NEW YORK
4.0″ Chessmen

The New York chess pieces stand out through their hand-finished colour surface. Red, black, and white paint-splatter lines are applied across each piece, drawing inspiration from abstract painting associated with New York in the 1940s. The result is visually bold, while the underlying forms remain clear enough to distinguish comfortably during play.

Handcrafted in India, the pieces are made from boxwood and finished by hand with their distinctive painted surface treatment. The contrast between the two sides is created through black and white piece colours overlaid with the same energetic pattern, rather than through a traditional wood pairing. This gives the set a strong visual identity while preserving clarity in use.

With a king height of 4.0 in, the weighted pieces are well suited to 5.0 cm (1.97 in) squares. The king base diameter is 4.3 cm (1.69 in), and the pawn base diameter is 3.1 cm (1.22 in). These proportions keep the set compact and easy to place while leaving clear spacing between neighbouring pieces. Additional queens are included.

With these proportions, the pieces work well with our medium-sized chess boards. For a complete set, they pair particularly well with the Bologna chess board. Together, they form the Manhattan chess set.