In short: the gift a chess-playing dad keeps is the one with his own opening on it. Find out what he plays, then pick the format by where he spends his time: a desk mat ($42) if he works at a desk, a poster ($32 or $45) for a study wall, a mug ($23) and coaster ($14) for his coffee. Not sure? A gift card from $25 lets him choose.
Contents
Find out which opening he plays
Most club and online players open the same way almost every game. Ask in passing what he likes to play with White, or open his profile on Chess.com or Lichess and look at the openings tab in his stats. If he plays 1.e4, look at the Italian Game, the Ruy López or the Scotch Game. If he plays 1.d4, the Queen's Gambit or the London System. If he is proud of his Black repertoire, the Najdorf, the Caro-Kann or the French.
Those ten openings come in every format. The mug collection has 41.
Choose by where he spends his time
- At a desk all day: the desk mat, 16″×32″ (40×80 cm) with a non-slip base. It sits under his keyboard, so he sees his opening every working day.
- Has a study or a chess corner: the poster. The 18″×24″ size reads from across the room; it ships unframed in a standard frame size.
- Never without a coffee: the mug, with the opening's diagram on both sides, and the coaster of the same opening.
Three sets that work
- Mug and coaster, $37: the same opening on both, for his morning coffee.
- Poster and mug, $50.40: with any poster or desk mat in the cart, the mug is 20% off automatically ($18.40 instead of $23).
- Desk mat and mug, $60.40, shipped free: his desk, sorted. Orders from $55 ship free.
Each product page links to the other formats of the same opening, so a set takes two clicks.
If you cannot find out
The Queen's Gambit and the Ruy López are the two classics almost every player knows and respects. Or send the Chess4pro gift card ($25, $50 or $100): it arrives by email, can go straight to his inbox on the date you choose, and never expires.
Christmas dates
Everything is printed when you order (2–5 business days) and shipped with tracking. For Christmas, our production partner recommends ordering by 11 December for the United States and by 26 November for everywhere else. After that, the gift card still arrives by email in minutes.
Questions
Can you ship it to him directly?
Yes. Enter his name and address as the shipping address at checkout. The order confirmation and invoice go to you.
What if it is the wrong opening?
You have 14 days to return it. Damaged or misprinted items are replaced or refunded; email a photo to sales@chess4pro.online.
More ideas in our chess gifts guide.