How We Turn a City Skyline Into a Chess Set

At first glance, a Skyline Chess set is easy to understand: familiar landmarks take the place of traditional chess pieces.

But choosing which building becomes the King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook or Pawn is not simply a matter of selecting six famous structures.

Every edition has to work on several levels at once. It needs to represent the city convincingly, preserve the visual hierarchy of a traditional chess set, and remain intuitive and enjoyable to play.

It starts with height

Traditional chess pieces follow a clear hierarchy. Pawns are the smallest pieces on the board, while the major pieces gradually increase in scale and presence. The King is typically the tallest and most dominant.

We use the same principle when selecting architecture.

The Pawn needs to feel smaller and repeatable. The Rook, Knight and Bishop need enough presence to be instantly distinguishable. The Queen should feel significant, while the King needs to become the natural focal point of the set.

Even when traditional Staunton forms are replaced entirely by architecture, the player should still be able to look at the board and understand the hierarchy of the pieces naturally.

Height is only one part of the process. Silhouette matters just as much.

Each traditional chess piece has its own visual character, and certain buildings naturally suggest those forms.

The Bishop, for example, traditionally has a tapering profile with a distinctive top. In our New York Edition, the Chrysler Building works particularly well in this role, while in London, 30 St Mary Axe has a similarly recognisable vertical form.

The Rook calls for something more grounded and architectural, often with a stronger or flatter profile. In New York, the Guggenheim Museum takes on that role, its powerful geometry giving it a very different presence from the taller pieces around it.

The Knight is often the most sculptural piece on a chessboard, and that gives us more freedom. The Flatiron Building in New York creates an instantly recognisable silhouette, while the London Eye introduces an entirely different form but still feels unmistakable within the set.

The objective is never to force a building to resemble a traditional chess piece exactly. Instead, we look for architectural forms that naturally suggest the same role through their proportions, silhouette and visual weight.

The city has to feel present

A successful Skyline Chess set cannot simply be a collection of six recognisable buildings. It has to feel like the city itself.

That means considering what each landmark contributes to the wider story. Some buildings speak to a city's history, others to its contemporary identity. Some are famous internationally, while others may be particularly meaningful to the people who know the city well.

Together, the pieces need to create a balanced portrait of place.

When those elements are properly balanced, the architecture begins to feel completely natural on the board.

You no longer need to think about which building represents which piece.
You simply play.