5 Gifts Chess Players Will Love

Shopping for a gift for someone who likes chess? Lucky you, chess is a great hobby for gift giving -lots of great items to choose from at any price range. There are, however (in my humble opinion, of course!), some common mistakes that people who don't play chess tend to make when buying gifts for chess players.

If you are just about to buy a chess set, don't! While a chess set might seem like the most obvious gift choice for a chess player, in most cases, it just isn't. Chances are, the person already has several chess sets collecting dust, and yours will just be added to that same pile. Unless you know that the gift receiver does not own a chess set or the chess set you have in mind is very special, like one-of-a-kind artwork or is made from special materials like amber, don't buy it.

A chess strategy book is another common chess gift idea. Again, while a book seems like a fine gift idea, in most cases it isn't. A lot of chess books are geared towards beginners, and might be completely useless to those who are a bit more advanced. This can apply vice versa too - a deep discussion of a particular variant of Sicilian Defense might not be very useful to someone who just learned basic chess moves.

What does make a good chess gift? First of all, and this applies to any gift, I believe, it should be something a person can use. And more specifically to chess, it should be something that is not too dependent on a person's chess skill level. But don't worry - even without chess sets or chess books, there are still plenty of great chess gifts to choose from. Below you will find 5 budget-friendly chess gift ideas that a chess player of any skill level will use and enjoy.

Why gift a coffee mug, it is not particularly unique, is it? As a matter of fact, I found some chess mugs that are very beautiful, unusual, and thus, quite unique. Please take a look at the mugs below or click here for a huge selection of very cool chess mugs I have discovered at Zazzle.

As gifts, coffee mugs are also very practical. Whether they drink coffee, tea or just water, everyone can use coffee mugs at home or at the office.

I am pretty sure that any chess player will love a coffee mug decorated with chess art or chess hummor.

Why gift a chess calendar? Because one can never have too many calendars! Unlike chess sets or chess books, calendars tend to "expire" at the end of the year. I think a chess calendar is an excellent gift idea for someone who likes chess.

Please take a look at these amazing chess art calendars I found at Zazzle!

For me, as a chess player myself, a film that has chess as an integral part of the plot, is a special treat. There aren't very many such movies, and I went through a lot of trouble to find as many as I could.

Here are a few of my favorite chess movies of all time. They are not very well known mainstream movies, and thus, while there is always a chance that your chess player might have seen them, I think it's fairly unlikely.

If you would like to watch trailers and read my reviews of these and a few other chess movies I have discovered, click here.

In my experience, chess players love chess art. Whether it's a painting or abstract chess art or a clever "life is like a game of chess" type of poster, any chess player will be happy to receive chess art as a gift.

Why did I choose a chess themed tshirt as #1 chess gift? 

Because it's practical - everyone can use another tshirt. And because no chess player could ever refuse a clever chess tshirt!