Chess Woods Guide
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The vast majority of our chess sets are wooden. We describe very accurately which woods are present in each set. Below is a detailed description of each type of wood that is found in our chess sets.
Sheesham Golden Rosewood
Sheesham is a very common wood used in the making of chess sets. It’s a medium brown colour and is reasonably dense. When polished or waxed it can develop very attractive figuring and grain. It is a stable wood that can be used to make chess pieces, chess boards and folding chess sets. It’s not a hugely expensive wood and is available in large quantities. Some chess companies refer to his wood as “Golden Rosewood” which is actually quite confusing.
Boxwood
Boxwood is a light coloured wood that is used to make chess pieces and squares on chess boards. It is seldom used to make whole chessboards however. It is a dense wood that is robust and ages nicely. Boxwood comes in various grades and can be seen on chess sets at opposite ends of the price and quality scale. It comes from a tree that is aptly named the “Boxwood Tree”.
Ebonised Boxwood
Ebonised Boxwood is a stained version of Boxwood. Because Boxwood is cheaper than Ebony it is used as an alternative to real Ebony. It is commonly used to make chess pieces, the black side obviously; a very convincing attempt at producing an Ebony effect. Makes for attractive deep black chess pieces.
Walnut
Walnut is a wood rich in red, pruple and yellow tones and is mostly used for borders and squares on chess boards. An incredibly polpular wood for aesthetic construction and furniture, it has a tight grain with beautiful figure variation. It is a medium, dense wood that is robust thus making is so suitable for chess boards. There are various versions of Walnut wood, American Walnut being the most popular.
Ebonised Boxwood
Ebonised Boxwood is a stained version of Boxwood. Because Boxwood is cheaper than Ebony it is used as an alternative to real Ebony. It is commonly used to make chess pieces, the black side obviously; a very convincing attempt at producing an Ebony effect. Makes for attractive deep black chess pieces.
Ebony
Ebony is classed as a luxury wood. Considered by many to be the black wood. It is in fact a chemical process that makes it completely black. In its natural state it is a dark brown with light streaks within the grain. This does actually look very attractive and indeed some chess boards are made using semi treated ebony to retain this effect. Commonly used in luxury chess pieces, Ebony is a fine, hard wood. Revered by musicians for its tonal qualities, it is used extensively in high-end guitars and violins.
Rosewood
Rosewood is another luxury wood. Another favourite of musical instrument makers, it has found its way onto numbers of guitar fingerboards to excellent effect. Rosewood is a rich dark wood with a slightly red tinge to it. It is used in the production of medium to high-end chess pieces and is also found in some chess boards and folding sets.
Bud Rosewood
Bud Rosewood is wood that has been sourced from the base of the Rosewood tree. It is considered to be of much higher quality than normal rosewood. Expect to find Bud Rosewood in high-end chess pieces.
Mahogany
Mahogany is a rich hardwood with deep red colouring to it. It starts off looking slightly orange or pink when first harvested but becomes a lovely deep red / brown colour once it has seasoned. In some parts of the world it is becoming very rare and valuable. It has traditionally been the wood of choice for luxury cabinet and furniture makers. It has a dense grain pattern and a solid structure that doesn’t suffer heavily from voids and knots. It also has it’s place in the manufacturer of fine musical instruments which is a testament to it’s stable tonal qualities. Sometimes used as either a veneer or in solid form to make chess boards but seldom chess pieces.
Maple
Maple is a hard light wood that in some cases can be almost white. Often used to create the white squares of a chess board, its light colour contrasts well with a deep black Ebony to create a striking chess board. A stable wood that is available in abundance in certain parts of the world. It’s rare to see chess pieces made from Maple, mainly due to the popularity of Boxwood.
