Bauhaus Chess Set Review: Josef Hartwig's 1923 Design in Boxwood, at 2 Inches Tall

Thirty-two pieces, 400 grams in total, and a king that stands 2.0 inches. That's the whole set in one line. My verdict: this TAJ CHESS STORE reproduction is a good way to get Josef Hartwig's 1923 Bauhaus chessmen onto a desk, and a poor choice if you want something that feels like a chess set under your fingers.

The design is the reason to look. Hartwig built the pieces from cubes, spheres and cross forms so the shape spells out the move, the rook squared off for straight lines, the bishop's cross for diagonals. It's a landmark of 20th century design. At this size it's also closer to a sculpture than a playing set. Both things are true, and you should decide which one you're shopping for before you order.

What it is and who it's for

The listing is specific: 32 chess pieces only, no board, in ebonized (dyed) boxwood and natural boxwood. King height 2.0 inches, king base 1.1 inches, with the queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawns in proportion. Every piece has a felt pad on the bottom. Total weight of the pieces is 400 grams. TAJ CHESS STORE recommends squares of 40 mm to 45 mm and backs the work with a 24 month free replacement warranty against manufacturing defects.

That's a desk object. It suits a design-minded person who wants the Hartwig forms on a shelf or a side table, and anyone short on space who still wants a set worth looking at. It does not suit a club player who wants to analyze on it, a tournament hall, or anyone whose mental picture of a chess set is a Staunton silhouette. If you want to see how it sits beside the other Hartwig reproductions on the market, the best bauhaus chess sets roundup is where I'd compare.

What the specs actually tell you

Start with the king. US Chess guidance puts tournament king height at 3.375 to 4.5 inches. At 2.0 inches this one is roughly 60 percent of the shortest tournament king. That's not a defect in the design, it's a diffrent object. But it tells you plainly what you're buying: a small set for a small board.

The weight is the number I keep coming back to. Four hundred grams across 32 pieces averages 12.5 grams per piece, and that's an average, so the pawns are lighter still. Nothing in the listing mentions weighting. Light boxwood on a hard board makes a sharp, clicky sound, and some players hate it. Never bothered me much. Worth knowing before the box lands.

Then the base. A 1.1 inch base under a 2.0 inch king is 55 percent of the height, which is chunky, and that's the design doing its job. On a 40 mm (1.57 inch) square the base covers 70 percent of the width, just under the 75 to 80 percent guideline, which leaves enough clearance to slide pieces without a traffic jam. On a 45 mm square it drops to 62 percent and the 2 inch king starts to look lost out there. Go with 40 mm. The board isn't included, so if you're buying one anyway, browse the chess sets section and match your squares to the pieces.

What owners report

Here's the honest part. The listing I worked from shows no star rating and no review count, so I can't hand you an owner score and I won't invent one. What I can tell you is what comes up again and again around Hartwig reproductions in general, plus what the spec sheet implies on its own.

The most common complaint is scale. People fall for the photographs, then open a box of pieces smaller than they pictured. A 2 inch king is about the length of a matchbox, and that surprises buyers who are used to a 3.75 inch club set. Second theme: lightness. Players raised on weighted pieces describe these as feeling hollow, and the 400 gram total explains why. Third: the pawn and the knight take a second to tell apart at a glance if the design is new to you. Fourth, someone always misses the "pieces only" line and expects a board in the box. If you want to see how other modern designs handle those same trade-offs, the best modern chess sets list covers the ground.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Felt pads on all 32 pieces, per the listing, so a finished board won't get scratched.
• Ebonized and natural boxwood gives you the light and dark split in wood rather than paint.
• A 24 month replacement warranty against manufacturing defects.
• At 400 grams total it lives in a drawer and moves around the house without fuss.

Cons

• No board included, and the pieces need a 40 mm board to look right.
• A 2.0 inch king is well under tournament size, so it's no good for serious study.
• 12.5 grams average per piece means nothing here is weighted.
• No rating or review count on the listing to lean on.

Specs at a glance

Alternatives worth a look

There's one set in front of me here, so no head to head table. What I can do is tell you where to look if the 2 inch king is the deal breaker.

If you want a set you'd genuinely play on, a standard Staunton is the honest answer. Same game, familiar shapes, king heights from 3.375 inches upward, and no trouble finding a matching board. The best staunton chess sets page is where I'd start.

If the attraction is the object rather than the game, go the other direction. Heavier wooden pieces on a proper board turn this into furniture instead of a desk toy, and the best luxury chess sets list runs through those.

And if you're buying for a club, a school or a weekly league, the shape matters far less than survival. Roll-up boards and weighted plastic or wood sets take a beating that a 400 gram boxwood reproduction won't, and the best tournament chess sets page covers that ground.

Should you buy it

Buy it if you want the 1923 Hartwig set as an object, and you either own a 40 mm board or plan to buy one. The felt pads, the two-tone boxwood, the 24 month warranty and the 400 gram total make it an easy thing to keep on a desk. The shape is the point, and at this scale you get the shape without giving up shelf space.

Skip it if you want a playing set. A 2.0 inch king, 12.5 gram pieces and no board in the box add up to something more pleasant to look at than to play on. I'd happily keep one on my desk. I wouldn't take it to a tournament, and I wouldn't teach a beginner the pieces on it. For club nights and long games, buy Staunton and put the Hartwig on the shelf where it belongs.