NeoChess × Edward Gorey Collection: A Collectible Chess Set Inspired by Gorey’s World
We’re pleased to introduce the NeoChess × Edward Gorey Collection, a new collaboration with 4Art Partners that brings together contemporary chess design and the unmistakable visual language of Edward Gorey.
Created for collectors, design enthusiasts, chess players and admirers of Gorey’s work, the collection translates selected drawings, characters and motifs from the Gorey archive into a series of collectible chess editions.
Known for his precise linework, atmospheric compositions and quietly unsettling humour, Edward Gorey remains one of the most recognisable illustrators of the 20th century. His work lends itself naturally to a chess set: an object that is both functional and symbolic, designed to be played, studied and observed.
A collectible chess set shaped by Edward Gorey’s archive
The collection unfolds across multiple editions, each offering a different way to engage with Gorey’s visual world.
From hand-cast bronze characters to more classical wooden Staunton chess pieces, the collection balances traditional chess design with references to Gorey’s drawings, books and characters.
Bronze chess pieces inspired by Edward Gorey characters
Alongside the board designs, the NeoChess × Edward Gorey Collection includes hand-cast bronze chess pieces inspired by some of Gorey’s most recognisable figures.
These include characters inspired by:
- The Doubtful Guest
- the Ballerina from The Gilded Bat
- other figures drawn from Gorey’s visual world
The wooden chess board: motifs from The Gashlycrumb Tinies, Scènes de Ballet and Les Urnes Utiles
The wooden board takes a more graphic and layered approach.
Screen-printed motifs appear across the alternating white squares, drawing from several Edward Gorey works, including:
- The Gashlycrumb Tinies (1963)
- Scènes de Ballet (1976)
- Les Urnes Utiles (1980)
These fragments introduce patterns, markings and visual details from Gorey’s archive into the strict geometry of the chessboard.
The marble chess board: The West Wing printed on stone
The marble edition is centred around an original drawing from Edward Gorey’s The West Wing (1963), printed directly onto the stone surface.
Rather than simply decorating the board, the drawing becomes part of the material itself. Gorey’s architectural composition sits against the natural veining of the marble, creating a surface that feels restrained, atmospheric and sculptural.
A chess collection for collectors, players and Edward Gorey admirers
The NeoChess × Edward Gorey Collection is designed for those who appreciate objects that carry both function and meaning.
he collection draws from different parts of Edward Gorey’s body of work, translating selected characters, patterns and compositions into materials such as marble, wood and bronze.
The result is a collectible chess collection that allows players, collectors and admirers of Gorey’s work to engage with his world in a new form: tactile, strategic and quietly atmospheric.
At the intersection of art, chess and design, the NeoChess × Edward Gorey Collection becomes more than a game.
It becomes an object of story, material and play.
Available at: https://neochess.com/collections/neochess-x-edward-gorey
