World Chess x Taras Yoom collectible chess set at PAD Paris 2026
World Chess x Taras Yoom collectible chess set at PAD Paris 2026 presents the official World Chess Championship pieces as a collectible design object, developed by Bangkok-based artist Taras Yoom and exhibited in Paris. The project reworks the Pentagram-designed championship set, used in elite tournaments worldwide, into a narrative-driven edition that retains full playability while introducing a coded visual layer rooted in Yoom’s biomorphic language.
Produced from walnut and maple, the original geometry of the World Chess Championship pieces remains intact, preserving the proportions required for professional play. Taras Yoom intervenes through hand-painted acrylic surfaces and fine engraving, embedding organic motifs, anatomical distortions, and symbolic markings that differentiate each piece. The process does not alter function; instead, it reframes the set through surface detail, where ornament carries narrative without interfering with use.
Chessity frames the set as an imagined urban system where each chess piece assumes a defined role shaped by ambition, hierarchy, and latent conflict. The familiar taxonomy of king, queen, bishops, knights, rooks, and pawns is recast as a network of actors governed by shared rules yet driven by individual trajectories. Strategy becomes a social construct, where movement across the board reflects negotiation, pressure, and consequence rather than pure abstraction.
The debut at PAD Paris 2026 (April 8–12) at Yoomoota Booth 72 coincides with the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, where the same championship pieces are used in high-level competition. This simultaneity establishes a direct connection between two systems of value: one defined by performance, the other by authorship and collectibility. The presence of identical forms in both contexts demonstrates how meaning shifts when a standardized object is repositioned through design.
The set is accompanied by a 44 × 44 cm veneered board and a custom ashwood cabinet with a removable lid and integrated storage drawer. The cabinet operates as both protective case and display system, allowing the object to transition between gameplay and exhibition without adjustment. This dual condition places the work within collectible design, where craftsmanship, narrative, and function are equally weighted.
This release marks the first phase of an ongoing collaboration between World Chess and Yoomoota, with further developments planned across key moments of the FIDE World Championship cycle in 2026. Taras Yoom extends his multidisciplinary practice, spanning sculpture, painting, and mixed media, into a format that connects personal mythology with a globally recognized game, while World Chess continues to position chess beyond competition as a cultural and design-driven medium.
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