Add piece set Neo from Chess.com

[baco]

Please add the piece set “Neo” from Chess.com to the server LiChess.org, Alpha set is the most similar but is really far:

All the necessary sizes can be ontained changing the pixels' number in the URL

[ornicar]

These are not in the public domain.

[baco]

Sorry to here that, you are right, I've done my research and they belong to Chess.com as they created it for their site, it's not that they just use it. No problem you couldn't solve my feature request

[seanysean]

https://userstyles.org/styles/127392/neo-piece-set

[lexterror]

I created a mod:

http://electrolex.myartsonline.com/webchess/chess.html

Let me know what you guys think!

[Dognutthetakis]

Could you please get the Classic piece sprites from chess.com?

[rpattabi]

Just collecting some of my thoughts about this. I hope this helps to come up with better chess sets on Lichess. If you don't have patience, in the next section, I also point out great piece sets already in lichess.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
Unlike physical chess sets where board and pieces are sold together, players like to mix and match a wide variety of computer boards with piece sets. This requires chess pieces to be versatile and have specific characteristics.

However, when chess first came to computers (even before the internet!), the chess pieces used were the ones designed for printing. Some examples:

"Companion"

On Lichess

"Merida"

On Lichess

Most of us don't have a problem with these pieces since we're so used to it, as we somehow find a board that makes the combination reasonably playable for us.

However, the pieces designed for printing have downsides when used for computer chess. Boards in books don't have fully darkened dark squares, just hatches. So even if the piece that is pitch black, it works. Printing that piece is simple. There used to be blocks of chess pieces, just like physical typefaces in the printing presses. However, when we mix them with different computer boards, especially the piece colors don't blend well.

WHY NEO WORKS WELL?

1. These pieces are neither pitch black nor plain whites. Instead, they are different shades of grey.
2. A distinct border is given to each piece that allows it to blend well on most board colors. On pieces designed for printing, you'll find such a border is missing, especially for dark pieces.
3. Shadows provide a nice touch that improves perception that we're moving chess pieces, and not some ink. Of course, printing does not require this complexity and thus those pieces are plain except for some contrasting strokes.

There is one thing common. Pieces used for printing have subtle aesthetic style and character. Designers of Neo ensured that the pieces has distinct style. I particularly like the King (with the holes in the crown). Clearly, the printing pieces provided inspiration for the designers.

WHAT ABOUT LICHESS?
I wish pieces on Lichess adhere to the characteristics discussed instead of simply porting printing pieces to computers. At least variants based on these pieces could be provided by improving color, shading, and border.

GIOCO!
We already have an outstanding 2D piece set on Lichess. It's called Gioco. It has everything computer chess pieces need and more.

"Gioco" on Olive
WARNING: Knight is a bit sharp. Handle with care!
Perfect for your edgy positional struggles or ultra sharp tactical masterpieces!

OTHER GREAT OPTIONS
I'm biased towards Gioco at the moment. In fact, there are several piece sets you could consider which satisfy many and all of the requirements. Here is my selection:

"Staunty" on Blue
The Knight is nicely poised. WARNING: Bishop seems talkative. One is tempted to sac it at the first opportunity!

"Caliente" on Olive
Recommended for your Unorthodox openings.
WARNING: Knights, among the other pieces, are the most innocent looking cuties in this set. DON'T TRUST THEM!

The drop shadow adapts to the board colors. Nice subtle touch!

"Cardinal" on Wood2
Ready for your training needs!

"Tatiana" on Marble
Suits best for your off-beat lines in typical openings!

"Dubrovny" on Grey
Great for your evil gambits!
WARNING: You get dangerously shifty Knights and rather clueless Bishops in this set.

"Shapes" on Metal
The underrated masterpiece!

Side note: As Bishop is X and Rook is +, I think Knight should be L.

OFF TOPIC: 3D!
Most of us avoid 3D chess sets because with many pieces, the position becomes confusing. I show you a position full of pieces and pawns with a 3D chess set from Lichess. It is still very very clear, in my honest opinion.

"Staunton" on Woodi
THE perfectly rendered 3D chess set! Look at the detailing, lighting, and oh, the muscles on the Knight! That's a strong Knight and you will be inclined to reject the popular opinion that Bishops are slightly stronger than the Knights.
WARNING: Engrossed in a game, one tends to absent-mindedly try to pick these pieces by hand and scratch the screen. As a precaution, better cut your nails before using this set.

A chess set that is great to practice with before your OTB tournaments! By the way, the piece moves are also satisfyingly animated.

Other 3D chess sets on Lichess are also wonderfully rendered, but I find them unusable either because they're too big for the available board squares or when there are more pieces on board the position becomes difficult to understand. Also, I would love to have a 3D chess set that is similar to the typical standard set used in local tournaments.

CONCLUSION
Neo is a well-designed piece set. It deserves all the love it gets. However, hope you'll agree by now, Lichess has an outstanding selection of piece sets too! All created with nothing but love. In turn, they also deserve our love and recognition that Neo gets easily due to its prevalence due to chess.com's marketing muscle.

I hope this inspires more great piece sets (and boards!) designed for online chess.

PS: If you think this post is just an excuse for the love of screenshots, you're not far off.

[ornicar]

Great post! Have you considered turning it into a lichess blog post? It could reach a lot more chess lovers there.

[rpattabi]

Great post!

Thanks! I'm seeing Lichess since early days. It has become a great success for open source and chess. Thanks for everything you did and do.

Have you considered turning it into a lichess blog post?

It started as a critical look at computer chess pieces. Got carried away :--)
Already working on it to take it to Lichess community blog post. It also has become a great place full of interesting articles.