With the Legacy Collection, Stockholm-based design brand Printworks reimagines chess through defining movements in art and architecture: Modernism, Surrealism, Functionalism and Minimalism. 

Few objects are as immediately recognisable as a chess set. Its pieces have held the same roles for centuries, forming a visual language understood across cultures. For the Legacy Collection, Printworks takes this established form as a starting point and asks how it changes when seen through four defining movements in art and architecture. 

Modernism brings clarity and balance. Surrealism disrupts the expected through altered proportions and sculptural contrasts. Functionalism gives every form a purpose, while Minimalism reduces the pieces to their essential elements. Applied to the same game, these four perspectives create four distinct expressions.  

"Each movement gave us a different set of rules to design by. Those rules shaped every decision, from the silhouette of an individual piece to the character of the full set."  

Patrik Westerdahl 
Creative Director and Co-founder of Printworks







Drawing on the principles of modernist design, the Modernist Edition is defined by clean geometry, balanced proportions and a restrained expression. It is a study in form and function, translated into the language of chess.

Discover the Modernist










Unexpected forms, sculptural contrasts and a playful approach to proportion define the Surrealist Edition. Inspired by a movement that challenged convention and embraced the subconscious, the set brings imagination and abstraction to the classic game.

Discover The Surrealist










Inspired by the functionalist architecture of the early 20th century, the Functionalist Edition reflects a philosophy in which form follows function. Reduced geometry and purposeful forms give the set an architectural expression rooted in simplicity and utility.

Discover The Functionalist










Rooted in the idea that less can express more, the Minimalist Edition strips the game back to its essential forms. Clean lines, natural wood and a restrained palette create a quiet expression in which simplicity becomes the defining detail.

Discover The Minimalist




Designed to exist at the intersection of play, art and interiors, the Legacy Collection invites each set to be experienced both as a functional game and as a sculptural object. Designed to remain on display, the sets become part of the interior even when no game is being played.

Discover The Legacy Collection