Chess pieces are renowned for their unique shapes and distinctive features, but it’s hard not to admire one that stands at a striking 6.09 m (20 ft) tall.

Beating their own record, members of the World Chess Hall of Fame have crafted a king piece so grand it has entered Guinness World Records 2019 as the Largest chess piece.

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On display in the heart of Saint Louis’ Central West End neighbourhood in Missouri (US), visitors and locals can view the African Sapele mahogany piece in front of the World Chess Hall of Fame’s establishment.

The structure was initially created to kick off the opening for the 2018 spring exhibitions, which featured an entire gallery celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Saint Louis Chess Club, along with a decade of hosting the US and US Women's Chess Championships.





"The iconic king chess piece not only serves as a beacon for the Saint Louis Chess Campus, but also a regional and national landmark that exemplifies Saint Louis' impact on the sport and art of American chess," Brian Flowers,Marketing Communications Coordinator.

Crafted using wood glue and sanded down from oversized blocks, the final product measures 53 times the size of a standard "Champion Staunton" king piece, the base stretching 2.79 m (9 ft 2 in) at its diameter.

In order to keep dimensions and shapes as precise as possible, the model chess piece was digitally scanned before being enlarged.





After weeks of planning and months of carpentry, the new piece was finished on 6 April 2018 and outsizes the former record-breaking king piece made in 2012, which stands 4.46 m (14 ft 7 in) tall with a 1.83 m (6 ft) diameter base.

"People are impressed by how much larger it is than our previous piece, as well as the precision in which it was hand-carved. It continues to be a favorite selfie spot for visitors and it is such an honor to be internationally-recognized for the second time."

Want to see more like this? The brand new Guinness World Records 2019 annual, out on Tuesday 28 August in the US and worldwide on Thursday 6 September, features more incredible engineering and construction-related records. This year’s book ‘meets the makers’ – those who have the imagination and skills to build huge versions of everyday items such as the largest skateboard, a jet-powered go-kart and the largest hamburger.