You stare your opponent in the eye as you make your move. His eyes wander then maintain a steady gaze on the wall. Slowly, beads of sweat start to bead on his forehead and form road maps on his shirt. The weather is not really too hot, but for some reason, his sweat glands are on a rampage.

You attempt to calm him down with a very reassuring look as you maintain your silence. His demeanor lightens for a moment then returns to his steady gaze. Finally, he moves his hand forward then stops on top of a small wooden peg right in front of you. It was as if he was trying to fend off his childish fear of the boogeyman by praying himself to sleep.

All of a sudden, you find his gaze fixed on your irises. You feel powerless as he pushes his face closer…closer…closer….Silently, he whispers, “Checkmate.”

That exciting scene is only one of the thousands of possible reactions that you can get from a heated game of chess. Chess requires a good amount of concentration and a penchant for strategy. A few moves can swing you a victory or bring you a humbling loss, depending on how you planned ahead for each turn.

As a result, chess can be very emotional for players even though most of them keep themselves taciturn in their reactions. They know better than to give out reactions that could give their opponent a hint on what to do next.

As you can see, chess intertwines both mental ability and emotional stability to create a popular game enjoyed by people of all ages. It’s just funny that all of the action, the strategies and the outburst of emotions take place on top of a fairly small wooden board.

In the game of chess, the most important piece is the chessboard. The chessboard is just like a mock battlefield as it carries all the chess pieces and the game’s battleground. It is made of sturdy wood with a polished playable surface. The playable surface is composed of 64 squares distributed through eight rows and columns. The squares have alternating colors that usually come as white and dark green. Each chess piece moves over these squares in a unique way.

The board is compact and often has metal handles on the sides, making it easy to carry. You can play chess wherever you choose, whenever you want, especially during times of recreation.

Unfortunately, a good quality chessboard is quite pricey since most chessboards are made of expensive wood. Purchasing one can take a lot out of anyone’s budget given the cost of materials, the cost of labor and the tax that goes with every sold item. Even people who earn a fair amount of money think twice about getting a chessboard due to its stiff pricing.

Of course, cheaper plastic boards are sold in hobby stores, but you are practically taking away the feel of a classic chess battle by using them. Plastic boards and pieces are also too light as a game and can be interrupted by a sudden gust of wind or any other weak force. They may whet your appetite for playing chess, but sooner or later, you will find yourself saving up money to get a better chessboard.

For every expensive game, there are ways to work around financial problems and the game of chess is no exception. The world of do-it-yourself projects states that with a pint of creativity and a dash of hard work, you can come up with a substitute that could fill your gaming needs.

There are two readily available options for you if you want to make your own chessboard. One is for people who do not give much thought about the materials used for their board as long as they get to play chess, while the other is literally building your own chessboard.

The World is Your Chessboard

This tactic is pretty simple, since you can substitute the traditional chessboard for any regular item, as long as it has the necessary format of the board’s playing surface. You can grab a sheet of bond paper then draw 64 squares divided through eight rows and columns. In alternating fashion, darken every other square until your makeshift board shows an equal number of white and dark squares.

Strange as this may sound, you now have a chessboard. If you do not have a set of chess pieces with you, you can get 32 bottle caps, a roll of scotch tape and another sheet of bond paper. Cut 32 small strips of paper then tape them on top of each bottle cap. Label each strip of paper with the symbol of every required chess piece and make sure that the white and black pieces are distinct from each other. Once you have completed this, you can start calling your buddies for a few rounds of chess.

If you think that using paper and bottle caps is a bit too tacky for your taste, you can just paint a chessboard on any elevated surface, preferably a white table. Select a sparingly used table in your household and bring it to your garden or your garage. Grab a small can of dark paint and a small paint brush.

Before starting anything, it is advisable that you practice painting chessboards on paper since it is not easy to erase badly painted chessboards on table surfaces. You will end up spending on a can of paint remover or worse, a new table. Once you are ready, paint the 64-square playing surface above the table. Follow the alternating black-white format of chessboards and you will have a table chessboard in no time.

If you do not have a set of chess pieces, you can just purchase them in hobby and sports stores. Don’t worry about the price tag; those things are cheaper than a drink at Starbucks.

Build a Board

If the carpenter in you is bugging you to create your own chessboard, you can do so with the right materials and the right tools. It will be taxing. It will be tedious, but it will all be worth it. Nothing compares to the feeling of playing your favorite game on a chessboard born out of your sweat and hard work.

Materials Used:

• A plank of mahogany – two feet
• A plank of white maple – three feet
• Saw
• Sandpaper
• Gloss Oil
• Wood Glue

The first step is to create your chessboard’s surface. Remember that the length of your board should be slightly greater than the area of your playing surface, to create a little space for the taken pieces. You can begin by cutting five strips of white maple (two-inches in width) to form the white spaces of your playing surface. Cut four strips of mahogany (two-inches in width), which will stand for the black spaces.

Line-up the wooden strip in alternating fashion (white – black – white – black) and glue them together. Saw the grouped planks to form two-inch squares. At this point, eleven strips with alternating colors will be formed. Choose eight of the best strips. Once again, you will need to line-up each strip, but this time all the squares on the surface should be alternating.

Cut-off all the extra squares to finally form your chessboard’s playing surface. Sandpaper your playing surface then rub it with gloss oil to give it a sterling sheen. Once it dries, your playing surface is ready.

You need to create a border beyond the playing surface to provide ample space for players and to avoid accidentally knocking down chess pieces, which is supremely annoying. Cut four pegs of white maple (¼ of an inch in width) then glue them around the playing surface. Then, cut four pegs of mahogany (¾ on an inch in width) and glue them around the layer of white maple.

After a round of rubbing sandpaper and gloss oil, you will have a chessboard that can rival any of the boards used in professional tournaments. Better learn to play like a pro, or you will look silly with such a chessboard.

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