Stone is a powerful and ancient material that is born deep beneath the earth, and is formed over millions of years. This makes it an excellent candidate when choosing a material with which to form a chess set. Chess is a game of strategy, battle, and conflict, and so playing with stone pieces lends a certain power to the symbolic nature of the set. However, there are a wide variety of different types of stone, each with its own look, feel, and style.

Marble is probably the most iconic material for a stone chess set. Able to take a very high hone, polished marble glistens with a shimmering perfection that casts elegance throughout the environment. The black and white marble chess set is an archetype of the game, and now, with the improvement of mining technologies, there are actually dozens of different colors, and multi colors, of marble available for your set.

Soapstone is a relatively soft yet durable material that is often used in the creation of African chess sets. The stone feels smooth to the touch, and has an almost slippery sensation when rubbed, akin vaguely to the feeling of rubbing a bar of soap. These soapstone chess sets are often coupled with matching boards, although occasionally they will be paired with wooden boards. The feeling from these sets is often a bit more raw, and tribal, with the pieces often being carved in strange and exotic ways.

Alabaster is another type of stone which is quite popular in the game of chess. Jewelry grade stunning material, it shines even brighter than marble, and is available in dozens of vibrantly hued colors. Often imported from countries such as Italy, where the material is more plentiful, these sets tend to have a high level of class and sophistication, elevating the atmosphere of a room by their very presence.

Concrete chess sets are usually rough, bulky games, with large pieces. Generally concrete soldiers are used in the creation of outdoor or garden designs. That is because concrete will stand up relatively well against the constant perils of the natural world.

Each of these materials creates a chess set which is different in style and personality from the others. This gives you a lot of room to be selective when deciding on which set you would like to purchase for your home.