Moro chessmen, like this 20th century set (king size 2.6" / 66 mm), are exclusive to the Philippines and originate from the second largest Philippine island Mindanao in the very south of the country's archipelago. The Moro chessmen are to note for their simplicity and their beautiful design. Many have tried to fathom the roots of this design and many different theories have been brought forward. One thing which is more or less obvious is the nonrepresentational style and the rather abstract, nonfigurative design, which resembles in many ways the Islamic type of chess pieces despite some particularities not found elsewhere. It was therefore questioned already, whether sets of this style originated in the Philippines at all (Ned Munger, Cultures, Chess & Arts, Vol. 3 Pacific Islands & Asia, p. 165).

Due to the specific history of the Philippines, especially the several centuries of Spanish rule, Christianity is the most widespread religion in the country with more than four fifths of the population being Roman Catholic. Nevertheless, the largest non-Christian group in the Philippines are the Muslim Moros with about 4 million members, representing about 5% of the total Philippine population.

As early as 1380 the Arab Sarif Maqdum came to Mindanao as an Islamic missionary. Malay conquerors followed, who founded Muslim sultanates in southern Mindanao and thus promoted Islamization, which, however, largely tolerated the old customs of the locals.  One of them, Shariff Mohammed Kabungsuwan of Johor, a member of the royal house of Malacca, founded the Sultanate of Maguindanao in 1475. The Sultanate of Sulu had already been founded in 1457. The founding of these sultanates set in motion the spread of Islam in the southern parts of Mindanao, Palawan, Basilan and Sulu.

The term Moro as a short form to address the Moro or Bangsamoro people derives from the Spanish term for "Moors" and is used as a collective term referring to an ethnolinguistic group of 13 different people, including the Maguindanao, named after the ancient sultanate (cf. supra), the Maranao and the Tausug, also called Suluk, the majority of which are Muslim.

Moro chessmen, like other chess sets from the Philippines, are traditionally made from local hardwood, in particular Kamagong or Banti wood. The most striking pieces are the knights. Sometimes (but not always, as can be seen in this set) they are even taller than the king or at least taller than every other piece on the board. Many theories have been brought forward as to where the elaborate design of the knights with its ornate arabesque, flowing and interlaced lines, comes from, what it represents and what it stands for. The particular design was already associated with the "Naga" pattern, naga being a Sanskrit term referring to a mythical dragon or serpent noted for its wisdom, agility, power and bravery. Sometimes the design is also said to represent a horse's mane, the wind or the sea, all of which can be comprehended when taking a closer look. Likewise, theories as to what the design symbolises range from good luck to status to protection against storms and hurricanes (Jim Joannou, Chess Sets of the Philippines, Part 1, The Chess Collector, Vol XVII No. 3, 2008, p. 14). According to research by Jim Joannou the design can be linked to the "Okir" pattern (sometimes also written "Okkir" or "Okkil"), a local symbol of good luck, status or power, which is also used in the traditional Filipino dress, the "Barong Tagalog", worn by men on special occasions. The Okir design is described by Jim Joannou as "a flowery pattern with serpent influences. In the village communities of the Maranao, the village chiefs use this design on their houses to show their status and prestige" (Joannou, ibid.). This is known as "Tarragon" or "panolong", which are beam extensions decorated with this very pattern.

Moro chessmen are not entirely uncommon, but nonetheless somewhat rare, in particular old ones, in that the region in which the Maranao people live, who are the makers of this type of chess sets, was in constant state of war since the 1960's, hence getting access to such sets is rather difficult. The sets are only produced by local carvers, who work mainly with hand tools or basic hand driven lathes and without any predetermined pattern, but from pure memory. The making of a set may take several weeks to complete and sometimes more than a year can pass between the making of two sets, which explains why differences between sets can be rather big.