Welcome to the Chessboard Castle!

This castle is inspired by the game of chess.

Chess, as we know it today, is based on the 15th century medieval period that took place in Europe, also know as the Middle Ages. That time period was characterized by the establishment of multiple kingdoms, the construction of castles and the constant battles between those kingdoms.

The castle was used as a fort to protect the king, his family, his village and his land. A typical castle construction required a few key components: strong walls, tall watch towers or turrets and a secured gate. A moat (water ditch) was sometimes used as an additional barrier to protect the castle from intruders. In a chess game, these towers are represented by the “rooks.”

A castle also required an army of soldiers and fighters. In chess, these are called “pawns” and “knights.” Pawns are the first line of defense and are also known as foot soldiers. The knights were armored soldiers mounted on a horse. Before advanced weaponry (firearms), bows and arrows were the weapon of choice. Archery was a skill practiced by the knights and it gave them the advantage of long distance over their enemies. Horses and turrets gave the knights even more leverage since they could shoot an arrow from an elevated position. In this set, the knights can be seen on top of the bridge that connects the turrets. Notice how the window openings are specially designed with arrow slits. There’s also a target practice area located on the first floor on the back wall. The knight’s horses are well trained and cared for. They are unchained, but still protected behind the castle walls.

The king’s inner circle included the queen and the bishop. In chess, the “queen” is the most powerful piece on the board. She is always by the king’s side, but can also move around the castle in all directions. In this set, the queen has her own balcony to look down at her beautiful garden. The “bishop” is the king’s advisor. It represents a medieval cleric or priest. In this set, the bishop is displayed as a wizard holding a book, imparting wisdom and knowledge. His corner on the back of the castle showcases a table with a candle, a feather pen and a page from a book of potions. On the opposite corner, there is another table with a clay bowl, a glass bottle and a goblet. But if you take a closer look under the table, you might see a mischievous little rat nibbling on a couple of berries. Rat infestations were very common back then, so cats were often used to tackle this problem. In this set, the wizard’s orange cat helps to keep the rat population at bay.

Last, but not least, the king. In the game of chess, “kings” cannot be captured, only trapped. The goal of the game is to strategically use all your pieces to protect the king and be the first to trap the opponent’s king. It is a battle between the black and the white side. This set represents only one side of the battle, the white side (illustrated by the castle’s white walls). The king in this set can been seen playing chess with the queen on the second floor balcony. They can oversee the entire castle from their thrones, strategize and plan their next moves to win the battle.

Even though the miniature chessboard that the king and queen are playing is only 4 by 4 (as opposed to the usual size of 8 by 8), it can still be used to play a modified version of the game. It includes 4 black statuettes and 4 white statuettes. Two of pieces could be designated as the king and queen, while the other two could be a mix of rooks, bishops or horses.

In the courtyard, there is a larger chessboard, similar to the oversized lawn chess sets we see today in parks and other outdoor locations. The courtyard chessboard is removable and can be used to play a real game with your friends and family. The pieces are placed on top of jumper plates so they can be easily moved around the board.

And remember these two key points, in chess:

-“The queen’s shoes matches her dress” (white’s queen on white square and black’s queen on black square)

-“White on the right” (the correct orientation of a chessboard can be determined by ensuring a white square is always on the right hand corner).

P.S: There are a few little creatures hidden throughout the castle. How many can you find?

Let’s play!

Minifigures

This design includes 5 minifigures:

Queen
King
Two Knights
and a Bishop with his cat

Dimensions

This model is built on a 48x48 baseplate. The dimensions are:

Length: 15.1 inches (38.4 cm)

Width: 15.1 inches (38.4 cm)

Height: 8.9 inches (22.5 cm)

Part Count: 1380 parts