I like this Isle of Lewis chess set - sort of like in the Harry Potter movie.

One of the oddest sets I've also owned is a 8" tall Don Quixote chess set made of clay? sort of a terra cotta i think. It was reddish brown, and very large and chubby. The rooks were windmills, and i forget what all the pieces where, but it was a cool chess set!

answering the original poster's question here are a lot of those unique theme chess sets

Raphael

 I have one of Austraila animal's and I've got a wooden one, and a portable one. There all in my album if you wanna see them.

phishcake5 wrote:

 

This is the most creative and artistic set I've laid eyes on to date. Ok may be swayed a tad because I'm a bike junkie but just a tad as I can appreciate art of many kinds.

Guess I'm with stormcrown here.  I'd never own such a set because I'd never play with it (to distracting).  I have 4 sets all of which serve in different ways:  one nice rosewood and boxwood set on maple and mahogany board for home play 2 plastic sets one for tournament play and the other for outdoor adventures and a little glass set I keep a puzzle set up on at all times--all staunton.

Its interesting to see the exotic sets and especially to hear the stories behind them though.

 

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Interesting looking pieces (shame the boards wrongly set up ) - I agree with about Staunton being the only ones to use

i play on an ebony and boxwood set, triple weighted, from the london chess centre a few years back. i also got a mate to bring me back an inlaid board from new york! about £300 all in, but worth every penny. it makes you feel special (or the moves more special i should say) everytime you use it :-)