Harry Potter Board Games: chess set

Harry Potter Wizard Chess: Sets and How to Play

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Harry Potter Wizard Chess recreates the giant chess game from the first Harry Potter film. It’s made for 2 players and suits chess fans who love the scene, plus anyone after pieces that look the part.

  • 2002
  • 2 players
  • Ages 8+
  • chess set
  • Mattel

Knight to H3? The rules are plain chess. The board brings the drama.

Harry Potter Wizard Chess ratings and Geek Level

Difficulty
Time to explainabout 15 min
Player experience
Geek Level5 / 10Quotes the best lines
How we rate

The chess rules do the heavy lifting; the film just sets the mood. See how we rate for how these numbers work.

Every Harry Potter Wizard Chess set uses standard chess rules, the ones FIDE publishes for all chess games. A first game moves through a few stages, from setup to checkmate. Here’s each step in order. For a cooperative Hogwarts game that needs no chess skill, try Hogwarts Battle.

Set the board with a light square in each player’s bottom-right corner.

Quick guide: A game of chess on a Wizard Chess set

Chess follows the same steps no matter what the pieces look like, from setup to the finish.

Each queen starts on her own color: white on light, black on dark.

  1. Step 1:

    Turn the board so each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner.

  2. Step 2:

    Set out 16 pieces for each side: rooks in the corners, then knights, bishops, queen, and king. Line up eight pawns in front.

  3. Step 3:

    White moves first. Players take turns moving one piece at a time.

  4. Step 4:

    To capture a piece, move onto its square and remove it.

  5. Step 5:

    If your king is attacked, you’re in check and must escape with your next move.

  6. Step 6:

    Use castling, en passant, and promotion when the rules allow.

  7. 7Step 7:

    Checkmate wins. Stalemate and other draw rules end the game in a draw.

The quick version skips special moves that can catch new players off guard, including castling, en passant, and promotion. Below, find the full setup, each piece’s moves, and how a game ends, based on the FIDE Laws of Chess. Prefer trading properties to pieces? See Harry Potter Monopoly.

How to play chess with a Harry Potter Wizard Chess set

Setup

  1. Set the board so each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner.

  2. On each player’s back rank, place the rooks in the corners, followed by the knights and bishops. The queen and king go in the two central squares.

  3. Each queen starts on her own color: the white queen on a light square, the black queen on a dark square.

  4. Place each player’s eight pawns on the rank directly in front of the other pieces.

  5. White moves first.

Turn by turn

  • King and queen

    The king moves one square in any direction, but cannot move onto a square attacked by an enemy piece. The queen can move any number of squares in a straight line or diagonally, but cannot jump over pieces.

  • Rook and bishop

    A rook moves any number of squares along a rank or file. A bishop moves any number of squares diagonally. Neither piece can jump over another.

  • Knight

    A knight moves in an L-shape: two squares in one direction, then one at a right angle. It’s the only piece that can jump over others.

  • Pawn

    A pawn moves one square straight ahead into an empty square, or two squares from its starting square if both are empty. It captures one square diagonally forward and cannot move backward.

  • Castling

    Move the king two squares toward a rook, then put the rook on the square the king crossed. Neither piece can have moved, the squares between them must be empty, and the king cannot be in check or cross an attacked square.

  • En passant and promotion

    If an enemy pawn moves two squares and lands beside your pawn, you can capture it as if it had moved one square, but only on your very next move. A pawn that reaches the far rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.

End of the game and scoring

Checkmate wins the game: the king is in check, with no legal way out. Stalemate is a draw: the player to move is not in check but has no legal move. Players can also agree to a draw. Under FIDE rules, a player can claim one after the same position appears three times or after 50 moves by each side without a pawn move or capture.

Key rules

  • Check

    A king is in check when an enemy piece attacks it. You must deal with the threat, and you can’t make a move that leaves your own king in check.

  • Capturing

    To capture, move onto an enemy piece’s square and remove it. You can’t land on a square occupied by your own piece.

  • Automatic draws

    Under FIDE rules, a game is automatically drawn after five occurrences of the same position, or after 75 moves by each side without a pawn move or capture.

  • Different-looking pieces, same chess rules

    These sets sculpt the pieces as film figures, but use standard chess rules. The makers’ pages don’t say which figure represents each piece, so check the box.

Tips for your first game

  • Learn the knight’s L-shape first. It’s the move players miss most often.
  • Before each move, check that your king won’t be left in check.
  • Remember, castling is off the table if the king has moved, even if it moved back.
  • Hold the pieces by their bases. Tall figures can tip over easily.

White moves first, then players take turns.

Several companies have sold Wizard Chess sets, from a 2002 Mattel version to a 2021 LEGO set. Each takes its cue from the chess scene near the end of the first film. Next, see who makes each set, what the makers list in the box, and what happens in the scene. The Harry Potter board games page compares them with the licensed games.

The sets and the film scene that inspired them

You can’t make a move that leaves your own king in check.

The game

  • The Noble Collection set

    The Noble Collection’s Wizard Chess Set, product NN7580, is described as a miniature version of the life-size chess game at the end of the first film. Its UK page lists 32 molded plastic pieces and a fold-away board.

  • Mattel and LEGO versions

    Mattel’s Harry Potter Wizard Chess, product 43533, was listed as released in 2002 and discontinued in 2005. LEGO’s Hogwarts Wizard’s Chess, set 76392, came out in 2021 and is marked as retired.

The film or series it covers

The first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, known in the UK as Philosopher's Stone, was directed by Chris Columbus and released in November 2001.

Near the end of the film, the trio faces a giant enchanted chessboard, and Ron is left incapacitated. Mattel says its pieces replicate the figures Harry and Ron battle. Chess has no other connection to the story, so the film supplies the visual theme.

Scenes and story beats in the game

  • 1

    The giant enchanted chessboard is one obstacle on the trio's route to the Stone.

  • 2

    According to Wikipedia's film plot summary, Ron is incapacitated during the game.

  • 3

    Mattel's set recreates the figures Harry and Ron battle in the film.

  • 4

    LEGO's set has 32 buildable pieces, plus minifigures of Harry, Hermione, Ron and a golden Snape.

What comes in the Wizard Chess sets

  • 32 molded plastic chess pieces, 2 to 4.5 inches tall (Noble Collection)
  • A branded fold-away playing board, about 18 inches square (Noble Collection)
  • Two Harry Potter dust bags, listed on the Noble Collection US page
  • Mattel's 2002 set: 32 pieces and a board
  • LEGO set 76392: 876 pieces, 32 buildable chess pieces and 4 minifigures

Harry Potter Wizard Chess set versions

  • Mattel Harry Potter Wizard Chess 2002

    A chess set with replicas of the figures from the film's chess game. Mattel lists it as discontinued in 2005.

  • LEGO Hogwarts Wizard's Chess 76392 2021

    A buildable set with 876 pieces, 32 buildable chess pieces and minifigures of Harry, Hermione, Ron and a golden Snape. LEGO marks it as retired.

  • The Noble Collection Wizard Chess Set

    A set with 32 molded plastic pieces and a fold-away board, sold under product number NN7580.

Harry Potter Wizard Chess: Your questions answered

Does Harry Potter Wizard Chess use normal chess rules?

Yes. The look changes, but the rules stay standard FIDE, including castling, en passant and promotion.

How many pieces are in the Harry Potter Wizard Chess set?

The Noble Collection, Mattel and LEGO sets each have 32 chess pieces.

How big is the Harry Potter Wizard Chess board?

The Noble Collection board is about 18 inches square and folds into a 10.5-inch square box. Its pieces stand 2 to 4.5 inches tall.

Who makes Harry Potter Wizard Chess sets?

The Noble Collection, Mattel and LEGO have all made sets. Mattel's 2002 set was discontinued in 2005, and LEGO's 2021 set is retired.

What comes in the LEGO Hogwarts Wizard's Chess set?

The set has 876 pieces, 32 buildable chess pieces and minifigures of Harry, Hermione, Ron and a golden Snape.

Which Harry Potter film features the Wizard Chess scene?

The scene is in the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, released in November 2001.

How many players can play Harry Potter Wizard Chess?

Two players.

Set the board with a light square in each player’s bottom-right corner.

Each queen starts on her own color: white on light, black on dark.

Sources

  1. The Noble Collection UK: Wizard's Chess Set noblecollection.co.uk
  2. Mattel: Harry Potter Wizard Chess (43533) m.service.mattel.com
  3. LEGO: Hogwarts Wizard's Chess 76392 lego.com
  4. FIDE Handbook: Laws of Chess handbook.fide.com
  5. Wikipedia: Rules of chess en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) en.wikipedia.org