We all know that chess set is the combination of both chess pieces and chessboard. Chess sets with extraordinary designs are made of different materials such as metals, plastic, wood, alabaster, glass, marble and stone. Stone chess sets are mainly made of alabaster and marble. Since the ban on elephant tusk, sellers now use camel bone to make bone chess pieces.
Plastic chess pieces are basically colorless because of the polymers found in them. Metal chess sets are made of alloys like zinc, tin, copper, bronze, brass, aluminum and pewter.
Wooden chess sets are in great demand among chess lovers, collectors and chess players . As they offer a huge variety to the buyers, Ebony and rosewood make the most luxury chess sets in the world.
These exotic woods are hardwoods and it is very rare. This is first and foremost reason why wooden chess pieces are very valuable and expensive in the market. Aspects such as skilled artisans, usage of finest quality materials and many other also drive up the prices of these exquisite chess sets. Know more why handmade wooden chess sets are expensive.
Things to keep in mind before you actually start carving –
- Carving wooden chess sets require a high level of precision and focus.
- The chess pieces begin life as shapeless blocks of hardwood. Very dense and consistent woods are used, so that meticulous chess pieces are carved out of it. So, you’ll be needing heavy tools and motor to spin the block to carve easily.
- Chess pieces with extremely detailed displaying strands of hair, teeth, etc are costly because of the level of hard work and time put into them for carving out those extraordinary chess pieces.
- Solid understanding on different types of woods used in a handmade chess set can help you make informed decisions about the appearance, quality, and overall experience of the set. Also it allows you to create or select a chess set that aligns with your preferences and intended purpose. So, make sure you must have a proper understanding on various types of woods before carving.
It’s really a work of art, so if you’re 100% sure then go for it. Best of luck.
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Now, let’s dive into the theoretical aspect of how to carve a wooden chess set –
- Designing the chess pieces: The very first step is to choose a design for your chess piece. You can get a design online, from books or you can think of your own design. Second, you have to choose the wood, If you want a black carved piece you can use Ebony wood shown in the picture below:
- Carving the pieces on the wood lathe machine: Take two different kinds of woods, one for darker side and other for the lighter side. You can also choose the same kind of wood for both the sides, the pieces then can be stained afterward. Now take the wooden block and mount it on the lathe.
- Start turning and press the cutting tool up to the turning piece of wood, to begin carving it.
- Doing the fine carving: Now this is the most challenging part of chess making process. Carve your chess pieces to perfection using special tools, knives, and your hand. Use your chess design and give those details to your chess pieces.
- Sanding and treating the chess pieces: It is very important to sand the chess pieces, in order to get the smooth and even surface. Chess pieces are then treated with a solution that helps the chess pieces to preserve.
- Final finishing and polishing: Final touches are made and chess pieces are polished to a high shine. Chessbazaar buff polishes the chess pieces to make the world’s best quality chess pieces.
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*Tools Required: Pencil, Scratch paper, Wooden lathe, Different sandpaper grits. Begin carving your dream chess set or we at chessbazaar will be more than glad to make the chess set that you always wanted but could not find or it was way too expensive to buy one from some other seller. Know More
Do Check Out this amazing video on Luxury Wooden Handmade Chess Sets in Staunton Style & Chess Reproductions from chessbazaar:
A beginning of the new financial year 2016 and tradition dictates that once again we take a look at the new arrivals section and round up the most interesting chess sets of the past few weeks. If you have missed the launches or are simply looking for an orderly recap, the table below should be for your interest.
The 20th Century Historical Staunton Triple Weighted Chess Set (Based on Frank Camaratta Set)
The Sher-E-Punjab Series Chess Set
Combo of Repro Old Antique Edinburgh Upright Chess Pieces in Bud Rose / Box Wood & Red Ash Burl Maple Wooden Chess Board
The 20th Century Historical Staunton chess set definitely managed to stand out, thanks to its Frank Camaratta based knight. The superlative historical chess set is made up of ebony / bud rose wood and boxwood. The King proudly stands at 4.5 inches and its base is a robust 1.8 inches. This chess set features a magnificent double mane knights. Pieces are expertly carved by the instructions of our designing team and inspired from the famous Frank CamarattaSignature Series chess set. The set is available at most affordable price in the market with free shipping.
Chess is one of the most popular games in India and there is one interesting fact that most of the wooden chess sets manufactured in Amritsar(Punjab). As a respect to our hard- working artisans and carvers, we have introduced this dazzling chess set “The Sher-E-Punjab series”. Inspired by the famous Maharaja Ranjit Singh horse, Maharaja of the Punjab, our Sher-E-Punjab Series personifies the legacy of the famous Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The sweeping mane, a distinctive head shape and a bold design of the knight represent the “Lion of Punjab”. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the founder of the Sikh Empire, which came to power in the Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. This chess set features a spectacular knight carved in ebony / bud rose wood and boxwood. The design, quality, and craftsmanship of these chess pieces is comparable to the luxury chess sets that are sold for $1000+ by other retailers. Know More
Reproduction lovers rejoiced this month – Combo of Repro Old Antique Edinburgh upright chess pieces was launched. Each chessmen is carefully hand crafted in India with dainty details. Reproduced Antique Series weighted chess pieces offers a 3.75″ King with a base diameter of 1.42″ and all chess pieces are weighted by adding a stud of iron within the base.
Did you ever starve for a chess design you always wanted? Chessbazaar is there to help you make your dream chess set a reality. Know More
And to top things off, some of our best sellers are on backorder, We welcome you to place an order for out of stock items and take an extra discount of 25% off with coupon SAVE25. Shop Now
That’s all for now, Follow us on Twitter & Facebook to stay up-to-date with the latest releases, offers & promotions. We’d glad to know your views and experiences of the chess sets which you have purchased from us.
Sheesham wood
Sheesham wood is the most popular Indian wood across the globe known for its durability, natural rich grains, and longevity. The heartwood of sheesham ranges from golden brown to a darker reddish brown .Being hard wood, it copes with the stresses and strains of everyday use. Sheesham has a straight grain though it can be interlocked and wood has a good natural luster.The solid wood has natural grains which varies from piece to piece, thus making each and every chess piece unique. Wood comes directly from the source, treated for termite-resistance, seasoned and put to use to make awesome chess sets which lasts and just lasts with all its grace and lusture.
Boxwood
Boxwood has a fine, even texture with a natural luster. Color of the boxwood tends to be a light cream to yellow, which tends to darken slightly with prolonged exposure to light. The grain tends to be straight or slightly irregular. It is superbly suited for turning. Boxwood is also easily available and hence the chess pieces made from boxwood are cheaper than other woods. But the beautifully carved chess pieces look as attractive as the expensive woods.
Ebonized boxwood
Boxwood is sometimes substituted for Ebony because it is much easier to find and is available at reasonable prices. Regular boxwood is light in color and usually used for the white pieces and it is ebonized for use as black pieces because it’s cheaper than real ebony. At www.chessbazaar.com you can find number of reasonable chess sets made from ebonized boxwood, that are very much like the real ebony chess pieces.
Ebony wood
Ebony is a dense black wood. Black Ebony is one of the most valuable and expensive types of wood in the world. Black Ebony is prized for the black color of its wood that grows denser and blacker the older the tree. Heartwood is usually jet-black, with little to no variation or visible grain. It has fine even texture with very high natural luster. It is finely-textured and has a very smooth finish when polished, making ebony a valuable beautiful chess wood.
Rosewood
Rosewood is a classic wood, also known as Indian Rosewood. The wood of these trees is prized and in high demand throughout the world due to its excellent qualities of having a long straight bore, its strength, remarkable coloration and its high density, which makes it another luxury chess wood with ebony. Very hard and has a dark reddish brown color. Rosewoods also exhibit very dark streaks along their growth rings, creating striking patterns. The wood is also extremely resistant to rot and water damage. It is hard to work with rosewood and takes high polish, but after all the difficulties, chess sets and chess boards made from rosewood are grand feast for the eyes.
Bud rosewood
Bud rosewood is again a type of rosewood. Its source is rosewood but the quality of the bud rosewood is much higher than the ordinary rosewood. Rosewood is reddish brown in color but bud rosewood is more on reddish tone. The very superior quality wood makes it an expensive and luxury chess wood.
Palisander wood
Palisander wood is a part of rosewood family. Palisander wood has a great beauty and high value. The wood has dense close grains and the tone is slightly lighter than the Indian Rosewood. The wood comes in various tones and the rate of the chess sets and board depend upon the quality of these tones.
Walnut
Walnut is strong, hard and durable, without being excessively heavy. It has excellent woodworking qualities, and takes finishes well. The wood is light to dark chocolate brown in color and is straight-grained. Wavy grain is present toward the roots, and walnut stumps are often dug out and widely used as a source of highly figured veneer chess boards.
Ash Burl
Burl ash wood is generally darker than regular ash and is noted for its rich pattern of swirls, twists and turns. The abnormality of burl, combined with the availability of ash, make this wood especially popular among chess board manufacturers. The wayward grains of burl ash wood give it a unique beauty that is fitting for the world’s most exquisite decor. Ash burl is widely used for structural frames and highly durable and even veneer chess boards are made out of it.
Maple
Maple is a pale cream color when first cut, but will darken to light yellow or pale reddish brown with exposure to sunlight. Maple is easy to cut and shape, and sands to a smooth, even surface. Maple may be common, but it can look uncommonly beautiful when treated correctly. Maple is hard and resistant. Its diffused evenly sized pores give the wood a fine texture and even grain. With these qualities Maple is extensively used for making very durable and quality veneer chess boards.
Chessbazaar.com offers a largest variety of chess sets and chess boards at the most reasonable prices made from these high quality and exclusive woods available in the world.
We know, we are bit late on this one..but we wish you a very Happy and Joyful New Year with lots of blessings 🙂
Well, here we are again, folks – the start of a new year. The time when we’re usually bursting with motivation and promises not to repeat the mistakes of the past. We’ve learned a lot in the 2014 (especially our flaws & drawbacks), which we’ve vowed to ditch in 2015!), We, the whole chessbazaar team are working on our flaws & trying to use our time more wisely. Please send us your valuable feedback’s & queries at sales@chessbazaar.com. We listen carefully to the needs of our customers and had their feedback in mind to make our customers experience more rich in near future. We’d also love to hear how you’re starting your 2015 with a bang.
Here’s the brief infographics of our journey. Have a look!
Our team at chessbazaar wishes you a very Happy New Year to you and your loved ones and we wish you true happiness, joy and success in the months to come. Cheers!
Stay Tuned !!
1. Know how to play chess: The first and the foremost thing is to learn how to play chess, it is an obvious tip but everything has to have a perfect start. Play slow games often and analyze them later with the help of a stronger player.
2. Practice: Practice makes a man perfect so more you practice playing chess more will you improve. The tendency to learn tricks and win the game will get higher and higher. Every time you will end up learning something new.
3. Study openings: You need to know the common openings carefully so that you are familiar with the tips and tricks of the game. Try to figure out the overall plan, even if you are unable to track the individual detail of the moves.
4. Focus on the tactics: Focus on what and how you want to accomplish. Keep a track on all the moves in your brain and studying tactics will improve your chess skills a lot quicker than anything else. Imagining situations will make you more clear about the game. Know different kinds of mating nets and general strategy.
5. Use a smaller chess board while practicing: With a smaller chess board, you can concentrate better as you don’t have to move your eyes around so much. It helps individuals who have trouble paying attention to details, strong/ weak squares, hanging pieces, tactical positions, and possible traps.
6. Practice online: If you have difficulty finding a partner to practice with you. Play online! There are many online players from all around the world, and you can play chess with different active people on chess websites for as many number of hours you want.
7. Research: Read, study and research more and more about the chess, players, moves, tactics, skills etc from the net. This will encourage you and help to you add further knowledge to your existing ability.
8. Enjoy the game but pay attention: While playing make sure you take it easy and have fun while learning something new from each game. It will boost your confidence for future chess games.
9. Study mid and endgames– At higher levels, there will be more and more positions where you will have to know mid- game tactics to move forward to the end game, a key characteristic of you chess.
10. Replay the game of good players: It is an easy way to improve your chess skills. You can replay many games by openings, player name, tournament, board position, position fragment, and material balance and so on.
About Chessbazaar: Started in 2007, we have been serving chess collectors, players and enthusiasts by providing the best and most affordable chess sets all over the world. We provide the largest range of Chess Pieces, Chess Boards, Chess Sets, Chess Accessories, Chess Storage Boxes and Travelling Sets. Our USP is FREE Shipping worldwide. From direct manufacturer to end user, no middle man so unbeatable prices.
The game of chess is like a swordfight, you must think first before you act. Chessbazaar.com is great place where you can buy beautiful handmade chess sets and you can learn the rules of chess game too.
Goal of Chess Game
Chess is a two-player game. These two player sits opposite side of the chess board , one player having 16 black or dark pieces while other chess player having white or light pieces. Make sure that the board is placed in such a way that the first white square is always on the right hand side of the both players. The main goal of chess game is checkmate the other king or to capture the opponents king. At that point, the game is over.
General Chess Rules
• White is always first to move and players take turns alternately moving one piece at a time. If a player’s turn is to move, he is not in check but has no legal moves, this situation is called “Stalemate” and it ends the game in a draw.
• Each type of piece has its own method of movement. A piece may be moved to another position or may capture an opponent’s piece, replacing on its square (en passant being the only exception). With the exception of the knight, a piece may not move over or through any of the other pieces.
• When a king is threatened with capture (but can protect himself or escape), it is called check. If a king is in check, then the player must make a move that eliminates the threat of capture and cannot leave the king in check.
• Checkmate happens when a king is placed in check and there is no legal move to escape. Checkmate ends the game and the side whose king was checkmated looses. Chess for kids would be a great option to help the kid enhance his thinking capability with the chess strategies involved.
Chess Board and Chess Pieces Set Up
The chessboard made up of 64 square (8 x 8 grid), these 64 squares further divided into 32 dark squares and 32 light squares. The colors of the sixty-four squares alternate between light and dark, and are referred to as “light squares” and “dark squares”. The chessboard is placed between the players in such a way that the near corner square to the right of the player is white. Lets start with the chess pieces. The 16 chess pieces are made up of 1 King, 1 queen, 2 bishops, 2 knights, 2 rooks, and 8 pawns. 2nd row is filled by Pawns. In 1st row rook go in the corner, then knights, followed by bishops and finally the queen. Note that the queen is always on her own color while the king is always on the opposite color.
Beginning of Chess Game
The player with white pieces always moves first. Therefore, players generally decide who will get to be white by chance or luck such as flipping a coin or having one player guess the color of the hidden pawn in the other player’s hand. White then makes a move, followed by black, then white again, then black and so on until the end of the game.
Movement of Pieces
The 6 different kinds of pieces move differently. Pieces cannot move through other pieces (though the knight can jump over other pieces), and can never move onto a square with one of their own pieces. However, they can be moved to take the place of an opponent’s piece which is then captured. Pieces are generally moved into positions where they can capture other pieces (by landing on their square and then replacing them), defend their own pieces in case of capture, or control important squares in the game. The following diagrams will explain the movement of the pieces that must keep in mind when playing chess.
• The King
The King play an important role in chess game, whole game is playing to save king. The King is tallest pieces on the chessboard and King has cross finials at top. By the rules of chess, his moves are pretty limited, he can only move one square at a time but he can move forward, backward, left, right and diagonally. Click on the ‘>’ button in the diagram below to see how the king can move around the board.
• The Queen
The Queen is the most powerful chess pieces on the chessboard. The Queen has a beautiful crown on its top. According to the rules of playing chess, she can move vertically, horizontally and diagonally just as many squares she wants (without jumping other chess pieces).
• Bishop
Most bishops also have a cut near the top resembling that of a mouth. The bishop may move as far as it wants, but only diagonally. Each bishop starts on one color (light or dark) and must always stay on that color. Bishops work well together because they cover up each other’s weaknesses.
• Knight
Knight is a unique chess piece. Knights move in a very different way from the other pieces – going two squares in one direction (forward, backward, left, or right) and then one more move at a 90 degree angle, just like the shape of an “L”. Knights are also the only pieces that can move over other pieces.
• Rook
The rook is also called the castle by some and it actually looks like a castle or at least a castle tower . The rook may move as far as it wants, but only forward, backward, and to the sides. The rooks are particularly powerful pieces when they are protecting each other and working together.
• Pawn
Pawn is smallest pieces on the chessboard. Pawns can only move forward one square at a time, except for their very first move where they can move forward two squares. Pawns can only capture one square diagonally in front of them. They can never move or capture backwards. If there is another piece directly in front of a pawn he cannot move past or capture that piece.
Special Moves
• Castling
This move allows you to do two important things all in one move: get your king to safety (hopefully), and get your rook out of the corner and into the game. On a player’s turn he may move his king two squares over to one side and then move the rook from that side’s corner to right next to the king on the opposite side. (See the example below.) However, in order to castle, the following conditions must be met:
• It must be that king’s very first move.
• It must be that rook’s very first move.
• There cannot be any pieces between the king and rook to move.
• The king may not be in check or pass through check.
Notice that when you castle one direction the king is closer to the side of the board. That is called castling kingside. Castling to the other side, through where the queen sat, is called castling queenside. Regardless of which side, the king always moves only two squares when castling.
• En Passant
There is a unique chess rule which involves a special move in chess that many casual players are not aware of, the rule is called “en passant”. If a pawn moves out two squares on its first move, and by doing so lands to the side of an opponent’s pawn (effectively jumping past the other pawn’s ability to capture it), that other pawn has the option of capturing the first pawn as it passes by. This special move must be done immediately after the first pawn has moved past, otherwise the option to capture it is no longer available.
Related Post: Chess Pieces Moves – An illustrated guide
• Promotion
Pawns have another special ability and that is that if a pawn reaches the other side of the board it can become any other chess piece (called promotion). A pawn may be promoted to any piece either a queen, a rook, a bishop, or a knight, of the same colour as the pawn. A pawn is usually promoted to a queen.
End of the Game
• Winning
The game is won by the player
• who has checkmated his opponent’s king.
• whose opponent declares he resigns.
• Draw
The game is drawn when the king of the player who has the move is not in check, and this player cannot make any legal move. The player’s king is then said to be “stalemated”. This immediately ends the game.
The game is drawn upon agreement between the two players.
The game is drawn when one of the following endings arises:
• king against king;
• king against king with only bishop or knight;
• king and bishop against king and bishop, with both bishops on diagonals of the same colour.
• Losing
The game is lost by a player who has not completed the prescribed number of moves in the allotted time, unless his opponent has only the king remaining, in which case the game is drawn.
Source : Chess.com
