Marble Chess Set 12 Inch — Black Marble & Travertine Stone Chess Set with Storage Box & 2 Extra Queens

A 12-inch hand-carved natural stone marble chess set — deep mirror-polished black marble border and dark squares against warm matte travertine light squares, 32 Staunton-form stone pieces, 2 extra queens, and a storage box — weighing 7.1 pounds with 1 verified review and free US shipping. This is the most dramatic 12-inch board in the Speshstones chess catalog — a black marble chess set where the mirror-polished black marble border dominates the board silhouette at room level, framing the maximum material contrast between mirror-gloss black and warm matte travertine at playing height.

What This Black and Travertine Marble Chess Set Includes

• 12-inch black marble-bordered board with mirror-gloss dark squares — 11.81" × 11.81" × 0.04" exact, 7.1 lbs total: The board is a solid stone slab with a deep black marble border surround and alternating black marble and travertine inlaid squares across the full 12-inch playing surface. The black marble border and dark squares are mirror-polished to a high gloss — confirmed from the product image where the board border and dark squares have a distinctly reflective black surface that catches light from above. The travertine light squares have the characteristic warm beige-cream matte surface with heavy natural pitting — confirmed from the product image where the pronounced pitting is clearly visible on the light squares at playing height. The board reads as a dark, dramatic natural stone object from across a room — the black marble border dominates the board silhouette — and delivers maximum contrast at playing height where the warm matte travertine light squares sit against the mirror-gloss black dark squares and border. The board base has an attached felt pad protecting any table surface. At 7.1 pounds the complete 12-inch set is compact and portable — the same confirmed weight as the 12-inch Oceanic+Travertine and Travertine+Black sets — and 3.4 pounds lighter than the 15-inch tournament format
• 32 hand-carved Staunton-form stone pieces — 16 black marble + 16 travertine, all with felt base pads: Every piece is individually hand-carved from genuine natural stone in classic Staunton form. The dark side is mirror-polished black marble — completely smooth, uniformly deep black with a high reflective gloss — confirmed from both the side-by-side Rook comparison and the piece closeup in the product image where the black Rook and black Pawn show a completely smooth mirror surface. The light side is natural travertine — warm beige-cream with heavy pronounced surface pitting visible across every carved piece surface in the piece closeup — Bishop, King, Rook, and Knight all show deep natural pitting confirming genuine travertine. Every piece has an attached felt base pad protecting the board surface during play
• 2 extra queens — 1 black marble + 1 travertine: Both extra queens are full-size hand-carved stone pieces at the full 2.5-inch Queen height — one deep mirror-gloss black marble queen and one warm matte travertine queen. Both match the playing queens exactly in height, form, and material and store with the full set in the included storage box
• Storage box — all 34 pieces protected: The complete set stores in a dedicated storage box that holds all 34 pieces securely and prevents piece-to-piece contact during storage — the primary cause of surface chipping in natural stone chess sets without dedicated protective storage. The storage box is included in the purchase price
• Compact 12-inch format at 7.1 pounds — casual play and portable use: At 12 × 12 inches and 7.1 pounds this set sits in the compact format described by the official Speshstones size guide as perfect for casual games or limited space. The 7.1-pound total is 3.4 pounds lighter than the 15-inch tournament format — the most portable natural stone chess set format in the Speshstones catalog

Why the Black Marble Border Makes This the Most Dramatic 12-Inch Board in the Catalog

The Speshstones 12-inch chess catalog includes six color combinations — all at the same compact board size. Five of those six combinations use a non-black material as the dominant border — travertine, white marble, oceanic marble, or red marble. This Black+Travertine set is the only 12-inch board in the catalog where black marble leads as the border material and the dominant board tone.

The border of a chess board is the largest single visual surface at room level — it determines how the board reads as a room object when sitting on a coffee table, desk, or side table between games. A black marble border makes the 12-inch board read as a dark, contemporary stone object — compact but visually commanding. The board does not read as a small board. The deep black border gives the 12-inch format a visual weight that the warm-toned travertine-bordered alternatives do not have at the same compact size. At playing height the mirror-gloss black marble border and dark squares against the warm matte travertine light squares deliver the maximum contrast available in the 12-inch format — the same material contrast as the 15-inch Black+Travertine Tournament Set but in the compact portable format.

For buyers who want the drama of a black marble chess board at the 12-inch compact size — for a smaller coffee table, an apartment setup, or a budget closer to $125 than $155 — this is the only option in the Speshstones catalog that delivers a black marble-bordered board at the 12-inch format. The 12-inch Travertine+Black set uses travertine as the border material — a warm-framed board with black marble accent squares — which is a genuinely different aesthetic from this dark-framed format. As a cool chess set the black marble-bordered board at compact 12-inch scale offers the contemporary dark-toned aesthetic of the 15-inch Black+Travertine set in a more accessible size and price point.

Materials & Craftsmanship

This handmade chess set is carved from two genuine natural stones — black marble and natural travertine — whose surface characters deliver the maximum contrast available between any two natural stone materials at this size. Black marble is a metamorphic rock — formed under geological heat and pressure from limestone with iron oxide and mineral inclusions that give the stone its deep black color throughout the full stone body. The mirror-polished finish on the black marble board border, dark squares, and all 16 black marble pieces produces the highest reflective gloss of any stone surface in the 12-inch chess catalog — confirmed from the product image where the black marble surfaces reflect light clearly while the adjacent travertine surfaces absorb it. Natural travertine is a sedimentary limestone formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate from natural spring water — creating the characteristic warm beige-cream color and heavy natural pitting confirmed across the travertine light squares and all 16 travertine pieces in the product image. Every piece is individually hand-carved from genuine natural stone in classic Staunton form. No paint. No dye. No coating. The deep black of the black marble pieces comes from genuine mineral content throughout the full stone body. The warm beige-cream of the travertine pieces comes from genuine sedimentary limestone material. Natural variation between pieces confirms genuine stone — the pitting distribution on each travertine piece differs because each piece is carved from a separate block of natural travertine.

Product Specifications

How to Care for Your Black and Travertine Marble Chess Set

This natural stone chess set requires minimal care between play and display sessions. For the board, wipe the full 12-inch playing surface including the black marble border with a soft damp microfibre cloth after each session to remove fingerprint oils and dust from both the mirror-polished black marble areas and the matte travertine light squares. The mirror-polished black marble border and dark squares show fingerprint marks and dust more visibly than matte surfaces — a quick microfibre cloth wipe after each session maintains the reflective black finish. The travertine light squares have heavy natural pitting that collects fine dust during display periods — use a soft brush with mild pH-neutral soap during weekly deeper cleaning to clear any debris from within the pitting. For the black marble pieces, wipe each piece with a soft damp microfibre cloth — the mirror-polished surface cleans completely in one pass. For the travertine pieces, use a soft brush with mild pH-neutral soap to clear the pronounced natural surface pitting on all 16 pieces. Do not use vinegar, lemon juice, citrus-based sprays, or bleach on any marble or travertine surface — these permanently etch and dull both the mirror-polished black marble and the matte travertine on both board and pieces. Always lift pieces during play — never slide stone pieces across the board surface. Store all 34 pieces in the included storage box between sessions — the foam cutouts prevent piece-to-piece contact which is the primary cause of chipping in natural stone chess sets. Apply a food-safe penetrating stone sealer to all surfaces once or twice a year to maintain both stone finishes long-term.

Perfect for These Occasions and People

As a gift for:

• Birthday for a chess lover whose home has a contemporary, minimalist, or dark-toned interior where a black marble-bordered board reads as a designed room object
• Father's Day — a cool chess set for a dad whose home office or study has dark wood furniture, dark metal hardware, or a contemporary styling where the black marble border coordinates with the existing dark palette
• Christmas — the most dramatic 12-inch natural stone chess set in the Speshstones catalog at the compact format price point of $125.89
• Housewarming for a new home with contemporary or minimalist dark-toned styling where a black marble chess board reads as a considered natural stone addition from day one
• Anniversary or milestone gift — a permanent natural stone piece at the most accessible black marble chess board price point in the Speshstones catalog
• Valentine's Day for a partner who plays chess and has a contemporary or dark-accented interior
• Self-purchase upgrade from a plastic or wood set — the most dramatic visual upgrade available in the 12-inch compact format at $125.89

Ideal for these placements:

• Coffee table in a contemporary or minimalist living room with dark tones where the black marble border coordinates with dark metal, dark wood, or dark upholstery
• Home office desk with dark wood surface or dark metal accessories where the black marble-bordered board reads as a designed stone desk object
• Apartment or small space where the compact 7.1-pound 12-inch format fits on a coffee table or side table without requiring a large dedicated surface
• Side table or bookshelf display in a contemporary dark-toned room as a decorative chess set between game sessions
• Home bar alongside the Marble Cigar Ashtray in Black Zebra for a coordinated dark-toned natural stone entertaining setup

Explore More Natural Stone Chess Sets and Home Decor

For the same Black+Travertine color combination at tournament scale with a rigid carry case and 3.5-inch King pieces, the Black and Travertine Marble Chess Set — 15 Inch offers the same dark-dominated black marble border board in the full tournament format at $155.85.

For the same 12-inch compact format with the border orientation reversed — travertine leading as the warm border material with black marble as accent squares — the Travertine and Black Marble Chess Set — 12 Inch offers a warm-framed alternative at the same price point for buyers whose interior suits a warmer board presence.

For the same 12-inch compact format in the warm earth-tone combination without any black marble, the Oceanic and Travertine Marble Chess Set — 12 Inch and the White Marble and Travertine Chess Set — 12 Inch offer warmer and lighter alternatives at the same compact size and price point.

For natural stone home decor accessories that coordinate with the black marble and dark-toned aesthetic of this chess set, the Marble Cigar Ashtray in Black Zebra and the Marble Candle Holders Set of 2 in Black Zebra marble from the Speshstones Home Decor collection suit the same contemporary dark-accent interior styling.

Browse the full Marble & Travertine Chess Sets Collection to see all available color combinations and sizes.

This marble chess set is a 12-inch hand-carved natural stone chess set — deep mirror-polished black marble border and dark squares against warm matte travertine light squares, 32 Staunton-form stone pieces at King 2.75 inches, 2 extra queens, storage box, 1 verified review, and a confirmed total weight of 7.1 pounds — available with free US shipping. As a black marble chess set this is the only 12-inch chess set in the Speshstones catalog where black marble leads as the dominant border material — the board reads as a dark, dramatic natural stone object at room level while delivering maximum contrast at playing height. As a marble chess set black and white the mirror-polished black marble and warm matte travertine combination delivers the most dramatic material contrast available in the 12-inch compact format — deep reflective black against warm pitted beige at every square boundary. As a stone chess set the black marble and travertine construction delivers the weight, surface character, and material authenticity that plastic, wood, and glass chess sets cannot replicate. As a cool chess set the black marble-bordered compact 12-inch board delivers the contemporary dark stone aesthetic of the 15-inch Black+Travertine Tournament Set in the more accessible compact format at $125.89. As a handmade chess set every piece is individually carved from genuine natural stone — no paint, no dye, no coating — the deep black of the black marble pieces comes from genuine mineral content throughout the full stone body and the warm beige of the travertine pieces comes from genuine sedimentary limestone material. As a black and white marble chess set the maximum contrast between mirror-gloss black pieces and squares against warm matte travertine makes every piece position visually distinct across the full 12-inch board. Buy marble chess set 12 inch from Speshstones — black marble and travertine · 1 verified review · 2 extra queens included · storage box included · 7.1 lbs confirmed · free US shipping.