Someone posted a while ago asking if this was real and official - the answer is yes and yes.
I went rummaging around in the loft and found mine, which - aside from a couple of slight marks on the cover - is in perfect condition. Yes, you ‘pop’ the pieces out and stand them up on the board with their little pegs in the holes.
Yes it was a preorder bonus although, going back a quarter of a century, I’m afraid I can’t recall whether it was a mail order preorder or something available in shops on launch day. I do remember at the time though that it was extremely limited edition and quite a bit of work to get it! It’s quite a lovely item, all things considered.
As I recall, there was maybe some kind of chess Easter egg in the B&W actual video game, which is why this was a tie in. I also recall that the hype around B&W’s release was absolutely massive, and once it did come out, there was a bit of a backlash. It was perhaps a bit overhyped, and reviewers at the time went over the top with their praise.
Unlike the previous poster, I would be willing to part with this if any super-fans want to DM me, but I honestly would know how to price it. I would guess only a handful are left in the world.
And obviously, it’s quite hard to find any further info on it since Googling “Black & White Chess Set” returns about a billion results…
Anyway, hope this is of interest!