Are the pieces really handmade?

Yes. Each piece is sculpted by hand and glazed manually using a brush. Moreover, every piece is created in an original author’s design (mine) and protected by copyright. So far, only four such chess sets have been made.

Is it convenient to store?

Ideally, I wouldn’t want a piece this complex to be hidden in a box. The board is designed in sections (2–4 parts depending on the edition), allowing you to assemble it and display all the pieces beautifully. The only risk is that such a visually striking handmade chess set will tempt you to play more often. If that feels too dangerous — you can always store it in the box included in the set.

Is it comfortable to play? Are the colors easy to distinguish?

Yes. The colors are carefully chosen for clear visual contrast. Classic chess is black and white, but since I redesigned the forms, I also rethought the colors. I selected rare glazes that I personally value, while maintaining the principle of contrast. In this version, deep blue is contrasted with red — more precisely, a glossy rose-gold finish opposed to a darker blue with a metallic “diesel-like” sheen, known as the “obsidian” glaze.

Is it suitable as a gift for a beginner?

Yes, absolutely — that’s part of the idea. While the design is unconventional, I have significant experience with chess. Each piece is not only visually intuitive but also tactilely meaningful. The geometry of each form reflects how the piece moves. You can read more about the concept on the product page.

How durable are the pieces?

Very durable — for ceramic. They are significantly stronger than glass and, in some ways, more resilient than plastic. They have survived falls on different surfaces and even interactions with my cat.

Where did the design concepts come from?

From my own mind. I had long been drawn to the idea of creating my own chess set. At some point, I spent several evenings sketching, refining the concept based on geometry and game logic. This is not just form — it’s a form that has been worked through and refined. Every curve reflects the true nature of each piece on the board.

Who made this chess set and how?

This chess set was created by Illia (me). Both the pieces and the board are handmade. Each figure is sculpted by hand using fingers and ceramic loop tools. All glazing is applied manually with a brush. This set represents my vision of what high-end ceramic should be — an exclusive piece into which I’ve put not only my design thinking but also my care and attention. The full production process takes 2–3 months, including drying, double firing, and finishing (texturing and sanding).

KINESTHETIC CHESS SET

Handmade chess where each piece is a unique copy

I consider these ceramic original chess pieces to be one of my magnum opus, because I spent the most time on it out of all of them, and I endured all this only because of my great love for this game. This project is comparable to handmade drums. Each piece is 100% handmade, so each pawn, bishop, knight, queen or king is an absolutely unique sculpture. All this took a huge chunk of time, six months, if you count the development, tests with glazes and their combinations, the search for the correct harmonious forms on paper, the manufacture of these forms, processing, drying, this is a large ceramic project and I am proud of it not only as a ceramist, but also as a chess player.

Kinesthetic chess: features

The key feature is that each piece transmits the form of its code to the touch. It seems to tell your fingers how it moves. You can read more about this in the description of the chess set here. You don’t have to look closely to not only see, but also feel with your fingers how the pieces tell about their nature, namely the form of the move, because this is the main essence of each chess piece. These pieces can and should be enjoyed and even played by touch. These are, first of all, tactile collectible chess. And of course, such a new format of perception of the ancient game could not be glazed in black and white. These handmade chess pieces directly demanded from us that there were completely new shapes and colors to complement a completely new perception of the pieces of the eternal game. The detailing of each figurine is at the level of complexity of our handmade jewelry.

Not only exclusive chess, but also convenient

After a long preparatory work, tests and selection of shapes and colors, I can definitely assure you and even give a guarantee that these handmade collectible chess pieces are intuitive and your eye will be very pleased to finally play with opposite colors, but not black and white at all. I love playing my own chess, in fact, I developed this concept for myself first of all, as a tribute to my chess passion. They are very rare, because I did not automate their production, the entire Ukrainian chess set from KERRA is made exclusively with my hands and fingers, I even do the glazing with a brush.

Will this chess set be suitable as a gift?

For beginners, for passionate fans, and for collectors, our elite chess sets are ideal as a gift. This is not just handmade Ukrainian chess, this is a new perception of the visuals and style of this game, which is created with love and passion for ceramics and for exclusive original chess, and for the game itself. Honestly, I myself adore the “English beginning” and when I saw how it looks on my ceramic pieces, I simply dropped out of the game for a few moves, because I was contemplating this beautiful geometric pattern on the board. Therefore, I am sure that this lovingly crafted concept of unusual chess will impress any connoisseur.

Handmade Chess