Mongolia has a long history of board games. Chess, it is said, was introduced to the country in the 12th century and has captivated Mongolian ever since. Khaan Chess LLC is a small company that manufactures and sells chess sets, illustrating the country’s rich history with unique designs.
Bat-Oyun is the CEO of Khaan Chess ("Хаан шатар" in Mongolian). A graduate of the National University of Mongolia in History and Ethnology, she also holds a degree in Journalism. She established and managed a local TV and radio studio in Zamiin-Uud, a border town between Mongolia and China.
Her husband, Nasanbat, an avid chess player is a talented artist, and excels in drawing, calligraphy, and carving. He always dreamed of making handcrafted chess sets.
Khaan chess’s first historical chess designs
In 2008, Nasanbat began sketching his first chess designs. By 2010, Bat-Oyun, a keen historian, suggested creating a chess set based on Mongolian history. That idea took form, and the couple decided to work on historical-themed chess pieces.
It took many failed attempts for Nasanbat to create molds. He completed the first clay mold in the Spring of 2013, but it was not until September 2018 that the complete set of 36 pieces was ready for launch.
In 2015, Bat-Oyun and Nasanbat established Khaan Chess, based in Ulaanbaatar.
Shatar, a tradition rooted in Mongolian culture
According to Bat-Oyun, Mongolian have always enjoyed board games. The country hosts approximately 100 traditional board games that have been passed down through generations. Although it is believed that chess originated in India during the 5th-6th centuries, the game was introduced in Mongolia through Persia during the 12th-13th centuries. Since then, Bat-Oyun said, “chess has evolved within Mongolian nomadic culture, traditions, and customs.” Traditionally, she explained, nomads crafted chess pieces out of bones, stones, and wood.
Modern chess history in Mongolia dates back to the 1930s, and the country joined the World Chess Federation in 1955.
Nowadays, chess is the most widespread and widely played board game, and every Mongolian household has a chess player, every school its chess club, she said. Over 30 chess tournaments are organized every year, including local, national, and international competitions.
Mongolian history depicted in chess sets
Since 2018, Khaan Chess has produced over ten different historical-themed chess sets. Bat-Oyun explained that passion by the rich Mongolian history, “from the Hunnu Empire over 2,200 years ago to the 13th century Great Mongol Empire, and the modern national independence movement.”
The sets include the Hunnu, Khaan Chess, Tsodgor Khüü, Friendship, Mongol, Chinggis Khan, and the Choibalsan Chess which is based on modern Mongolian history.
The Friendship Chess, for example, is based on the bond between Chinggis Khan and his childhood friend Jamukha. “Their relationship included three alliances and three battles. Jamukha was a brave and powerful leader who played a significant role in Chinggis Khan’s rise to power.”
The Mongol Chess, she explained, “incorporates the traditional vertical Mongolian script.” “We cast the names of the chess pieces (Queen, Pawn, King, Horse, Camel, Rook) in raised Uyghur Mongolian script.”
In Mongolian tradition, she said, camels and horses are commonly used figures. The rook was originally represented by an ox cart and queens were symbolized by strong animals like leopards, tigers, and lions, and kings by dignified nobles in seated poses.
How are Khaan Chess sets made
The original sketches for the sets are made by Nasanbat while Bat-Oyun is the historical adviser. Once the concept is completed, the 3D design team converts the sketches into digital models.
Clay prototypes are then created and fired in a kiln. They will serve to cast metal molds. The initial process takes about six months, Bat-Oyun said. Once the mold is finalized, the production can take up to an additional three to six months, according to the set’s complexity.
The chess pieces are made of hollow-cast zinc allow with a modern nano-metal finish, while bases and boards are made of lacquered pinewood, she said. Some bases are also cast in zinc allow. Furthermore, she explained, the base designs are engraved with traditional Mongolian patterns using the Etching metal engraving technology, and top-coated with a special lacquer.
With six full-time staff, Khaan Chess also works with six to ten contractual workers in design and mold-making, and three people for packaging and shipping.
Responding to global demand from chess players
The company’s customers are chess enthusiasts, people who buy gifts for family, friends, for business partners. Government agencies also purchase Khaan Chess sets as diplomatic gifts, Bat-Oyun said.
Khaan Chess sets have reached many shores, over 30 countries. In 2023, she said, the company donated a set to the Musée Suisse du Jeu, in La Tour-de-Peilz, and in 2024 to the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis, U.S.A. “We plan to expand exports to the EU, USA, and Japan.”
Customers can buy Khaan Chess sets in the company’s showroom in central Ulaambaatar. The sets are also available at the State Department Store and the Chinggis Khan Museum. International customers can place an order by emailing khaanchess@com or on the company’s Facebook page “Khaanchess Mongolian Luxury Chess.”
The average price for a full set ranges from US$214 to US$515.
The competitive advantage of Khaan Chess, according to Bat-Oyun, is their unique historical themes, reasonable prices, a strong branding and marketing, luxury packaging, custom accessories, and global barcodes for international trade in 116 countries.
Expanding exports of Khaan Chess boards
Over the next five years, Khaan Chess hopes to expand exports. The company started to explore opportunities in the United States and companies’ registration processes.
Bat-Oyun also met with a leading Italian chess manufacturer in Florence, to discuss potential collaborations.
Khaan Chess benefitted from WIPO Intellectual Property Management Clinic (IPMC) and Bat-Oyun attended an IP training program, mentoring sessions on IP and branding, and was provided with a tailored IP strategy.
