Gökyay Foundation Chess Museum

Gökyay Foundation Chess Museum is a private museum located within the boundaries of the Altındağ district in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye. The museum, which opened in a traditional Ankara house architecture reflecting historical fabric, has been operational since October 13, 2015. It operates under the umbrella of the Gökyay Chess Sports and Culture Foundation, established in 2013 by Ankara-based businessman Akın Gökyay.

Collection and Exhibition

The museum is situated in a spacious area of 1008 m². It displays the chess collection started by Akın Gökyay in 1975 and continuously expanded since then. The collection comprises over 700 chess sets acquired from more than 113 countries around the world, according to various sources. These sets are exhibited under four main themes: Children, Design, Countries and Civilizations, and War and Peace.

Exhibited Chess Sets

The collection includes chess sets with fantastical themes such as Shirinler, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, as well as sets reflecting historical, cultural and political themes tied to specific geographic regions. The sets in the collection are crafted from a variety of materials and techniques including wood, metal, fish bone, marble, soapstone, felt, polyester, metal mixed with marble dust, sheet metal and casting. In the exhibition, emphasis is placed not on the materials used but on the thematic content of each set and the culture of the region it represents. Information about the designer and country of origin is provided for each exhibited set.

Guinness World Record

Akın Gökyay’s chess collection earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records on January 31, 2012, with 412 chess sets. This collection holds the distinction of being the first and only officially registered chess collection in Türkiye.