| Early chess master Siegbert Tarrasch once | | | | Romans and Asia Minor. European walnut is a |
| said, "Chess, like love, like music, has the | | | | market rarity as it is not in high supply and |
| power to make men happy". Why not add to your | | | | can only be found in the processed form of |
| game-playing enjoyment by incorporating the | | | | veneer. Wood chess sets made with European |
| natural beauty of a wood chess set. | | | | Walnut tend to have a grayish-brown hue with |
| | | | a darker irregular grain. European walnut is |
| Wood chess sets are classic in the chess | | | | durable and polishes well. Walnut, great for |
| playing world because of their association | | | | staining and enduring UV exposure makes a |
| with the Staunton style of design. But wood | | | | logical choice for use in the manufacture of |
| chess sets have also pushed and continue to | | | | wood chess sets. |
| push the boundaries of their visual | | | | |
| stereotype due to avid and inventive chess | | | | Sheesham (Indian Rosewood) - Otherwise known |
| artisans with advancing CNC technology, also | | | | as Palisander. Dalbergia latifolia grows in |
| known as robotic manufacturing methods. | | | | such places as the Indian peninsula. Sheesham |
| | | | can also be found near the Himalayan |
| Before you go out and purchase a wood chess | | | | Mountains in Orissa, Sikkim, Bihar and Oudah. |
| set, understand that a wood chess set's style | | | | Chess sets usually incorporate Indian |
| isn't the only feature worth considering in | | | | Rosewood as a veneer as it isn't shaped |
| your purchase. Natural wood materials lend an | | | | easily by hand. Sheesham comes in hues from |
| innate touch of class to wood chess sets and | | | | rose to dark brown. |
| can really emphasize chess set design. So the | | | | |
| inquiring buyer should be aware of what | | | | Erable - Also called European Field Maple, |
| materials are available in the manufacture of | | | | this timber calls Europe home. Erable can be |
| wood chess sets. This wide variety of timber | | | | found in Europe's old growth forests, but it |
| contains species such as: | | | | is more commonly harvested from |
| | | | human-regulated forests in places like Spain. |
| Mahogany - Particular strains of mahogany | | | | Erable carves easily and wood chess sets made |
| such as Khaya grandifoliola are popular | | | | with erable have a soft golden coloring and |
| choices in constructing wood chess sets. This | | | | strong inset grain that comes to life with a |
| particular wood chess set-friendly variety | | | | lacquered finish. |
| grows mostly on the West Coast of Africa. The | | | | |
| color of mahogany's heartwood can range from | | | | Aspen - Aspen is a popular material used in |
| a pink to a dark cocoa brown. | | | | North American wood chess sets. The Populus |
| | | | tremula strain of aspen or Trembling Aspen is |
| Maple - Sugar Maple is a popular material | | | | found in an area that includes Virginia, |
| used to manufacture wood chess sets. Wood | | | | Newfoundland and Alaska. Trembling Aspen is |
| chess sets using this species of maple have a | | | | also found in the Rocky Mountains, southern |
| faint red coloration that can also be | | | | Arizona and northern New Mexico. Aspen is |
| interpreted as pink. Sugar Maple is readily | | | | colored from a light white to soft beige and |
| accessible in North America as its found in | | | | adds a beautiful accent to wood chess sets. |
| New England, southeastern Manitoba, Nova | | | | |
| Scotia, North Carolina and eastern Kansas. | | | | Many of the aforementioned materials can be |
| | | | found in wood chess sets sold by online |
| Walnut - European Walnut, also known as | | | | distributors. Many online retailers have a |
| Juglans regia, came to Western Europe via the | | | | wide selection to choose from. |