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.

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