The 9 Best Chinese Chess Sets for 2026, Ranked by Specs
Xiangqi sets live or die on piece diameter and board size. Here are nine worth a look, ranked, plus the numbers I check first.
| Image | Pick | Product | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Best overall | Yellow Mountain Imports Large Chinese Chess | Price |
 | Best for travel | YMI Magnetic Chinese Chess Xiangqi Set | Price |
 | Best wooden set | GoodPlay Beechwood Chinese Chess Set Xiangqi Travel Game Se… | Price |
 | Best gift box | Chinese Chess Xiangqi with Wooden Retro Box | Price |
 | Best jade look | HenMerry Classic Chinese Chess | Price |
 | Best large folder | Luoyer 15 inch Chinese Chess Set with PU Leather Foldable B… | Price |
 | Best warrior theme | Traditional Chinese Xiangqi Portable Chess Set | Price |
 | Best painted pieces | Retro Vintage Chinese Terracotta Warriors Chess Set Board G… | Price |
 | Best for gifting | MGBISYI Vintage Chinese Terracotta Warrior 32 Chess Set Woo… | Price |
My top pick is the Yellow Mountain Imports 14.6-inch magnetic xiangqi set. You get 32 acrylic pieces, a board that folds to 1 inch thick, 2.2 lbs on the scale, and magnets that keep the men where you put them on a train table. For most people that's the whole job done.
Xiangqi isn't Western chess with different carvings. The pieces sit on intersections of a 9 by 10 grid, a river runs through the middle, and the generals stay home in their palaces. If it's the Western game you're after, my chess sets hub covers that whole category. But you searched for a Chinese chess set, so here are nine, ranked, with the specs that separate a board you'll actually play on from a shelf ornament.
How I picked these
Four thresholds. A set had to clear at least three to make this list.
Piece diameter of 1.2 inches or more. Xiangqi characters are dense (將, 帥, 車, 馬). Under 1.2 inches you're leaning in to read them, and leaning in is how you lose track of the clock.
A board at least 12 inches across when open. The two Yellow Mountain Imports folders bracket this at 12.8 and 14.6 inches. The 20 cm board on one set below is a coffee table curiosity, not a playing surface.
Pieces that store in the board or the box. A 32-piece set in a loose drawstring bag means counting pieces every time you pack up.
A listing that answers basic questions. Piece diameter, board size, material. Six of these nine give me all three. The ones that don't get marked down hard, because if the seller won't measure it, you can't check it before it arrives.
One honesty note before we go further: I haven't bought, unboxed or played on any of these nine. I read the listings line by line, checked the numbers against what a real board needs, and went through what owners report about this class of set. That's the basis for every pick here.
1. Yellow Mountain Imports Large Chinese Chess
Fourteen and a half inches of folding board, 1 inch thick when closed, 2.2 lbs in the hand. The 32 pieces are acrylic, listed at 1.3 by 2 by 0.4 inches, with red and green characters on black, and both the board and the pieces carry magnets. The gold grid and the chariot art on the edges are decoration I didn't ask for, but they don't get in the way of play.
Here's the quirk. Traditional xiangqi is red versus black, and this set is black versus black with colored characters doing the work. On a crowded board, at speed, your eye takes a beat longer to sort friend from enemy. That's a real concession, and it's the trade for a full-size board that folds into a bag.
What owners say: Folding magnetic boards draw the same two notes every time. The magnets hold on a train or a park bench and let go through a car ride over potholes. And the hinge is the first thing to wear, usually after 3 or 4 years of regular folding. Nothing in the listing suggests this one dodges either pattern.
Good for: Players who want a full-size board that travels. Skip it if: You want the traditional red versus black color split.
2. YMI Magnetic Chinese Chess Xiangqi Set
- Entire Set Weighs 2.2 lbs (1.02kg)
- Fun And Educational: Learn and enjoy this alternative chess game and sharpen your strategic thinking skills
The compact twin of the pick above. Board comes in at 12.8 by 12.6 by 1.1 inches, pieces are 1.2 by 1.2 by 0.3 inches in jade coloring with red and white characters, and the whole package weighs the same 2.2 lbs. Same magnets, same fold-out hinge, same tray inside the board for the 32 men.
Twelve tenths of an inch is right at my floor. Jade pieces with white characters are lower contrast than black on cream, and at 1.2 inches the characters are small. Perfectly playable, just not the set I'd hand to someone learning the pieces.
What owners say: The recurring comment on smaller magnetic sets is that they're great on a plane tray and cramped on a real table. Buyers also mention the pieces rattling inside the folded board, which you fix with a rubber band around the whole thing.
Good for: Flights, trains, and a bag that's already full. Skip it if: Your games happen at a table and never move.
3. GoodPlay Beechwood Chinese Chess Set Xiangqi Travel Game Set with Woo…
Thirty-two beech pieces, each 4 cm across (about 1.57 inches) and 2 cm tall, paired with a leather board measuring 50 by 45 cm, or roughly 19.7 by 17.7 inches. That's a proper table spread. No magnets anywhere. The pieces live in a wooden box at 19.8 by 19.8 by 5.3 cm.
The box is smaller than the board, so the board travels separately, folded or rolled alongside it. And there's no fitted insert mentioned for the pieces, which means they stack in layers inside the box. Beech is also plain compared with rosewood, and plain is the point if you like unvarnished wood. If wood is the whole reason you're shopping, my best wooden chess sets guide covers the western side of that question too.
What owners say: Wooden-piece xiangqi buyers tend to comment on weight and warmth first, then on storage. Sets without inserts get the same complaint: pieces roll into each other in transit, and the paint on the characters takes the hit.
Good for: Home play where the set never leaves the table. Skip it if: You need magnets or a self-contained case.
Thirty-two rosewood pieces at 1.5 inches in diameter, a leather board, and a wooden box at 26 by 19 cm, which is 10.2 by 7.5 inches. Piece diameter is the number I like here: 1.5 inches sits comfortably between the small travel pieces and the oversized tournament stuff, and the characters are easy to read from across a table.
Two honest hesitations. A 10.2 by 7.5 inch box can't hold a full board flat, so the board folds separately. And "rosewood" on a listing is a marketing word, not a species certificate; at this tier you're buying the look, not verified Dalbergia. If that distinction matters to you, the best luxury chess sets page is where I get picky about wood claims.
What owners say: Boxed wood sets in this range get praised for presentation and dinged for hinge alignment. The usual note is that the box looks better in photos than in the hand, which is true of most things at this level.
Good for: A gift that has to look like a gift. Skip it if: You want the board and pieces in one closed package.
5. HenMerry Classic Chinese Chess
- BOARD size is about 31.5*34.5cm/12.40*13.58in, each of the chess is 4cm/1.57inch in diameter.
Pieces are the selling point: "jade fossil bamboo," 4 cm across, about 1.57 inches, with a drawstring bag for storage and an imitation leather board at 12.40 by 13.58 inches. No magnets. The leather-faced board is the right call over paper, which creases and delaminates within a season.
Now the arithmetic. Xiangqi has 9 files across. Divide 13.58 inches by 9 and you get roughly 1.5 inches per file. The pieces are 1.57 inches wide. They will touch, and on a busy board they'll nudge each other. That's the concession, and it's a design problem, not a taste problem.
What owners say: Buyers of jade-style sets talk about the weight and the click of the pieces more than anything else. The repeat complaint is board size relative to piece size, which matches exactly what the numbers say here.
Good for: Players who care how the pieces feel in the hand. Skip it if: You play on a crowded board and hate nudging pieces.
6. Luoyer 15 inch Chinese Chess Set with PU Leather Foldable Board Xiang…
A 15-inch folding PU leather board that closes into its own case, with a snap flap so the pieces stay put. The listing describes the internal placement of the pieces as designed to stop them bumping each other, and the whole thing folds flat for storage. PU over cardboard is the right material at this size; it wipes clean and doesn't peel like paper wrap.
What the listing does not give me is piece diameter. Fifteen inches of board is a grown-up playing surface, but I can't tell you whether the men are 1.2 inches or 1.5. That's the one gap in an otherwise complete spec sheet, and it's the reason this sits sixth instead of third.
What owners say: Snap-flap folding cases get consistent praise for keeping all 32 pieces accounted for. The recurring gripe is that the flap fabric loosens after a couple of years of weekly use.
Good for: A big board that packs into a briefcase shape. Skip it if: You need to know the piece size before you order.
7. Traditional Chinese Xiangqi Portable Chess Set
- Chess board size: 11.8*11.8 inches. Chess piece base diameter:1 × 1 inch, height: 2 inches.
- Package includes: 1 set Chinese chess and 1 leather chessboard.
- This beautiful set of chess sets is a good gift for parents, friends and teachers.
Resin pieces modeled on terracotta warriors, each with a 1 inch base and a 2 inch height, on an 11.8 by 11.8 inch leather board. There's no mistaking this set for anything else on the table, and if the theme is the reason you're shopping, it delivers.
Two inches of standing figure on a board with 9 files at 11.8 inches means roughly 1.3 inches per file. The figures are taller than their footprint is wide, so the far rank sits behind a row of statues. Charming for a slow game, annoying for a fast one. And 11.8 inches is under my 12-inch floor.
What owners say: Warrior-themed sets get two kinds of feedback. People love the look, and experienced players note that tall pieces hide the board. Both are true, and you already know which one you are.
Good for: Display, gifts, and casual games with a theme. Skip it if: You want a clear view of the whole board.
8. Retro Vintage Chinese Terracotta Warriors Chess Set Board Game Set Gi…
- It is carefully made through several processes such as skinning, polishing, painting, and drawing.
- All the manufacturing processes are completed by hand, with fine workmanship and unique technology.
A folding box in high-density board wrapped in artificial leather, with metal hinges and a front buckle, hand-finished through painting and drawing steps. Piece heights run 3.3 to 4 cm depending on the rank, so the tallest figure is about 1.6 inches. The one board measurement in the listing is 20 by 20 cm.
That's 7.9 inches. Nine files across 7.9 inches gives you under an inch per file, and pieces roughly 1.3 to 1.6 inches tall will crowd each other from the opening move. As a painted object it looks like a nice thing. As a playing surface it's too small, and I'd rather tell you that than dress it up.
What owners say: Small themed sets get bought as gifts and reviewed as decorations. The consistent note is that the paintwork reads better than the board does, which lines up with a 20 cm footprint.
Good for: A shelf, a desk, or a themed gift. Skip it if: You plan to actualy play 40-move games on it.
9. MGBISYI Vintage Chinese Terracotta Warrior 32 Chess Set Wood Table Ch…
- Standard 32 Piece Set
- Perfect for intellectual development, home leisure and entertainment
- Folding Vintage Chinese Chess Board Games Set for Leaders Friends Family Parent Gift Collectibles
- Our product design is unique, not only beautiful but also practical
Marketed as a vintage terracotta warrior chess set, 32 pieces, wood table, folding board. That's the entire spec sheet. No piece diameter, no board measurement, no wood species, no storage description, no rating data in the listing.
I can't recomend a set I can't measure. The theme is the same one the weyheng set covers with actual numbers attached, and that one at least tells you its pieces are 1 inch at the base. If you're hunting a gift for a chess player who already has everything, my best chess sets for men page has better-documented options. This one is a gamble on a photo.
What owners say: Listings this thin tend to attract reviews about shipping damage and missing pieces, because nobody knows what the set should look like when it arrives. Without measurements, you can't check the delivery against anything.
Good for: Nothing I can defend on specs. Skip it if: You want to know what you're buying.
What actually matters when you buy a Chinese chess set
Piece diameter, 1.2 to 1.6 inches. This is the single number that decides whether the set gets played. Xuangqi characters carry a lot of strokes in a small circle. At 1.2 inches (the YMI 12.8-inch set) you can read them. At 1.57 inches (the GoodPlay beech pieces) you can read them from across a room.
Board width divided by 9. Xiangqi has 9 files. Take the board width and divide by 9 to get your real spacing. The HenMerry board at 13.58 inches gives 1.5 inches per file against 1.57-inch pieces, which is why they touch. The math takes ten seconds and saves a return.
Magnets or no magnets. A 2.2 lb folding magnetic set is a travel tool. A leather mat with loose pieces is a table tool. Decide which one you're buying before you compare anything else.
Material claims you can verify. Acrylic and beech are what they say. "Rosewood" and "jade fossil bamboo" are descriptive labels on a listing, not certificates. Buy the look if you like the look, but don't pay for a species you can't confirm.
Return friction. Check whether the listing gives you board size, piece size and material in the copy. If a seller leaves out all three, expect the return shipping to be your problem. And if you also play the western game, the best tournament chess sets guide shows what a fully documented spec sheet looks like.
Side by side
| Set | Key spec | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow Mountain Imports 14.6 in | 14.6 x 14.6 x 1 in folding board, 32 acrylic pieces, 2.2 lbs | Best overall |
| YMI 12.8 in magnetic | 12.8 x 12.6 x 1.1 in board, 32 jade-colored pieces at 1.2 in | Best for travel |
| GoodPlay beechwood | 32 beech pieces at 4 cm, leather board 50 x 45 cm | Best wooden set |
| PmHaurient rosewood | 32 rosewood pieces at 1.5 in, box 26 x 19 cm | Best gift box |
| HenMerry jade | 32 pieces at 4 cm, board 12.40 x 13.58 in | Best jade look |
| Luoyer 15 in PU | 15 in folding PU leather case, snap flap closure | Best large folder |
| weyheng terracotta | 32 resin figures, 2 in tall, board 11.8 x 11.8 in | Best warrior theme |
| Painted warrior box | Board 20 x 20 cm, pieces 3.3 to 4 cm tall | Best painted pieces |
| MGBISYI warrior | 32 piece wood set, no sizes listed | Best for gifting |
Which one I'd buy
If you play at a club, in a park, or on a train, buy the Yellow Mountain Imports 14.6-inch set. It's the only one here that combines a full-size board, magnets, and on-board storage in 2.2 lbs, and the color quirk is something you adapt to in two games.
If your xiangqi never leaves the dining table, buy the GoodPlay beechwood set. Thirty-two wooden pieces at 4 cm on a 50 by 45 cm leather board is a real board for real games, and wood feels better than acrylic every time.
And if you were about to order the MGBISYI because the photo looked good, wait until the listing tells you how big the pieces are. That's not a rule I invented. It's the one thing every set on this list that I'd actualy buy has in common.
Questions people ask me
Is Chinese chess the same game as Western chess?
No. Xiangqi uses 32 pieces, but they sit on the intersections of a 9 by 10 grid, a river splits the board, and the generals never leave a 3 by 3 palace. Movement rules differ for every piece, so a strong Western player starts close to zero here.
What size board and pieces should I look for?
Aim for a board at least 12 inches across when it's open, and pieces 1.2 to 1.6 inches in diameter. Below 1.2 inches the Chinese characters get hard to read from the far side, which is where you'll be sitting.
Do I need a magnetic Chinese chess set?
Only if the set leaves the house. Magnet sets like the Yellow Mountain Imports folders hold pieces through a train ride. On a dining table a leather mat plays fine, but the pieces slide when the table gets bumped.