The 4 Best Revolutionary War Chess Sets for 2026
Painted resin armies, glass boards, and one foam-lined box that settles the whole thing.
| Image | Pick | Product | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Best overall | American Revolutionary Independence War Chess Set W/ 18" Ch… | Price |
 | Best wood veneer board | American Revolutionary War Chess Men Set with 17 inch Walnu… | Price |
 | Best display piece | Pacific Giftware US Revolution War Chess Set with 17 in x 1… | Price |
 | Best for tight shelves | Ebros Patriotic American Colonies Revolutionary War US Cont… | Price |
Buy the HPL American Revolutionary Independence War set with the 18 inch cherry and burlwood board. Of the four sets here it's the most complete package: a 3 1/4 inch king, all 32 pieces at 1.75 pounds total, felt on every base, and a foam-lined box for storage. That box is the tiebreaker.
None of these four is a tournament set. Two sit on boards of 17 inches or smaller, the smallest squares measure 1.5 inches, and every figure is painted resin. You're buying a historical conversation piece that happens to play chess. Nothing wrong with that. Just don't expect Staunton heft.
How I picked these
Four sets survived a longer list of colonial and Revolutionary War listings. My filters were plain: a king of 3 1/4 inches or taller, a base diameter of at least 1 inch, felt bottoms stated or clearly absent, a board of 15.5 inches or more, and a listing that actualy prints its dimensions. Anything hiding the king height in photos only got cut.
Return friction counted too. Painted resin figures snap at the musket and the bayonet, so a set that ships in one molded foam block is far easier to send back intact than a loose bag of figures. I've watched clubmates deal with that mess. If you want to see how these historical figure sets compare with the wider field, my guide to themed chess sets covers the whole category.
1. American Revolutionary Independence War Chess Set W/ 18" Cherry & Bur…
- 3 1/4" King - 18" High Gloss Laminate Board
- Standard 32 Piece set of chess men.
- Solid Resin and Hand Painted With Felt Bottoms
- Men Come In Decorative Box With Foam Storage
This is the one I'd put on my own side table. The specs are the most complete of the four: king 3 1/4 inches, queen 3 1/8, bishop 3, knight 2 7/8, rook 2 3/4, pawn 2 5/8, every base 1 inch across, all 32 pieces solid resin with hand painting and felt bottoms. Total piece weight is 1.75 pounds, which tells you the figures are cast light rather than dense. Light pieces tip over more.
The board is where the money went and where it didn't. Cherry and burlwood color laminate over an MDF core, high gloss, fully felted underneath. It looks right from standing height and shows every fingerprint up close. And a dropped king on a tile floor will chip, because painted resin is painted resin. That's the trade at this level.
What owners say: The listing shows no rating count yet, so I'm going on the spec sheet and the foam storage box. Buyers of painted resin sets in this style keep mentioning two things: paint holding up on the tall figures, and felt staying glued. The recurring complaint across the category is shipping damage to muskets and bayonets.
Good for: a club player who wants a historical set that still gets played on, plus somewhere to store it. Skip it if: you want pieces with weight in the hand; 1.75 pounds for a full army is light.
2. American Revolutionary War Chess Men Set with 17 inch Walnut and Mapl…
- 3 1/4 inche king with 1 inch diameter felted base
- 17 Inch Board features genuine walnut and maple wood veneers
- Standard 32 Piece Set of Men
- Expertly cast with solid resin and hand Painted with Felt Bottoms
Same figures, better board surface. The king is 3 1/4 inches with a 1 inch diameter felted base, the set is a standard 32 pieces in solid resin, and the 17 inch board uses genuine walnut and maple wood veneers instead of a print. If the wood grain matters to you more than a storage box, this is the pick.
Here's the concession. The feature list doesn't mention a storage box or foam, and square size isn't stated anywhere in the listing. So you're getting a veneer top and the same light resin army, and you'll be hunting for a box. For a read on how these colonial figures stack up against other themes on the market, the best themed chess sets roundup is the honest comparison.
What owners say: No rating count is posted on this listing either. What buyers of 17 inch veneer boards generally report is that the veneer edges are the first thing to show wear, and that the pieces arrive well packed but without a case. Plan for a bag or a box.
Good for: someone who wants real wood grain on the board and doesn't need the storage box. Skip it if: you need to know the square size before you commit, because the listing won't tell you.
3. Pacific Giftware US Revolution War Chess Set with 17 in x 17 in Glass…
- Approximately 17" x 17" x 3 3/4"
- Made of designer quality composite Cold Cast Resin and Glass Board
- Exclusive for Pacific Giftware
Glass board, cold cast resin figures, 17 by 17 inches and 3 3/4 inches of overall height in the box. Pacific Giftware keeps the description short: designer quality composite cold cast resin, glass playing surface, exclusive to the brand. No king height. No piece count. No mention of felt anywhere in the features.
That thin spec sheet is the whole story. I'd buy this for a coffee table or a study shelf where the frosted and clear checker reads as decor, not for a Tuesday club night. Glass at 17 inches square is also the board most likely to arrive cracked if the carrier drops it, and the least forgiving surface for a piece that slides.
What owners say: There's no rating data on the listing, so I'm judging from the stated dimensions alone. Buyers of glass-board decorative sets typically mention two things: how good the frosted squares look under a lamp, and how much dust shows on the surface within a week.
Good for: a display shelf or a gift where the look carries the purchase. Skip it if: you want documented piece heights and felt bottoms before you spend.
4. Ebros Patriotic American Colonies Revolutionary War US Continental Ar…
- The board is made of fine glass; frosted and clear checkered square boxes on the surface of the glass.
The most detailed brief of the four. Pieces range from 3.5 inches at the tallest down to 2.25 inches, bases are 1.25 inches across, and the board is 15.5 by 15.5 inches of 1/4 inch glass with a frosted and clear checker. Washington's Continental Army in blue, Clinton's British force opposite. Polyresin, hand painted and polished, packed in a single styrofoam unit with the board in the bottom half.
Now the problem. Squares measure 1.5 by 1.5 inches and the bases are 1.25 inches, which leaves about an eighth of an inch of air per side. Pieces will crowd and bump. US Chess guidance pairs a king base at 75 to 80 percent of a square, and this set sits above that. It's the tightest board here, and the smallest.
What owners say: No rating count is listed. The features do include an unusual warning about cutting the tape around the top and bottom foam sheets, which tells you the packing is layered and people have sliced into it before. Read the box before you open it.
Good for: a narrow shelf or a desk where 15.5 inches is all the room you have. Skip it if: you want comfortable spacing between pieces during a real game.
What actually matters when you buy a revolutionary war chess set
King height against square size. US Chess guidance puts kings at roughly 3.375 to 4.5 inches with squares from 2 to 2.5 inches, and a king base around 75 to 80 percent of the square. These sets run 3 1/4 to 3.5 inch kings on squares as small as 1.5 inches. The height is fine. The squares are the squeeze.
Base diameter and felt. A 1 inch base is the minimum I'd accept, and 1.25 inches gives a piece stability on a glossy surface. Felt is not decoration; it's what stops a painted figure from skating across laminate. Two of these four state felt bottoms explicitly. One doesn't mention felt at all.
Board material. You're choosing between wood veneer or laminate over an MDF core, and glass at a quarter inch thick. Veneer and laminate don't shatter in transit. Glass looks better in a photo and worse under a mug. Neither is a solid wood board, and at these sizes nobody is selling you one.
Storage. A 32 piece painted resin army with muskets sticking out needs a fitted foam box. One set here includes one. The others don't, which means you're buying a case or using a shoebox, and a shoebox is how bayonets get broken. If storage design is what you care about most, the best unique chess sets piece goes deeper on cases and boards.
Paint and shipping risk. Hand painting means variation between sets, and no listing can promise the face on your Washington matches the photo. Order from a seller with an easy return window, open the box over a table, and check the thin parts first.
Side by side
| Set | Key spec | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| HPL 18 inch Independence War set | 3 1/4 inch king, 1 inch felted bases, 18 inch laminate board, foam box, 1.75 lb total pieces | Best overall |
| HPL 17 inch walnut and maple set | 3 1/4 inch king, 1 inch felted bases, 17 inch walnut and maple veneer board, 32 pieces | Best wood veneer board |
| Pacific Giftware US Revolution set | 17 by 17 inch glass board, 3 3/4 inch overall height, cold cast resin, piece heights not listed | Best display piece |
| Ebros Colonies vs British set | 3.5 inch tallest piece, 2.25 inch shortest, 1.25 inch bases, 1.5 inch squares, 15.5 inch glass board | Best for tight shelves |
Which one I'd buy
If you want one set that does shelf duty and still plays, buy the HPL Independence War set with the 18 inch board. The foam box is the reason. Your second choice should be the 17 inch HPL if wood veneer beats storage in your head, and the Ebros set only if 15.5 inches is a hard limit on your shelf.
And if what you really want is a franchise army on the table rather than a history lesson, skip all four and go look at the best star wars chess sets instead. Different itch. Same shelf.
Questions people ask me
What size king do revolutionary war chess sets usually have?
The sets here run from a 3 1/4 inch king up to a 3.5 inch tallest piece. That's smaller than US Chess guidance for tournament play, which puts king height around 3.375 to 4.5 inches. Fine for a shelf and casual games, a bit small for long serious sessions.
Can you actually play chess on these themed sets?
Yes, they're standard 32 piece sets with normal starting positions. The catch is square size. One set here uses 1.5 inch squares with 1.25 inch bases, which leaves almost no air between pieces. Check the square measurement before you buy if you plan to play.
Do the painted resin pieces chip?
They can. Polyresin and cold cast resin figures chip at thin points like muskets, bayonets and hat brims, and a fall onto tile is usually the end of a paint job. Felt bottoms help, and a foam-lined storage box helps more. Keep the box.