Clapjoy's wooden 4-in-1 set, made in IndiaPhoto: Clapjoy
Tournament chess in IndiaPhoto: Chessindia, CC BY 4.0
Four games and their piecesPhoto: Clapjoy
The chess side of the boardPhoto: Clapjoy
A chaturanga set: chess began in IndiaPhoto: Chaturaji, CC BY-SA 4.0
Playing chaturanga (Indian painting, Rijksmuseum)Photo: Rijksmuseum, CC0
Video

Traditional game

Chess

The two-player battle of wits that began in India as chaturanga

2players · best with 2
10–60 minplaying time
5+recommended age
Learning curve
Medium3 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Pure skill, no luck
LuckSkill
Interaction
High
Set-up
About 2 min
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Two players who enjoy a quiet battle of wits: parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, or cousins in the school holidays

Think twice if You want a game for the whole group: chess is strictly for two

How we rate it

Learning curve. Six kinds of piece, three special moves and the idea of checkmate take an evening to learn, a bit like Catan. Playing well takes years, far deeper than anything else on our scale.

Luck & skill. No dice, no cards and nothing hidden: the better player wins almost every time.

Interaction. Every move answers your opponent's: you attack, defend and capture each other's pieces all game.

Set-up. Lay out 32 pieces: about a minute once you know 'light on right' and 'queen on her own colour'. Choose who plays white, and white moves first.

Reading. Nothing to read during play; the pieces are known by their shapes.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

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Is Chess right for you?

Great if

  • Two players who enjoy a quiet battle of wits: parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, or cousins in the school holidays
  • Children from about 5 or 6 who are ready to learn the rules one piece at a time
  • Families who want one box with chess for two and Ludo or Snakes & Ladders for everyone else
  • Children inspired by Anand and Gukesh who want to start at home before joining a school or club chess class

Skip it if

  • You want a game for the whole group: chess is strictly for two
  • Your young child hates losing: there's no luck to even things out, so a stronger player has to go easy
  • You want a club or tournament-size set: this combination board is only 12 x 12 inches, so the pieces are small too

How Chess plays

Set-up: place the board so each player has a light square in the right-hand corner ('light on right'). The rooks go in the corners, then the knights, then the bishops. The queen goes on the square of her own colour and the king beside her, and the eight pawns stand in the row in front. White always moves first, and then you take turns, one move each.

  • Time to teach: about 30 minutes for the moves; years to master.
  • Reading and language: Nothing to read: the pieces are told apart by shape. Rules and lessons are easy to find in Hindi and other Indian languages, including a Hindi version of Chess.com's beginner guide, so grandparents and children can learn in whichever language they're most comfortable with.
Tournament chess in India · Photo: Chessindia, CC BY 4.0

How to Play Chess · Triple S Games

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A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Move

    On your turn, move one of your pieces according to how it moves. White goes first, then you take turns.

  2. 2
    Capture

    Move onto a square held by an enemy piece to take it off the board. Pawns capture diagonally.

  3. 3
    Check

    If you attack the enemy king, it's 'check', and your opponent must get the king out of danger straight away.

  4. 4
    Win

    Checkmate wins: the king is in check and has no escape. If the player to move has no legal move but isn't in check, it's a draw.

Read the rulesFIDE Laws of Chess (taking effect from 1 January 2023) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Chess goes

How the pieces move: the king goes one square in any direction. The queen moves any distance in a straight line or along a diagonal, the rook along rows and columns, and the bishop along diagonals. The knight jumps in an L shape (two squares one way, then one to the side) and is the only piece that can jump over others. Pawns move one square forward, or two on their first move, but capture one square diagonally forward. You capture by moving onto the square of an enemy piece and taking it off the board.

Special moves and winning: once the basics feel easy, add castling (the king and a rook move together to tuck the king away), promotion (a pawn that reaches the far side becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight, almost always a queen) and en passant (a special pawn capture). When a king is attacked it is in 'check' and must escape at once. If it can't, that's checkmate and the game is over. If the player to move has no legal move but isn't in check, it's stalemate, which is a draw.

How families learn: go one step at a time. First learn how each piece moves, then play short mini-games such as pawns only (first pawn to the far side wins), then learn simple endings like king and queen against a lone king. Older relatives may remember 'desi' rules played in India in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as no two-square first move for pawns and a once-a-game knight jump for the king instead of castling, so agree on the rules before you start. FIDE's Laws of Chess are the international standard.

How long it takes: a game between beginners usually lasts 10 to 30 minutes, and between keen players an hour or more. Clubs and tournaments use clocks: in rapid chess each player has more than 10 but less than 60 minutes for the whole game, and in blitz 10 minutes or less.

What's in the box

Four games and their pieces · Photo: Clapjoy
  • 32Chess pieces
    16 light and 16 dark: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns each. Clapjoy doesn't say what they're made of or how tall they are.
  • –Double-sided wooden boards
    12 x 12 inches; between them they carry chess, Ludo, Snakes & Ladders and Tic Tac Toe
  • –Ludo and Snakes & Ladders tokens
    count not listed
  • –Dice
    for Ludo and Snakes & Ladders; count not listed
  • –Tic Tac Toe pieces
    count not listed
  • 1Wooden storage box
    shown among Clapjoy's product images; not described in text

Box: 30.5 × 30.5 cm, 0.9 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

Clapjoy's product page shows only photos, with no written contents list, so this list is put together from the product name, the listing title (12 x 12 inch) and Clapjoy's description of the same Classic 4 set in a combo pack ('two double-sided boards'). Any chess set has 32 pieces. Check the counts when you open the box, and note that other 4-in-1 sets from other brands may pair the games differently.

Where to buy

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How to pick a good setSize, pieces and the details worth checking.

Choosing a set

Chess has no original box to import: dozens of Indian and foreign brands make sets, so buy for quality rather than origin. For a family's first board, a made-in-India wooden set with an ISI mark is the sensible choice, and that's where our Amazon.in button goes: Clapjoy's wooden 4-in-1 combination set, which Clapjoy says is made in India and BIS certified. When a child gets serious, add a club-size set (see below) rather than an expensive import.

Before you choose

  • Board size against piece size: FIDE's rule of thumb is that four pawns should fit comfortably on one square, and a tournament king of 9.5 cm sits on squares of 5 to 6 cm. A 12-inch combination board has squares of about 3.5 cm or less, so its pieces are small: fine for children and travel, cramped for adult hands.
  • Pieces: look for the classic Staunton shapes (a cross on the king, a crown on the queen, a slit in the bishop's head, a horse's head for the knight) so children can tell them apart, with clearly light and dark sides. Weighted pieces with felt bases don't tip over at every touch.
  • Material and finish: smooth, sanded wood with no rough edges, paint that doesn't chip, and a matte rather than glossy board so lights don't glare. On a double-sided board, check that the squares are printed straight and evenly on both sides.
  • Piece count: a full set has 32 pieces, 16 per side (a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns). Some sets add a spare queen for each side for pawn promotion.
  • Safety: toys sold in India must carry the ISI mark under a BIS licence. Look for the mark and a licence number starting CM/L on the box, especially for a set meant for young children.
  • Storage: a box with compartments, or a folding board that holds the pieces, keeps all 32 together. A lost pawn is easily replaced, but a lost king ends the game; magnetic sets suit travel.
  • When a child starts playing at school or club level, move up to a club set: a roll-up vinyl board with about 2.25-inch squares and weighted Staunton pieces with a king of about 3.75 inches (9.5 cm).

What reviewers and players say

Chess is the classic thinking game, and its fans love that skill decides everything: no luck, and no two games alike. On chess forums, parents advise building a love of the game first, with short checkmate puzzles and friendly games, rather than drilling rules. The usual complaints are that beginners lose again and again to stronger players, which can upset young children, and that games between careful players can run long. On equipment, players like pieces that are easy to tell apart and steady enough not to tip at a touch, which small, light combination sets don't always manage.

What people love

  • Pure skill: there are no dice or cards, so every improvement feels earned
  • Endless variety, from five-minute blitz games to long, thoughtful ones
  • A shared hobby across generations, from grandparents to young children
  • Easy to start: any board and pieces will do, and free lessons and puzzles are everywhere

Common complaints

  • Beginners lose over and over to stronger players, which can put young children off
  • Games can run long when both players think hard
  • Light, unweighted pieces on small boards get knocked over easily, especially by young players
Based on 6 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Players2222
Best with2222
Play time10–60 min15–30 min10–30 min5–15 min
Age5+8+8+6+
RulesMediumEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionAvailableAvailableAvailableAvailable
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Questions people ask about Chess

Did chess come from India?

Yes. Chess grew out of chaturanga, a game played in north India by around the 6th or 7th century; its name refers to the four divisions of an ancient Indian army: infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots. It spread to Persia as chatrang, later called shatranj, and from there to Europe, where it slowly became the modern game.

What is the best age for a child to start chess?

Most children can learn the moves from about 5 or 6, and Clapjoy rates this set for 5 and up. Start with how each piece moves, play short pawn-only games, then learn simple checkmates. Keep games short and fun at first.

How long does a game of chess take?

A casual game between beginners usually takes 10 to 30 minutes; keen players can take an hour or more. With a clock, rapid chess gives each player more than 10 but less than 60 minutes, and blitz 10 minutes or less.

What size chess set is used in tournaments?

FIDE's standard is a king about 9.5 cm tall on squares of 5 to 6 cm. Club and school events usually use a roll-up vinyl board with squares of about 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) and weighted plastic Staunton pieces. A small combination set like this one is for home and travel.

Who are India's world chess champions?

Viswanathan Anand became India's first grandmaster in 1988 and was world champion in 2000 and again from 2007 to 2013. D Gukesh of Chennai became world champion in December 2024, aged 18, by beating Ding Liren in Singapore. India also won both the open and women's golds at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest.

Game facts

Publisher
Clapjoy
Players
2
Language
No reading – Nothing to read: the pieces are told apart by shape. Rules and lessons are easy to find in Hindi and other Indian languages, including a Hindi version of Chess.com's beginner guide, so grandparents and children can learn in whichever language they're most comfortable with.
Box size and weight
30.5 × 30.5 cm, 0.9 kg
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.