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St. Louis, Missouri: World's Largest Chess Piece

20-foot-tall chess piece stands in front of the Hall of Fame, which honors players from Bobby Fischer to Ben Franklin. The chess piece was unveiled in 2018; it replaced a 15-footer unveiled in 2012.

World Chess Hall of Fame

Address:
4652 Maryland Ave., St. Louis, MO
Directions:
The chess piece stands in front of the World Chess Hall of Fame. West side of downtown. On the south side of Maryland Ave. just east of its intersection with N. Euclid Ave. Next to a Starbucks.
Hours:
Hall of Fame: T-Sa 10-5, Su 12-5 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
314-367-9243
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
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Visitor Tips and News About World's Largest Chess Piece

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Giant chess piece.

World's Largest Chess Piece

Nice little museum. Fun extra-large outdoor chess set along with the giant chest piece, Walk the town streets afterwards. Watch the parking meter -- the meter maids are out to get you (she got me).

[Roadtrip18, 09/15/2018]

Chess Santa.

World Chess Hall Of Fame

The exhibits were fabulous! I will stop in again on my next visit to St. Louis to see what is new. There are three floors with each hosting something different. Free and worth a stop, if you know anything about chess, even if only how to barely play the game, like me.

[Dawn Custer, 12/09/2016]

World's Largest Chess Piece.

World's Largest Chess Piece

Besides the concrete chess tables along the sidewalk for playing, there's also a storefront across the street museum where seasoned players can play against one another.

[Andrew, 08/16/2013]

World's Largest Chess Piece.

World's Largest Chess Piece

Standing nearly 15 feet tall and weighing over a ton, the World's Largest Chess Piece is the latest shock to the sleepy chess world by the upstart Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Backed by local billionaire Rex Sinquefield, the Chess Club wants to make St. Louis the Chess Capital of America. It used its clout in 2009 to lure the World Chess Hall of Fame from its former home in Miami. The chess piece, a king, stands in front of the Hall of Fame, which enshrines luminaries from Bobby Fischer to Ben Franklin, and displays rarities such as a chess set designed by Yoko Ono.

With pride, the Chess Club boasts that its colossal chess piece -- which eclipsed the previous record-holder by over a foot -- is too tall to fit under most St. Louis overpasses, and would require a chess board so immense that it could hold nine school buses or 392 bath tubs.

[RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 05/16/2012]

Nearby Offbeat Places

Looking Up: 33-Foot-Tall AlienLooking Up: 33-Foot-Tall Alien, St. Louis, MO - 1 mi.
Giant DinosaurGiant Dinosaur, St. Louis, MO - 1 mi.
HealthWorks! Kids MuseumHealthWorks! Kids Museum, St. Louis, MO - 1 mi.
In the region:
Ten-Foot-Tall Pinocchio, St. Louis, MO - 4 mi.

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