Chess, in pieces

by | Jan 26, 2026 | Art, Games, Pastimes | 74 comments

I had some cool paint gathering dust in my storage, not just any old paint, this is iridescent color shifting stuff. So being the, well just being me I decided to do a chess set with a matching board, and so the thinking begins.

I started at where else Amazon and found some 2 inch squares of wood for cheap and began painting. The paint asks for a black base coat before use but I’m way too cool to stick with rules so my white tiles are undercoated in white and gives a very pearlescent look. I like what I see so far.

Next I needed a base of some sort, I wanted a simple square in black that I could seal up for the final step. So back to Amazon for a 16 inch square frame, easy enough except the actual opening is 3/16″ too small, what to do. This is where it gets tricky, I need to trim the perimeter tiles by a 16th of an inch, good work if you can get it.

After a bit of grain alignment and measurements I have this much laid down,

the last 15 border pieces need to lose about and 1/8 of an inch, and then begins the last step.

here we are ready for the casting,

as usual, the photo order is fucked up but at any rate, it shows that some of my casting materials, the fact that I had to level a lot of things out, and if you miss at all things get ruined.

The finish will need to wait a bit, until next time,

About The Author

Bobbo

Bobbo

A member of the Morley fools and salt air sucks

74 Comments

  1. ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

    Cool. When I was in junior high I made a chess table in shop. Not as perfect as yours, and I never finished the spindle, but it was fun.

  2. Fourscore

    You’re like a kid, Bobbo, just can’t leave things alone.

    • Bobbo

      Yessir, why grow up?
      Dick Van Dyke has a new book on aging called Keep Moving,
      He’s 100 years old

      • Derpetologist

        For some people, age is just a number.

        Like Woody Allen, I hope to achieve immortality by not dying.

      • Derpetologist

        There was a 104-year-old guy who self-terminated.

        https://endoflifewa.org/news/david-goodall-104-just-took-his-own-life-after-making-a-powerful-statement-about-assisted-death/

        ***
        Goodall said he did not have a terminal illness and until recent years, he appeared to be in good health. He played tennis until he was 90, he performed in amateur stage plays until his eyesight began to decline, and he kept up his work as an honorary research assistant at Edith Cowan University in Perth, even after the school in 2016 deemed him unfit to continue making the trek to campus, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
        ***

        It seems losing his job is what did him in. I’m glad I don’t have that problem.

        The before place recently released a good video on this topic:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLxEhz1lSwM

      • Threedoor

        Healthy enough to travel halfway around the world but not healthy enough to find a tall building or a bridge.

        Weird.

  3. Derpetologist

    In high school, the chess club and the ones we played against used boards that were large rollable mats. The oversized pieces were fun.

    I have a magnetized travel chess set that fits in my pocket. A few times, I took it to bars to play with randos.

    To paraphrase Raymond Chandler, chess and advertising are elaborate wastes of intelligence.

    I was among the top 5 players in my high school. The tournament to get on the team was surprisingly competitive. I squeaked by into 5th place.

    The immortal game, or how win while sacrificing all your major pieces:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immortal_Game

    • Evan from Evansville

      “I have a magnetized travel chess set that fits in my pocket. A few times, I took it to bars to play with randos.”

      Former best friend would do stuff like that. He’s gotten *really* into Chess and there’s no way he doesn’t do that now. He’s the one I visited in Colombia a decade ago. Remarkably smart man, but always a Commie. Farsi, English and Spanish.

      Always a Commie, the DNC’s cock would explode from its own swift engorgement if they knew ‘im. He’s the most charming man I’ve ever met and would *love* to be a spokesman for ’em. Could convince a nut he’s a squirrel, and make ‘im so PROUD to learn it.

      • rhywun

        Tall tumbler!

      • Derpetologist

        My tall cans have a pic of Godzilla on them.

        I did not spring for the 7 foot long 99 cans PBR pack.

      • Bobbo

        Im actually drinking Stone Delicious ipa,
        And a sip of buffalo trace,

      • Tres Cool

        Currently 2º F and Ive got the frosty Milwaukee’s Beast Diet

      • Bobbo

        Good night for brewing beer,
        Easy cool down

  4. Evan from Evansville

    This is a fun project. Why’d ya decide to do it? Just like the look, like to play?

    I certainly know how to play, and I’m hyper-aware I’m no good. Though I often use against Dad, who is vitriolic in his hatred of video games, and kids being sedentary, in general. I don’t disagree, wholly, but: ‘If [nephew, etc] were sitting in his room all day, every day, playing chess.. somehow society thinks that’s different. ‘He’s a genius! Studying the universe in Chess!’ etc.

    I’m not a fan of the contradiction. Get those kids off their ass. I have shit for them to do. HVAC is checking stuff out tomorrow and I may need to move my bed so they can reach a ceiling vent over it.

    • Bobbo

      I always wanted to do my own board and pieces, just never got around to it. Having the cool paint and various materials to experiment with is always fun, and getting consistent shapes is simple with laser cuts.

    • Brochettaward

      I don’t know, kids are different and individuals. And video games aren’t anywhere near as mindless as they are made out to be. They can be and I find they’ve become more watered down in a lot of ways over time becoming extended cut scenes and just generally made easier with more hand holding, but there are still puzzles and a high degree of problem solving involved.

      Most adults are sedentary and set the example regardless.

      • Bobbo

        Im anything but sedentary about my game play, chess is however good for the brain

      • Evan from Evansville

        @Bro: Agreed, just making fun of Dad. The issue is, as always, the time devoted to gaming if it supersedes homework, work work, or other responsibilities. One could say people are lazy if they just sit and read, and there’s something of a point there, too, if other things get abandoned.

    • Tres Cool

      Make sure they check the thermostat, Ev

  5. UnCivilServant

    So, I finally got enough snow moved that I can risk trying to drive it. I would have finished sooner, but I kept taking breaks so I wouldn’t worsten my shoulder injury.

    Unfortuantly the store closed at 11pm.

    The 24 hour gas station carries caffiene, but it’s overpriced. I should just go to sleep and visit the grocery store in the morning.

      • Threedoor

        I’m
        Sure a plow will be along before too long to bury it again.

      • UnCivilServant

        Here’s the beauty of it – I moved the snow to where the plow can’t push it back onto my car.

        I relocated that damn snowbank one shovelfull at a time.

      • Threedoor

        That’s sad.

      • SarumanTheWoefullyIgnorant

        Where I am currently staying they have an endless supply of bad coffee. Since I drink it for the caffeine the flavor doesn’t matter.

        Time for bed.

      • UnCivilServant

        I can’t drink coffee – I had bad reactions in the past.

  6. Old Man With Candy

    That’s a beautiful board!

    I have two very fancy chess sets with all sorts of hand-carved pieces and inlay boards. For all that, my game sucks- it’s like a guy with a $20,000 Les Paul who can barely bang out Proud Mary.

    • UnCivilServant

      If your chess game is as bad as mine, maybe we should play against each other.

      I can’t play guitar, but I’ve always been tempted by a Rainsong. Shame they went out of business and all got expensive.

  7. Sean

    Happy national chocolate cake day!

    • Gender Traitor

      Good morning, Sean, Old Man (up late or early?), U, Ted’S., ChipP, Stinky, and homey!

      Still worried about our favorite feral/stray cat in this bitter cold. We added a heated pad to the hidey-hole we set up in the folded, tarp-covered futon frame on the back patio AND put out a heated water bowel (which will probably once again attract trash pandas washing whatever garbage they found to eat.) Unfortunately, at last check ANOTHER stray had found the hidey-hole. 😟🐱

      • Gender Traitor

        Oh, lordy – heated BOWL. 🙄

        I blame insufficient caffeination.

      • Ted S.

        The cold froze your brain.

    • Chipping Pioneer

      Hepatitis is the classiest VD.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      God, if I ever catch myself considering making a Waffle House Valentine’s Day reservation I’m going to have myself put down or take up fentanyl abuse.

      • Tres Cool

        One generally follows the other.

      • Ted S.

        I think of those 1930s movies where the rich characters go slumming.

    • Rat on a train

      I already made reservations at the hot dog stand.

  8. Tres Cool

    They said it was going to be cold this morning.
    Hell, its 6º F

      • Tres Cool

        inorite ?

      • Fourscore

        A -6 this morning. Better’n the last few days. No snow in the 10 day forecast

    • Old Man With Candy

      We warmed up. It’s +3°F. Still have two feet of global warming on the ground…

      • Tres Cool

        I figured about 15″ or maybe a bit more, based on how much snow I moved Sunday.

    • Beau Knott

      8 here, “feels like” -4.
      We got very little snow out of the storm, but the cold has been fierce over the last week or ten days.

      • Ted S.

        7F here. Not quite certain exactly how much snow we got, but some places just west of here and not really in the Catskills got as much as 19″.

        Probably a bit less here, but close.

    • UnCivilServant

      I’d rather have someone who doesn’t discriminate based on percieved political viewpoint of the patient.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        If they are going to discriminate I’d rather they tell me beforehand. In florida though? Good luck my guy.

    • Ted S.

      And note it’s overwhelmingly one side of the political spectrum that thinks it’s normal to inject politics into things in this way.

      • rhywun

        The personal is political!

        Yeah, it’s something else that people feel no shame acting like this.

      • Ted S.

        I hope you enjoyed the sportsball results.

      • rhywun

        Which sportsball is that?

      • Ted S.

        Tennis, since it’s the one you seem to follow most.

  9. The Hyperbole

    Woke up to a frozen water line, I think I know where the problem is but i may have to remove some woodwork to get heat on it.

    • Tres Cool

      If you get in trouble, I know a guy you can call.

      • The Hyperbole

        I think I know that guy too, he’s an asshole but he’ll work for beer.

  10. Not Adahn

    My secure WiFi is down, so I can’t access sensitive work applicaitons.

    Glibs.com is coming through fine!

  11. Gender Traitor

    It’s back to the office for me today, so I have to leave a little early…and lug back the printer I borrowed from our IT folks. Wish me luck. 😕

    • R.J.

      Good luck today.
      Still icy here, daughter’s school remains closed.

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