Chess Sets, Pieces, Boards:
The Wood
Selecting the Wood Type for Your Chess Set
Chess Set and Pieces
Dark Chess Pieces
The dark pieces of a chess set come in many varieties of wood. Some
of the most exotic include Red Sandalwood, Ebony and Rosewood. The more
traditional chess set dark pieces are made from Golden Rosewood (as
known as Sheesham) and Ebonized Boxwood.
Red Sandalwood for Chess Sets
Back in the 1700's Red Sandalwood was discovered by the Europeans in
the tropical regions of southeast Asia and the mountainous areas of
southern India. Large pieces of Red Sandalwood are rarely found, as it
grows so extremely slow; it can take centuries for one tree to grow
into maturity. The texture of the wood is very dense and resilient with
a reddish-purple color and very intricate grain, while the finish of
the wood is quite lustrous. Because of its rarity, it is called the
"King of Woods".
In China, Red Sandalwood was set aside exclusively for imperial use
by the Ming and Qing Dynasties and was therefore a symbol of high
status. In Europe, Red Sandalwood was deemed the quintessential wood
for Royalty.
Red Sandalwood is becoming more and more rare as there are
restrictions in the harvest and export of this wood. Limited supply and
tough import restrictions have combined to propel prices upward for
this most collectable of woods.
Ebony Wood for Chess Sets
It would be difficult find a more splendid wood than Ebony for the
black pieces in chess sets. The texture of the wood is fine and even
making it a true pleasure to hold in your hand. The deep luster and
total blackness of the wooden blocks make for exceptional, true black
chess pieces, and therefore Ebony is the most traditional wood used in
chess pieces of the finest quality.
Ebony wood's grain is commonly straight (though sometimes
irregular), and the texture of the wood is fine and even. This black
hardwood is very resistant to decay, so the longevity of the wood is
excellent. Ebony wood exhibits excellent finishing and polishing
characteristics, and so the deep luster and total blackness of the
blocks make for exceptional, truly black chess pieces. Ebony is a very
hard, dense and expensive black wood - much stronger than boxwood but
more brittle, so it does not withstand impacts as well. This beautiful
wood is one of the traditional varieties used in chess pieces. Rosewood is an enchanting wood and probably the most popular for
chess sets. It's crossed, narrowly interlocked grain, with the
combinations of darker streaks gives the wood a very striking
appearance. Rosewood is fairly difficult to carve and work by hand,
which says a great deal for the skill of chess piece craftsmen. The
color range of this wood goes from a rose to dark brown color with even
darker lines.
Chess Set Wood Preference
Are black colored pieces preferable to Rosewood? Not really; it is a
matter of personal choice. Both are used in tournament play. Black wood
chess sets are more common than Rosewood sets, but they are generally
less expensive (except, of course, for Ebony pieces). Rosewood is an
excellent wood for chessmen; it is very resilient and does not chip
easily.
There is a big difference between Ebony wood and "ebonized" wood.
Ebonizing is the process of turning wood (in our case, the boxwood)
black to resemble Ebony. It is much less expensive and is difficult to
distinguish from real Ebony without close examination.
Golden Rosewood is another inexpensive but lustrous wood which is
easy to carve, and is one of the most popular woods used in the
manufacture of chess pieces. Its lovely color and moderate price make
it very attractive to chess players world-wide. It is very durable and
the wood is hard, with a uniform and medium coarse texture.
White Chess Pieces
Our Staunton wood white chess pieces are made from Boxwood. Boxwood's
texture is very fine and uniform. It has a generally straight grain,
with a very high luster. It can be turned on a lathe very easily, and
its carving characteristics are excellent.
Its coloring is usually a very light yellow brown, with a hint of
red tones. All of these characteristic makes boxwood an excellent
choice for white chess pieces. Also, Boxwood accepts stains very well.
Chess Board
Dark Squares for the Chess Board
Chess Board - Rosewood
Rosewood is fairly difficult to carve and work by hand, as noted
above. The color range of this wood goes from a rose to dark brown
color with even darker lines. The crossed, narrowly interlocked grain,
with the combinations of darker streaks gives the wood a very striking
appearance. The grain can vary considerably creating a beautiful blend
of colors and unique patterns. The beautiful colors combined with
moderate pricing makes Rosewood the most popular wood used for chess
sets and boards today.
Rosewood and Boxwood
Chess Board Chess Board - Mahogany
Mahogany Chess Board
Mahogany can be found in all the timber producing areas of West
Africa, and is primarily found on the Ivory Coast, and in Ghana and
Nigeria. The color is said to change from light pinkish-brown when
freshly cut to a dark reddish shade, usually with a purplish cast, upon
exposure. The grain is typically interlocked, but is sometimes
straight. Interlocked grain often produces a striped or swirl effect.
Mahogany's luster is described as high and golden - a beautiful wood
for chess boards at an extremely moderate price.
Chess Board - Walnut
Walnut Chess Board
Generally straight grained with a medium coarse, uniform texture.
Walnut is a rich dark brown heartwood that is moderately heavy, hard,
strong, and stiff, with good decay resistance and dimensional
stability. Walnut is prized in North America for high-end cabinetry and
furniture, and has long been a premier choice for high end furniture
and millwork. This dark wood makes for an extremely attractive chess
board at a terrific price.
Chess Board - Wenge
Wenge Chess Board
Found in the open forests of Zaire, Cameroon, Gabon, the southern
regions of Tanzania, and Mozambique. Wenge wood is dark brown, mostly
black, with fine, closely spaced, very dark veins and white lines. The
combination of white bands against the dark wood with black streaks
gives Wenge a extremely attractive appearance. Exposure lightens the
dark color of the wood, and Wenge is occasionally left in the sun on
purpose to lighten the color. The appearance of the wood has been
described as expressive with a low luster.
Chess Board - Ebony Tiger (Striped)
Coming from a small, sparsely inhabited island off the east coast of
New Guinea, Striped Ebony is fine-grained and takes a glassy smooth
finish. Striped Ebony has brown irregular stripes creating unique
patterns similar to that of zebra or tiger stripes, giving it a unique
and beautiful pattern. A popular choice for chess boards, Striped Ebony
offers both matching and contrasting colors in the same wood!
Striped Ebony and Bird's Eye Maple
Chess Board
White Squares for the Chess Board
With chessboards, the white squares are usually made from bird’s-eye
or curly maple. The color is creamy white to grayish white. It is a
moderately hard and strong with light to very heavy patterns running
perpendicular to normal grain orientation. Both bird’s-eye and curly
maple are perfect woods for both elegance and durability.
Learn about the Origin of Chess Sets and Pieces
How to Buy a Chess Set
Our Selection of Chess Sets
Our Selection of Chess Boards
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