The Lewis design was made in Norway, likely around 1175 AD. It was found on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides in Scotland. Too cold for me!

The chess pieces consist of elaborately worked walrus ivory and whales' teeth in the forms of seated kings and queens, mitred bishops, knights on their mounts, standing warders and pawns in the shape of obelisks. The Isle of Lewis chess set is the most famous of theme chess sets. All decidedly non-staunton.

They were found in the vicinity of Uig on the Isle of Lewis in mysterious circumstances. Various stories have evolved to explain why they were concealed there, and how they were discovered. All that is certain is that they were found some time prior to April of 1831, after which they were exhibited at the Society of Antiquaries at Scotland. The precise place of discovery seems to have been a sand dune where they may have been placed in a stone chamber.

Questions always asked about the chess set design are - who owned the chess pieces and why were they hidden? It is probable that they belonged to a merchant travelling from Norway to Ireland. This seems likely since there are chess pieces for four distinct sets, though each has elements missing. Their condition is excellent generally.

A board was not discovered with the Isle of Lewis chess pieces. A board large enough to hold all the pieces arranged for a game played to modern rules would have measured 82 cm across. Records state that when found, some of the Lewis chessmen were stained red. Consequently the chessboard may have been red and white, as opposed to the modern convention of black and white, colouring that was consistent with the preferences of the day.A board large enough to hold all the pieces arranged for a game played to modern rules would have measured 82 cm across. Records state that when found, some of the Lewis chessmen were stained red. Consequently the chessboard may have been red and white, as opposed to the modern convention of black and white.

By the end of the 11th century, chess was a very popular game among the European aristocracy. The Isle of Lewis chess pieces form the largest single surviving group of objects from the period that were made purely for recreational purposes and are therefore an important find for historical and archeological purposes. They have also retained popularity as a modern chess design, though the design's historicity is an obvious reason for this.

Of the ninety-three pieces known to us today, eleven pieces are in Edinburgh at the National Museum of Scotland, and eighty-two are in the British Museum.