Chess is one of the most mysterious and greatest games of all times and peoples. Shrouded in ancient mystery, black and white figurines continue to haunt the minds of a huge number of people around the planet. The favorite pastime of sultans, kings, shahs, emirs and other powerful people of this world has not lost its relevance today.

Great game

Chess helps to learn to think logically, calibrated, calculate your actions and deeds many steps forward. There are various variations of materials for figures and boards: they could be made of gold and other precious metals, black, red or ebony, ivory, crystal, inlaid or decorated with precious stones, mother of pearl and gems. In the same way, many variants of execution are known: in the form of fighting armies belonging to a particular historical era, in the form of famous people, various animals, characters from favorite films, etc.

However, the checkerboard order remains unchanged - 32 pieces (16 white / light and 16 black / dark) on a field with a corresponding cell marking of 64 squares.

It is not at all necessary to save up for gold chess, because today it can be made from literally anything. If you know how to carve wood, then it is quite easy to carve wooden figures with your own hands. It is even easier to cut them out of plywood or glue them from thick paper using a stencil.

Special craftsmen make chess sets from the insides of a computer (a motherboard for a board and chips in the form of figures), from electronic vacuum tubes, from plastic, glass, on LEDs or neomagnets, etc. Turn on your imagination - and go ahead.

How to make chess with your own hands: manufacturing options

One of the most popular options for homemade chess technology is cutting them out of plywood.

• Take shape sketches, ruler, pencil, rail, plywood, and carbon paper. You will need to transfer the images onto plywood first. To do this, place a copy paper under the sketch and carefully trace all the shapes in full with a pencil.

• The next step is to cut out the flat shapes that you drew with a jigsaw. The holes will also have to be cut out, having previously marked them: their thickness should correspond to the thickness of the plywood, and in length they should coincide with the length of the other product. The hole can be made with a drill or awl. At the joints, it is better to leave a margin of 1 mm so that the figures sit more densely.

• You should have 32 figures and stands with holes - in the same quantity, and another 30 round parts-blanks for future checkers. All of them will need to be sanded with sandpaper.

• Next, proceed with the assembly. Attach the figures to the stands using glue.
• Then separate half of the elements and paint them with black acrylic paint. Leave them on for a while to dry.

• The chessboard can be made from a piece of plywood (4 mm thick is suitable). You will also need slats. Saw out two blanks (400 * 200), and make frames from the slats - in the same quantity and in the same dimensions. Glue plywood blanks to them, and put hinges between the halves so that the board opens and closes well. Using a stencil, apply numbers, letters to the surface of the board, make a "cell" markup. And inside the board, you can draw a layout for playing backgammon. Paint over the sides with red acrylic paint.

For the figurines, take 3mm plywood. Make sure there are no cracks or knots on it. Apply the varnish in two layers to make the output color more presentable.

In order for chess to be voluminous, you will need more skills and abilities, since you cannot do without wood carving. For the light side, you can choose the following species: boxwood, birch, ash, maple, hornbeam, and for the dark side, walnut, ebony, apple and others are well suited. If it is not possible, then it is easier to make all the figures from linden, for example, and then burn or varnish.

• cut out the shapes along the outlined lines using a jigsaw (follow the profile of the adjacent edges and leave bridges on them);

• carefully cutting out all the figures, remove excess wood and file the surface with a file (you can grind with a sandpaper);

• ready-made chess must be soaked in hot linseed oil and covered with an appropriate varnish (black pieces will first need to be tinted with stain). To make them stand better on the board, you can glue pieces of felt, plush or thin suede on the legs.

Having the desire and imagination, it is easy to make chess from paper using the origami technique, and from wine crusts or bottle corks, and even mold from plasticine.

Some nuances

The set of chess can be very large: such pieces are considered outdoor or garden pieces. That is, they can be placed as an element of landscape design to play a party or two in the fresh air. There are also mini-kits that are easy to take with you on the road or travel.

But the most common size of figures is considered to be the classic measurement: the king is about 7-10 cm high, while other figures decrease in size, depending on what rank they are. Consider the height of the base when working.

As you can see, making chess with your own hands is quite simple. It doesn't matter what material or theme you choose for your set, the main thing is that it will be created with love and soul, which means that the "royal game" will slightly reveal its innermost secrets to you ...

Here I will tell you about the restoration of chess - a specific job, but surely someone will be interested in the process itself, and in individual stages. As for me, you can learn something new and useful from any work and any process ;-)

First of all, I disassemble the box, unscrewing the hinges and hooks, and take out the figures.