For years, personalizing a ChessboArt set meant one decision, made once. Choose a color, we pour the resin, and that's it — permanent, beautiful, and final. It's a good system. But "final" is exactly the part we wanted to change.
The Old Way: Poured Resin, Permanent Color
Our original epoxy resin fills are still a beautiful option — resin poured directly into the piece, cured, and finished for life. It's how sets like our ChessClub board get their crisp black-and-white contrast for daily play.
The trade-off is permanence. Once poured, that's your color — for that set, forever. If your taste changes, or you simply want to try something new, the only way forward is a new set of pieces.
The trade-off is permanence. Once poured, that's your color — for that set, forever. If your taste changes, or you simply want to try something new, the only way forward is a new set of pieces.
The New Way: One Set, Every Color
Magnetic Chess Piece Inlays solve that trade-off. Every ChessboArt wooden and plywood piece already has a hidden magnet built into its base. The inlay is a thin metal plate with hand-poured epoxy resin on top, shaped to match each piece's silhouette. Drop it into the recess, and the magnet holds it in place through normal play — until you decide to change it.
- Insert — place the inlay into the recess; the magnet does the rest.
- Remove — a gentle shake, or lift it out with another magnetic piece.
- Swap — mix colors across the board, match an occasion, or go back to natural wood in seconds.
For the Purists: Your Pieces Stay Wood
A lot of our collectors tell us the same thing: they love the natural grain of ash and walnut too much to cover it permanently. That's exactly the gap inlays fill. Leave your pieces bare for everyday play, and reserve the color for the moments that call for it — a themed match, a holiday, a photo session — then remove the inlays and the piece is simply, purely wood again.
An Unexpected Use Case: Filming and Photography
We didn't design inlays with content creators in mind, but that's become one of the most common questions we get. In low light, or in an intentionally moody, artistic shot, telling two natural wood pieces apart can cost a viewer — or a streamer mid-commentary — a second they don't have. A sharp color contrast between the two sides makes recognition near-instant, without asking anyone to squint at the screen. If you film chess content, review games, or shoot artistic board photography, a quick-swap high-contrast set is worth having in the kit, even if you play with natural wood the rest of the time.
Eight Ready Colors — Hand-Poured, Never Molded
Every inlay is poured by hand, one at a time, which gives the pearl and glitter finishes real depth — something a factory-molded piece can't replicate.
Current colors: Pearl Black, White, Pearl Blue, Pearl Turquoise, Copper, Pearl Dirty Red, Pearl Black & Gold, and White & Gold.
Want Something That Isn't Listed?
Nearly any custom color chess piece combination can be made to order — a private palette, a corporate color scheme, or a shade pulled from a photo you send us. Select "Custom Color / Combination" on the product page and leave your request in the order notes.
Who This Is For
- Purists who want their wood on display most of the time, with color as an occasional statement.
- Collectors who want a set that feels one-of-a-kind, not off-the-shelf.
- Content creators and streamers who need fast, reliable piece recognition on camera.
- Gift buyers — a color match to a favorite team, a wedding palette, or a company's brand colors.
- Existing ChessboArt owners who want to refresh their set without buying new pieces.
A Note on Color
Each inlay is hand-poured, one at a time — no two pours are perfectly identical, and pearl finishes especially can shift slightly in tone and shimmer between batches. That's not a flaw; it's what separates a handmade set from a molded one.
Ready to Try It?
Browse all colors and order your set on the Magnetic Chess Piece Inlays product page, or start from scratch with our Wall Chess Configurator to build a complete set — board, pieces, and color — in one place. Prefer the permanent, poured-in look? The original Epoxy Resin Fills are still available too.