The popular isle of lewis chess set design was reportedly created in Norway, in 1175 AD. It is said that the set was discovered in the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, hence the name.

The materials of the pieces in the set, are of whales' teeth and the ivory of walruses. Of all chess sets, this one is by far the most famous. The pieces are elaborately carved, the kings and queens were seated, the bishops mitred, the knights were mounted on their horses, and the castles and bishops were shaped as obelisks.

Reportedly, the pieces were initially discovered inside a stone chamber, within a sand dune. Various explanations were devised to explain why the pieces were found in such strange circumstances, and why concealed as they were. The time of their discovery was just before April 1831.

The physical condition of the pieces was very good when discovered, and it was thought that they initially belonged to a travelling merchant who was going to Ireland from Norway. It looked as though the set was actually made from pieces from four different sets, and some pieces from the sets were missing. When the pieces were found, they were without a board, and it was estimated that, given the size of the pieces, the board they would have been made for, would have measured about 82 cm across.

The chess pieces were curiously stained a red color, and many speculated that the board they were played on would also have been white and red, unlike the traditional black and white.

The game of chess was made into a very popular pastime by the European aristocracy in the 11th century. The Isle of Lewis pieces had become the largest remaining group of that time that had been used entirely for recreation, and therefore, became objects of a great historical find. Even in today's world of chess, the well-known design has achieved great popularity among chess players.

In all, there were ninety-three pieces discovered, and to date, eleven of them are located in Edinburgh, housed in the National Museum of Scotland, while the other eighty-two pieces are displayed in the British Museum.