About Novelty Chess Sets

The game of chess is a historic game featuring a battle between pieces representing two kingdoms, and it is easy to recognize popular chess pieces like the queen, king, knight and rook. Like many other board games, the game of chess has been transformed and converted into a novelty game, where the recognizable pieces are replaced with different characters, usually a piece of pop culture, and you can find novelty chess sets of all varieties.

Function

Novelty chess sets serve as a new and exciting way to breathe life into a game of chess. Novelty chess sets are not the first of their kind, because any other board game has featured different novelty products like Spider-Man Operation or Disney Yahtzee. It is a common thing in the game industry that helps improve profits and please fans of such novelties.

Types

Novelty chess sets can be found for any type of theme, and if not, there have been custom sets made as well. Sports fans can find chess sets pitting their favorite baseball or football teams against each other, history buffs can relive wars like the Civil War with battle sets, and even Elvis fans can enjoy a chess set featuring Elvis himself. Some sets are rare, but if you have an idea in mind, you can usually find a novelty chess set with something you are looking for.

Identification

The key process in creating a novelty chess set is by replacing the regular chess pieces with a new themed design. For example, in the Star Wars chess set, instead of the Queens, Yoda represents the white queen and Darth Vader represents the black queen. Each character is valued for their significance in the product that they are a part of. Another example comes from the Simpson's chess set that features Homer and Marge as the King and Queen for both sides but in different colors.

Size

Some novelty chess sets are novelties just because of their size. You can get a small chess set that is actually a magnet set created for your refrigerator. More expensive chess sets feature 3-foot chess pieces that can be used in your basement or yard. Most novelty chess sets are average size, except for certain human-shaped pieces that may be a little larger than regular chess pieces. Some novelty sets are also 3-D designed sets that featured a raised chess board and a sculpted design right underneath it that goes along with the theme of the board.

Benefits

Most novelty chess sets are collector's items, and once they are not available for retail sale, they can become pretty pricey for shoppers looking to buy one. They also function great as a regular chess board and can provide more fun and imagination when playing chess.