Hardware Chess Sets

The tradition of improvising a chess set from whatever’s on hand is probably as venerable as chess itself. Chess culture is chock-full of sets put together from odds and ends of every description, but here I’m only focusing on sets built from mechanical and electrical bits–mostly nuts, bolts, and washers of various flavors. If you’ve got a good one I missed, please do link it in the comments.

If you’re interested in making your own and want some guidance, Mother Earth News has a nice tutorial.

High octane chess set.

Recycled auto parts chess set

BNC Chess

DIY steampunk hardware chess set

Chess set made with nuts and bolts

Spanish metal screw/bolt chess set

Hardware store chessmen

Claude Reith’s DIY Chess Set Figures