star wars + chess = the ultimate geek board game

I can’t imagine anything more perfect for rabid Star Wars fans than this awesome collectible chess set.

Available for pre-order over on the Star Wars Shop for an introductory price of $539 (USD), this Gentle Giant’s detailed chess set pits Dark vs. Light. The set includes 32 collectible pewter figurines, with the Jedi wearing gold and the Empire donning a silver finish. Darth Vader, Boba Fett, C3-PO, R2-D2, and all your favorites are ready to do battle on the chess board.

The board has a glass etched surface with imagery of the Death Star in the background. Under the board, there are padded storage drawers for protecting your pieces, but why would you want to hide the best part?

If you don’t want to wait until September 2009 to get your hands on one of these, I guess you’ll just have to settle for this LEGO minifig Star Wars chess set instead.

[via The Awesomer]