Chess boards and tables

Here is a list of some of the biggest and best public and private chess boards and tables around the world.

Alphen aan den Rijn in the western Netherlands, between Leiden and Utrecht.  There is a giant public chess board between Bremstraat and Wikkestraat.  The board is around 12 foot by 12 foot.

Amsterdam, Netherlands.  There is a giant chess board and pieces located at the Max Euweplein, a square named after former world champion Max Euwe of The Netherlands.  There is a giant chess board and pieces near the Muntplein.

April Point, British Columbia.  There is a giant chess board and pieces on the deck of the April Point Lodge on Quadra Island.

Austin, Texas.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at Wooldridge Park at 900 Guadulupe.

Bad Frankenhausen, Thuringa, Germany.  Possibly the largest chess board ever, the squares measure 150 feet and the pieces are 30 to 60 feet in length.   The chess board measured 1200 x 1200 feet.  A tractor mapped out the chessboard on a harvested field.

 

Bad Haring, Austria.  There is a giant chess board with pieces in the area of the Kurzentrum Hotel. 

 

Bad Ischl, Austria.  There are two giant chess boards in the heart of the town, surrounded by chess tables.

 

Bad Reichenhall, Germany.   There is a giant chess board  at the Wanderhalle.

 

Basel, Switzerland.  There is a giant chess set and pieces next to the Tiquely museum. 

 

Bellview, Washington.  There is a big chess board and pieces inside the Crossroads Mall, surrounded by benches.  The giant chess set was built in 1988.

 

Benesov, Czech Republic has a big chess board on the sidewalk downtown.

 

Bilovec, Czech Republic.  There is a giant chess board in front of the city hall on main town square.  It was created in 2007 and is the largest stone chess board in the Czech Republic.  It is 24 foot by 24 foot.

 

Blayney, New South Wales, Australia.  There is a giant chess board at the Blayney Heritage Park.

 

Bletchley, England.   There is a large chess set and pieces on the grounds of Bletchley Park in the picnic area.

 

Blue Mountain Village, Ontario.  There is a giant chess set at Blue Mountain Village, located at the slopes of the Blue Mountain ski resort.

 

Brno, Czech Republic.  There is a giant chess board near the swimming pool of the Riviera Hotel.  There are also two giant chess boards at the Premyslovo namesti near the fountain in the city district.

 

Boeblingen, Germany.  There is a giant chess board at the ‘Marktplatz.’  There is also a large chess set outside the Mercure Hotel.

 

Buckinghamshire, England.  There is a giant chess board and pieces on the terrace of the hotel conference center in Latimire Place.

 

Burbank, California.  There is a giant chess board and pieces on the Yahoo! Campus in the courtyard.  The Burbank Mall has a giant chess set on the bottom floor.

 

Caldicot, Wales.  There is a giant chess board and pieces on the grounds of Caldicot Castle. 

 

Canberra, Australia.  There is a giant chess board found in Garema Place.  There is also a giant chess board located in Commonwealth Park.

 

Cancun, Mexico.  There is a giant chess board and pieces on the grounds of the Moon Palace Resort, just south of the main hotel strip.  The set is located in the southern portion of the resort in the Nizuc sections.  There is a giant chess set and board at the Now Sapphire Riviera hotel off the main lobby.

 

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.  There is a giant chess board and cared chess pieces on Cabot Trail.

 

Cayo Coco, Cuba.  There is a big chess board and pieces by the pool of the Melia Cayo Coco hotel.

 

Chennai, India.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at The Marina Beach.

 

Chicago.  There is a large chess board with pieces on the top floor of the Chicago Children’s Museum.

 

Chirk, North Wales.  There is a large board and pieces in the gardens behind Chirk castle.

 

Christchurch, New Zealand.  There is a giant chess board and pieces in Cathedral Square.

 

College Park, Maryland.  There is a giant chess board and pieces located downtown.

 

Colorado Springs, Colorado.  There is a big chess board and pieces located outside the resident’s cafeteria at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

 

Columbus, Ohio.  There is a giant chess board located outside of the Center of Science and Industry museum at 333 W. Broad Street.  There is a giant chess board at the Columbus Commons Park in downtown Columbus.  There is a giant Alice in Wonderland chess set at the Columbus Museum of Art.

 

Crieff, Scotland.   There is a big outdoor chess board and pieces on the lawn of the Crieff Hydro hotel.

 

Denmark.  There are at least 35 churches that have chess boards made of stone on their grounds or in their design.

 

Denver, Colorado.  There are several chess tables between Araphoe and Lawrence Streets and a large king and queen outside Market Street Station.

 

Detroit, Michigan.  There is a large chess board and pieces on the sidewalk in front of the 1001 Woodward Building.

 

Digby, Nova Scotia.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at Digby Pines Resort on the shores of the Bay of Fundy.

 

Drummondville, Quebec.  There is a large chess set and pieces in the downtown area at Parc St-Frederic.

 

Dunedin, New Zealand.  There is a large chess board in The Octagon in the main square.  The chess pieces are yellow and blue on top of safety cones.

 

Durham, Arkansas.  There is a giant chess board and pieces located outside the gift shop at Terra Studios at 12103 Hazel Valley Road.

 

Edinburgh, Scotland.  There is a giant chess board and pieces on the Meadows.

 

Eelerberg, Netherlands.  There is a chess board on a campsite.

 

Elista, Kalmykia.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at the town center.

 

Fafe, Portugal.  There is a giant chess board located at the Jardim do Calvario park.

 

Fort Collins, Colorado.  There is a large chess board and pieces outside the Fort Collins Old Town Public Library.  The board is 12 foot by 12 foot and was part of a donation from the Elks Lodge and the Downtown Business Authority made in 2013.

 

Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  There is a big chess set and pieces at the Lago Mar Resort and Club.

 

Fort Morgan, Colorado.  There is a big chess board and pieces in front of the Fort Morgan Library and Museam.  The black and white squares are painted on the concrete.

 

Frankfurt, Germany.  There is a giant chess board in the Bethmannpark municipal park.

 

Freemantle, Western Australia.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at Kings Square in the center of the city.  There are also public chess tables in the area.

 

Funchal, Portugal.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at the Pestana Casinco Park Hotel.

 

Gainesville, Florida.  There is a giant chess board at the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire.  It is sometimes used to play live chess during their medieval faire.

 

Galveston, Texas.  There is a large chess board in Saengerfest Park on the corner of 23rd street and The Stand.

 

Geneva, Switzerland. There are several giant chess boards and pieces located at the west entrance to the Bastions Park.

 

Goa, India.  There is a giant chess board and pieces on the grounds of the Taj Exotica luxury hotel.  There is also a giant chess board and pieces at the Zuri White Sands hotel.

 

Golden Princess Ship.  There is a big chess set and pieces on the Golden Princess cruise ship.

 

Grafton, Illinois.  There is a large chess board and pieces in the Pere Marquette Lodge at Pere Marquette State Park.

 

Grand Forks, British Columbia.  There is a giant chess board in Gyro Park on Central Avenue.  A visitor’s center will give you the large chess pieces to play.  There is a sign posted that says “Play Chess at Gyro Parl.  Go to the Visitors Centre for more info and to obtain a key.”

 

Helsinki, Finland.  There are 6 large chess sets in Kaivopuisto Park.

 

Houston, Texas.  There is a giant chess board and pieces located in Jones Plaza in downtown Houston.

 

Hurst, Texas.  There is a large chess board and pieces on the Tarrant County Community College campus, surrounded by benches.

 

Innsbruck, Austria.  There are large chess boards in the Parque Hofgarten.

 

Iowa City, Iowa.  There is a giant chess board in the pedestrian mall in downtown Iowa City.

 

Irvine, Orange County, California.  There are two giant chess boards located in a picnic area on South Lawn.

 

Istanbul, Turkey.  There are two giant public chess boards and pieces at the Miniaturk miniature park in Istanbul.   Miniaturk is the world’s largest miniature park.  Emirgan Park has some chess tables that surround a large walk-on chess board with giant pieces.  There is also a giant chess board located near ferry port of Burgazada (Fortress) Island.

 

Jacksonville, Florida.  There is a giant chess board at the St. Johns Town Center in the southside area near Highway 9A and J. Turner Butler Blvd. 

 

Jaipar, India.  There is a giant chess board and pieces on the grounds of the Jai Mahal Palace Hotel.  The pieces are carved and life-size.

 

Johannesburg, South Africa.  There is a giant chess set and pieces in Joubert Park.

 

Kalamunda, Western Australia.  There is a giant chess board outside the Kalumunda library.  Chess pieces to play are available from the library staff during opening hours.

 

Kansas City, Kansas.  There is a large chess set and pieces on the rooftop terrace of the Kansas City Public Library.

 

Kassel, Germany.  There is a large chess board in the square of a prison.

 

Khajuraho, India.   There is a large chess board and pieces on the lawn of the Taj Chandela Hotel.  The pieces are about three feet tall and on wheels.

 

Kissimmee, Florida.  There is a large chess board and pieces located at the Radisson Resort at 2900 Parkway Blvd.

 

 

Krishna Raja Sagara, India.  There is a giant chess set and pieces at the Brindavan Gardens.

 

 

Kufstein, Austria.  There is a big chess board and pieces on the river bank.

 

Lake Forest Park, Washington.  There is a big chess board and pieces in the Third Place Books’ retail food outlet area.  The pieces are about 2 feet high.

 

Lake George, New York.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at the Holiday Inn Resort, close to the pool.

 

Lammerspiel, Hesse, Germany.  There is a big chess board and pieces at the Landhau Hotel Waitz.

 

Launceston, Tasmania.  There is a large chess board and pieces at Cimitierre Street and Tamar Street.

 

Lausanne, Switzerland.  There is a giant chess board and pieces in the gardens of the Beau-Rivage Palace. 

 

Leeds, England.  There are several large chess board and pieces in Victoria Square.

 

Legian, Bali.  There is a big chess board and pieces at the Stones Hotel

 

Lisbon, Portugal.  There is a big chess board in the Jardim do Passeio dos Herois do Mar gardens by the Tagus river.

 

London, England.  There is a giant chess board and pieces in Trafalgar Square.  It was part of the London Design festival in 2009.  There is also a giant chess board and pieces at Holland Park between Kensington and Notting Hill.

 

Long Island, New York.   There is a giant chess board and pieces in the sculpture gardens at Longhouse in East Hampton, designed by Yoko Ono.  All the pieces and squares are white.

 

Lucerne, Switzerland.  There is a big chess board and pieces in a park in the middle of the city.

 

Lugano, Switzerland.  There is a big chess board and pieces in the public park of Lugano.

 

Mafra, Portugal.  There is a giant chess board located in the Garden of Cerco.

 

Manila, Philippines.  There is a large chess board in the park at Pasig, a part of metro Manila.

 

Marigot, St. Martin.  There is 30 foot by 30 foot chess board located in the waterfrount in the downtown business area.

 

Marikana, Philippines.  There is a large chess board and pieces in front of the Pad de Amerikana restaurant.  There are also chess tables inside the restaurant.

 

Marquartstein, Germany.  There is a giant chess board in the town.

 

Marsha Alam, Egypt.  There is a large chess board in the garden of the Nada hotel resort.

 

Medicine Hat, Alberta.  There is a giant chess board and pieces next to the Court of Queen’s Bench in downtown Medicine Hat.  The board measures 19 ft 4 inches on each side.  The king is 47 inches tall and 1 foot 2 inches wide.  The set was created in 2009.

 

Melbourne, Australia.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at the corner of Swanston and Little Collins.

 

Miami Beach, Florida.  There is a large chess set and pieces next to the pool of the Best Western Hotel.

 

Midway, Utah.  There is a giant chess board located on a leisure patio at the Zermatt Resort.

 

Milan, Ohio.  There is a giant chess set and pieces outside of the Milan Historical Museum.

 

Monselice, Italy.  There is a giant chess board located in the town where live chess has been played.

 

Montega Bay, Jamaica.  There is a large chess board with pieces on the lawns of the Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort.

 

Montreal, Canada.  There is a giant chess set at the Place Emilie-Gamelin in downtown Montreal.    There is a large chess board with pieces at the Parc du Canal-de-Lachine below Atwater Market.

 

Morro Bay, California.  There is a giant chess board and pieces on the Embarcadero surrounded by benches.    It was created in 1975.  The king is 33 inches high.  The pieces weigh from 18 to 30 pounds.  The concrete chess board is made up of alternate white and black 2 foot squares.  The board is 16 feet by 16 feet.  Pieces can be rented from the city’s Recreation Department.

 

Motzingen, Germany.  There is a giant chess board at the playground in Motzingen.

 

Munich, Germany.  There is a beg chess board and pieces at the Leopoldstrasse in the vicinity of Muenchner Freheit.

 

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at the Long Bay Resort hotel and at the Ocean Reef Resort.

 

Nagold, Germany.  There are two giant chess boards located in ‘Krautbuhlpark.’  During the summer, there are large pieces ready to play on the boards.  The boards were placed there in 2012.

 

Neu-Ulm, Germany.  There are two giant chess boards and pieces located between the Movenpick Hotel and the hospital.

 

New Delhi, India.  There is a large chess board and pieces located at the Best Western Resort Country Club.

 

New Denver, British Columbia.  There is a giant chess board and pieces located on Main Street.

 

New Harmony, Indiana.  There is a large chess board and pieces at the New Haromony Inn.  The board is 6 foot by 6 foot with 2 foot high pieces.

 

New Plymouth, Ohio.  There is a giant chess board located in the garden in front of Ravenwood Castle.

 

New York.  There is a 4-story chess board on the side of an apartment building located at 767 Third Avenue in Manhattan.  Some claim this is the largest chess board in the world.  Moves can be made on the board by workers using hydraulic cherry pickers.  It has been in use since 1982.  There are also hundreds of public chess boards in the city parks such as Washington Square Park.

 

North Conway, New Hampshire.   There is a giant chess board and pieces at the Stonehurst Manor in the White Mountains.

 

Oban, New Zealand.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at the Oban Harbor beachfront park on Stewart Island.

 

Oberossterreich, Austria.  There are three giant chess boards in the Hummelhofpark, next to the Hummelhofbad.

 

Oludeniz, Turkey.  There is a giant chess board at the Asena Beach Hotel.

 

Orem, Utah.  There is a large chess board made of cement slabs near the Scere Center for the Arts.

 

Orlando, Florida.  There is a giant chess board with pieces located in the Orlando Science Center.  There is also a giant chess board with pieces at the Marriott Cypress Harbour.

 

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  There is a giant chess board and pieces next to Spoto’s Oyster Bar.

 

Panajachel, Guatemala.  There is a large chess board and pieces at the Porta Hotel Del Lago on Lake Atitlan.

 

Paramiribo, Suriname.  There is a giant chess board in the gardens at the Royal Torarica Hotel.

 

Park City, Utah.  There is a big chess board and pieces located at the MountainSide Resort.

 

Pfullingen, Germany.  There is a giant chess board located at the Passy Platz with a box of chessmen inside.

 

Pismo Beach.   There is large chess board and piences at the Pismo Lighthouse Suites.

 

Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia.  There is a giant chess board with chess tables at the St. Kilda Botanical Gardens.

 

Portland, Oregon.  There is a giant chess board and pieces in Director Park.

 

Portovenere, Italy.  There is a giant outdoor chess board and pieces at the Ristorante Le Bocche.

 

Quadra Island, British Columbia.  There is a large chess board and pieces on the lawn of the Heriot Bay Inn and Pub on the far side of Quadra Island.

 

Raleigh, NC.  There is a big chess board and pieces inside the Marbles Kid Museum at 201 East Hargett Street.

 

Randers, Denmark.  There is a giant chess board located at the plaza Ostervold.

 

Rapallo, Italy.  There is a big chess board and pieces in the center of the town in the main shopping street and piazza.

 

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  There is a giant chess board and pieces between Rehoboth Ave and Wilmington Ave.

 

Remmingsheim, Germany.  There is a giant chess board located in front of the town hall.  It was placed there in 2010.

 

Reutlingen, Germany.  There are two giant chess boards located in front of the town hall.  There is a box with the chessmen inside.  The key for the box can be accessed at the information point of the town hall.  There is also a giant chess board at the Volkspark.

 

Richmond, California.  There is a giant chess board and pieces in the garden of Nomi Klein.  The tallest piece is 43 inches and the set sits atop a 16-foot-by-16-foot board made of paving tiles.  Each piece weighs around 12 pounds.

 

Rostock, Germany.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at the Maritime History Museum.  The chess pieces are maritime figures such as a trident for a king and a lighthouse for a rook.

 

Rottenburg, Germany.  There is a giant wooden chess board and pieces at the Rottenburg University of Applied Forest Sciences.

 

Rulzheim, Germany.  There is a giant public chess board near the Braun’ sche Stiftung at the Deutschordensplatz.

 

Saint Catharines, Ontario.  There is a big chess board and pieces at the Pen Cneter, a large shopping mall.

 

Saint Louis.  The world largest chess piece at located outside of the World Chess Hall of Fame.  The king is 14.5 feet in height and weighs 2,280 pounds.  There is also a large chess board nearby.

 

Saint Lucia.  There is a big chess board and pieces located on the grounds of the Sandals Regency Resort on the island of St. Lucia.  The pieces are pink and blue.

 

Salzburg, Austria.  There is a giant chess board painted onto the ground, past the cathedral.  There is also a giant chess set and pieces at the terrace of Alpengasthof Kopphutte.

 

San Diego.  There is a large chess board and pieces located at the Westfield Horton Plaza Mall near the Gap Store on Level 3.  There is usually a giant chess board outside of Geppetto’s Toy Shop at Flower Hill Promenade in Del Mar.

 

San Jose, California.  There is a large chess board and pieces located at Santana Row shopping center. 

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at the Doubletree hotel.

 

San Leandro, California.  There is a large chess board in front of Kohl’s store at the Bayfair Center.

 

San Pedro, Belize.  There is a big chess board and pieces at the Blue Reef Island Resort next to the pool and the Thatch Hut Bar.

 

Santa Cruz, California.  There is a large chess board made of graveled concrete squares at Porter College between the residence halls.

 

Santa Monica, California.  There is a giant chess board located in Chess Park near Muscle Beach.  There are also many chess tables in Chess Park.

 

Sao Paulo, Brazil.  There is a giant chess board in front of the Ludus cage and game shop.

 

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.  There is a giant chess board in the central park in the Turkish Quarter.

 

Savannah. Georgia.  There is a giant chess board and pieces in Forsyth Park, just south of the Forsyth Park fountain.

 

Seattle, Washington.  There is a large chess board and pieces located in Westlake Park in downtown Seattle.  There is a big chess board and pieces at the Pacific Science Center, just outside the Butterfly house.  There is a giant chess board and pieces on the second floor of the Center House food court.  There is a chess board and pieces at Cal Anderson Park.

 

Spokane, Washington.  There is a large chess (checker) board on the grounds of the Arbor Crest Estate Winery.

 

Staunton Harold, Leicestershire, England.  There is a large chess set and pieces in the Ferrers Craft Center behind Staunton Harold Hall.  The chess board is in the central courtyard.

 

Stockholm, Sweden.  There is a big chess board and pieces at the Kungstradgarden, Stockholm’s Central Park.

 

Strancice, Czech Republic.  There is a giant chess set an pieces in the municipal park.

 

Stuttgart, Germany.  There are two large chess boards located at the Villa Berg Park.  During the summer, there are chessmen ready to play.  There are three giant chess boards located at the Schlossgarten (Castle’s Garden). 

 

Surrey, British Columbia.  There is a large chess board in the middle of the Morgan Crossing shopping center in South Surrey.

 

Sydney, Australia.  There is a giant chess board and pieces located at the site of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.  There is also a giant chess board and pieces located in Hyde Park.  The Ryde Public Library has a big chess and pieces inside the library.

 

Taupo, New Zealand.  There is a big chess board and pieces in front of the Greak Lake Centre next to the Information Site on Tongariro Street.

 

Tayto, Ireland.  There is a giant chess board at Tayto Park with squirting jets of water that are activated as you step on certain squares.

 

Ter Aar, the Netherlands.  There is a large chess board and pieces along the Aar canal east of the village of ter Aar.

 

Town Basin, Whangarei, New Zealand.  There is a large outdoor chess board set into pavement outside one of the cafes.  Giant-sized pieces are available.

 

Tubingen, Germany.  There is a giant chess board located inside the park ‘Alte Botanik.’

 

Vallego, California.  There is a 12-foot square chess board at the Children’s Wonderland.

 

Vancouver, British Columbia.  There is a large 12 foot by 12 foot chess board at Jim Taylor Park near the University of British Columbia.  There is also a large chessboard near Ontario Street and 18th Avenue.

 

Victoria, British Columbia.  There is a giant chess board in the Selkirk Waterfront at Cecelia Cove Park.

 

Vienna, Austria.  There is a big chess board and piece s in Danau Park, near the Alte Danau metro stop.

 

Villa Gelsomina, Italy.  There is a giant chess board and pieces outside the Paradiso near Lake Orta.

 

Wacol, Queensland, Australia.  There is a large chess board in an indoor, open air courtyard of the former John Oxley Hospital for the mentally insane.  The hospital is now abandoned.

 

Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii.  There are several chess tables at Kuhio Beach with small lockers for storing chess pieces.

 

Washington, DC.  There are many chess tables located in Lafayette Park.

 

Winter Park, Florida.  There is a big chess board and pieces in Winter Park Village between Lee Road and Fairbanks Avenue.

 

Woodmere, Ohio.  There is a large chess board and pieces in front of a bookstore at the mall on Chagrin Blvd.

 

Yosemite, Caliornia.  There is a giant chess board and pieces located at Erna’s Eldeberry House.

 

Zara, Spain.  Every year, a giant chess board is made and a game of living chess is played in the ‘De la Luna al Fuego’ festival.

 

Zalakaros, Hungary.  There is a giant board and pieces at the entrance to the spa ‘Granit.’  The board is made of iron.

 

Zomba, Malawi.  There is a giant chess board and pieces at Annie’s Lodge.

 

Zurich, Swizerland.  There are three big chess board and pieces in Lindenhof Plaza.