax? Try Chess
King’s Base Diameter-Square Size can Change Depending on Preference
It is important to note that the measurements performed above are those within standard evaluations, however, some players prefer having their chessboard to be too small/too large for the size of the king.
In these cases the formula can easily be adjusted to your preferred percentage (just replace the 76.5% to the percentage of your liking).
There are those that find it difficult to play with smaller pieces/board ratio primarily because of poor eyesight, these kinds of individuals prefer a bigger base diameter/square size ratio.
If you belong in this category then simply adjust the percentage (in the calculation) to be higher in order to get a bigger piece/board ratio. If we are to take the standard King’s base diameter (1.75“) you can adjust it to 85% for example and have this calculation:
1.75″ ÷ 0.85 = 2.05″ square size. This ensures that the base diameter of the king covers at least 85% of the square which would make it appear bigger.
On the other hand, there are those that find playing with bigger pieces quite distracting so they would prefer a smaller piece/board ratio.
If you belong in this category then simply adjust the percentage (in the calculation) to be lower in order to get a lower piece/board ratio. If we are to take the standard King’s base diameter (1.75″) you can adjust it to 65% for example and have this calculation:
1.75″ ÷ 0.65 = 2.69” square size. This ensures that the base diameter of the king covers at least 65% of the square which would make it appear smaller.
In the market, it will be challenging to find these combination pairs since it is not really something that is often wanted by consumers, if you prefer a custom size you need to buy the piece and the chessboard separately.
Here in chessbazaar we have the categorization that makes it easier for consumers to find the right size as well as other factors like price, rating, and stock. Just click the product you prefer and you will see this categorization.
This way it will be significantly faster to find your preferred piece size and chessboard size taking away all the hassle in the process, it will ensure that you also have a quality product as well.
You can experiment in whatever way that you want as long as you follow this calculation, you can find the appropriate chessboard just by looking at the king’s base diameter through this method.
Our Wooden Chess Board Dark Brown Indian Rosewood 21″ – 55 mm
Final Thoughts
There are definitely many methodologies that you can implement to find the right chess board size for a specific piece size, however, the base diameter is simply the best metric that can be used to solve this.
There are many defective products that have the appropriate height yet not the appropriate base diameter, which is the most important since it determines how the pieces look when placed on the chessboard.
By using the calculation presented in this article (King’s base diameter ÷ desired square size percentage) you can accurately tell which chessboard size is appropriate for your pieces.
The size of the king is usually proportional to the size of the remaining pieces, so this is going to be applicable to all other pieces and not just the king. That is all, thank you for reading.
