Marble Chess Set 15 Inch — Black Marble & Travertine Stone Chess Set with Rigid Carry Case & 2 Extra Queens

A 15-inch hand-carved natural stone marble chess set — mirror-polished black marble versus warm matte travertine, 32 tournament-size Staunton pieces delivering the highest material contrast of any color combination in the Speshstones chess catalog, 2 extra queens, and a rigid black carry case with fabric handle — weighing 10.5 pounds total with free US shipping. This is the most visually dramatic natural stone chess set in the Speshstones catalog — a black marble chess set where every surface finish, every piece placement, and every board square reinforces the contrast between mirror-gloss black stone and warm matte natural travertine.

What This Black Marble Chess Set Includes

• 15-inch predominantly black marble tournament board — mirror-polished throughout, 14.96" × 14.96" exact: 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 15-inch playing surface. The black marble border and black marble dark squares are mirror-polished to an extremely high gloss — the board surface reflects light like a dark mirror at playing height. The travertine light squares have the characteristic matte natural pitting of genuine sedimentary limestone — the textural contrast between the mirror-gloss black squares and the matte travertine squares is visible from across a room. The board base has an attached felt pad that protects any table surface. At 14.96 × 14.96 inches this is a commanding board presence — on a dining table, a large coffee table, or a home office conference surface the predominantly black marble board reads as a serious natural stone centerpiece rather than a casual game left out between sessions. This is not a printed surface, not a coated composite, and not a folding board — it is a single solid inlaid stone slab in the most high-contrast color combination in the Speshstones chess catalog
• 32 hand-carved tournament-size Staunton stone pieces — mirror-gloss black versus matte travertine: Every piece is individually hand-carved from genuine natural stone in classic Staunton form. The dark side is deep black marble — mirror-polished to the same high gloss as the board border and dark squares. The black marble pieces have a completely smooth polished surface with no visible pitting — the high reflective finish makes each black piece visually distinct even on the black board squares. The light side is natural travertine — warm beige-cream with characteristic fossil inclusions and natural pitting across every carved surface. The side-by-side Rook comparison in the product image confirms this contrast directly — two 2.75-inch Rooks in the same Staunton form, one in mirror-gloss black marble and one in matte travertine, side by side. The material difference is total — smooth versus textured, reflective versus absorbent, cool black versus warm beige. Every piece has an attached felt base pad protecting the board surface during play
• 2 extra queens — confirmed from carry case image: Both extra queens are visible stored in the open rigid carry case in the product image — one black marble queen and one travertine queen — both at the full 3-inch tournament Queen height. The carry case image confirms they are stored alongside the main 32-piece set. Full stone queens — not tokens, not plastic substitutes — for pawn promotion during play
• Rigid black carry case with fabric handle — confirmed from product image: The top-left panel of the product image shows the rigid black hard case open, with all pieces stored in the foam interior — black pieces on the left side, travertine pieces on the right side, both sets fully organized in the foam cutouts. The black carry case color coordinates with the predominantly black marble board and the black marble pieces — the case and the board present as a matched set aesthetically. The rigid construction protects all 34 stone pieces during transport and storage. The fabric carry handle on top makes the full 10.5-pound set portable between rooms or to another location for a match session
• Confirmed piece weights — tournament-size genuine stone density: King 0.21 lbs · Queen 0.19 lbs · Bishop 0.14 lbs · Knight 0.14 lbs · Rook 0.19 lbs · Pawn 0.15 lbs. These weights come from genuine stone material density — not from metal ballast added inside hollow pieces. The black marble pieces and the travertine pieces have different surface characters but equivalent density at matched Staunton proportions. Every piece placement during play has the grounded tactile quality that only genuine natural stone weight delivers

Why the Black Marble and Travertine Combination Stands Apart From Every Other Chess Set in the Catalog

The Speshstones chess catalog offers five color combinations — White+Travertine, Black+Travertine, Oceanic+Travertine, Green Onyx+Travertine, and Red+Travertine. The Black+Travertine combination is categorically different from the other four in one specific way — the board is predominantly dark rather than predominantly light. Every other color combination in the catalog uses travertine as the dark side and a lighter material as the light side, giving those boards a warm neutral overall tone. The Black+Travertine board reverses this — the black marble border and black marble dark squares dominate the board surface visually, making this a dark board with travertine accent squares rather than a light board with dark accents.

This reversal produces the highest material contrast of any combination in the catalog. On the White+Travertine board, both materials have a warm neutral tone — white marble and travertine sit within the same warm-neutral palette and the contrast between sides is visible but moderate. On this Black+Travertine board, mirror-gloss black marble sits directly against matte beige travertine — two materials at opposite ends of the tone scale, with opposite surface finishes. The side-by-side Rook comparison in the product image makes this explicit — the same Staunton form in two materials that share no visual characteristics beyond their natural stone origin. This is a unique chess set that no plastic, wood, or resin alternative can replicate — the mirror-gloss black marble surface and the matte travertine pitting are genuine material properties, not paint or surface treatments.

As a decorative chess set for a contemporary or minimalist interior, the black marble board reads differently than the White+Travertine version. A predominantly black marble chess board on a light-colored coffee table, a white desk surface, or a pale stone dining table creates a strong visual anchor — the dark board draws attention as a designed object rather than receding into the surface. For buyers building a contemporary or modern home interior where black stone, dark metal hardware, and high-contrast material pairings define the aesthetic, the Black+Travertine chess set coordinates naturally with that palette. For buyers in farmhouse, organic modern, or warm-neutral interiors, the White+Travertine or Oceanic+Travertine combinations are the better fit — the Black+Travertine is specifically suited to interiors where a dark, high-contrast stone object is the correct design choice.

Materials & Craftsmanship

This handmade chess set is carved from two distinct genuine natural stones — black marble and natural travertine — whose material properties sit at opposite ends of every surface characteristic. Black marble is a metamorphic rock — the same geological formation process as white marble, with extreme heat and pressure recrystallizing limestone calcium carbonate into a dense interlocking crystal structure — but with iron oxide and other mineral inclusions that give the stone its deep black color throughout the full stone body, not just on the surface. The mirror-polished finish applied to the board border, dark squares, and all 16 black marble pieces takes the dense black stone surface to an extremely high reflective gloss — the black pieces and dark board squares reflect the playing environment at piece height during a game, which gives the board a distinctive visual depth that no other color combination produces. Natural travertine is a sedimentary limestone with characteristic warm beige-cream tone, natural pitting, and fossil inclusions throughout — the same travertine material used across the Speshstones kitchenware and home decor ranges. The travertine light squares and travertine light pieces have a matte natural surface — the pitting and fossil inclusions visible across every travertine piece surface in the product closeup confirm genuine sedimentary stone rather than a cast resin imitation. Every piece is individually hand-carved from genuine natural stone in classic Staunton form — no paint, no dye, no coating. The black comes from the stone itself. The travertine warmth comes from the stone itself. Natural variation between pieces confirms genuine stone — the pitting distribution on each travertine piece and the mineral inclusions in each black marble piece differ because each piece is carved from a separate block of natural stone.

Product Specifications