Mini-Giant Chess
A "larger than life" chess set will attract crowds and bring a new dimension to any recreation area or garden. Mini-giant chess sets are eye-catching but are also designed to be played. The pieces are made from a strong and durable PVC material that is UV protected and completely waterproof.
Note that these sets are considerably smaller (1 foot high King) than our other giant versions and are best suited to more modest areas such as a conservatory or small patio garden. The pieces are NOT able to be taken apart and weighted.
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For each pair of pieces shown in the picture above, the Garden Games Mini Giant Chess pieces are on the left; the Rolly Mini Giant Chess pieces are on the right. Click on the picture to enlarge. |
The Garden Games Mini Giant Chess is perhaps less good-looking than the Rolly Mini Giant Chess set and the pieces are not so robust. However, they include a 1.2m square playing mat and are extremely good value for the price.
The playing mat is not the same quality as the larger sets being made of a relatively thin plastic sheet. The diameter of the base of the Garden Games Chess pieces is slightly less than those of Rolly at 10cm although this makes little practical difference.
Includes chequerboard plastic sheet.
- King height: 1ft / 30cm
- King base diameter: 4 inches, 10 cm
- For chequerboard size of squares: 6 - 12 inches / 15 - 30cm
- Despatches/stores in: 1 Carton measuring 75 x 50 x 22 cm - weight: 3.5kg
Great for children from 4 years old and up.
Garden Games also make a matching Mini Giant Draughts Set.
To compare the various sizes and styles of Giant & Mini Giant Chess sets, see our Giant Chess Comparison page.
Change to $  Change to  |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mini-Giant Chess set (Garden Games with board) |
£34.70 | £39.90 | 1 + transit time | ||
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
Creating your own Board
Many people opt to create a permanent board on hard ground. You can use patio tiles, or paving slabs or just paint squares on clear ground. For these Mini Giant Chess sets, squares of around 150-300mm square are recommended (ideally 200-250mm but the 2 pictures above show a patio with squares 150mm and that works fine). See our Chess board painting FAQ for more info.
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The Origin of Chess
A great deal has been written about the origins of chess and there is still a lot of debate on the subject. The earliest clear ancestor of chess is shaturanga or chaturanga which was invented by a 6th century Indian philosopher. It was a battle between four armies each under the control of a Rajah (king), two players being loosely allied against the other two and and each containing 4 corps - Infantry, Cavalry, Elephants and Boatmen. The board of 64 squares used for shaturanga, was borrowed from an earlier game called ashtapada, which was a race game played in ancient India.
Under Hindu law, gambling became forbidden early on in the Hindu civilisation and, to avoid the gambling laws, shaturanga players dispensed with the dice. Another early modification was the merging of the allied armies into a single army making the game a two player form and duplicating the pieces, both developments which have survived until today. Other changes also occurred; and the resulting game was called shatranj.
There are three versions of the story of arrival of shatranj in Europe - did it come from the Saracens via Spain, from the Byzantine empire as a present to Charlemagne or was it brought back from the Middle East by Knights returning from the Crusades?. Nonetheless, in Europe, the game developed into modern European chess now played worldwide while in China, Japan, Burma, Thailand and Korea, other variants became just as popular.
You can learn more about the History of Chess from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.