Ébénisterie · the workshop tradition
Chess, carved to be
played for a lifetime.
Hand-turned Staunton sets, solid inlaid boards, Go, Shogi and backgammon — finished in walnut, boxwood and brass by people who play the game.
Hand-finishedTurned, carved and oiled by hand in the atelier.
Solid woodWalnut, boxwood, rosewood & maple — never veneer.
Matched boardsSquare sizes paired to the right king height.
Bought onceRe-baized, re-oiled — built to be handed down.
From the bench
Featured this season
The collection
Choose your game
In the atelier
Wood, brass, felt and patience.
Every Rokavel set begins as a billet of air-dried hardwood and ends, weeks later, as a weighted piece that lands on the board with intent. We turn, carve and oil by hand because that is the only way to get the heft and the finish right.
The knight is cut individually — the one piece no lathe can make — so no two are ever quite alike. It is the signature of a hand that has carved thousands.
Triple-weighted by handA concealed steel slug for a planted, deliberate feel.
Billiard-green baizeEvery base re-baized for a silent, weighted glide.
Hand-rubbed oilA finish that deepens with handling, year after year.
Boards & games