Chess table design

[James Ryan]

Hello everyone,
I would appreciate some feedback on a games table I have designed and made, it occurred to me that this was the best place to ask.

This is the speculative first one and I hope there will be further versions developed from the comments of people that might use it.

http://barnsley-furniture.co.uk/furnitu ... k2.600.jpg

Thanks
James

[Roger de Coverly]

From the photograph, it looks as if the board runs to the edge of the table. In practice, players like a few inches of elbow room between the edge of the board and the edge of the table.

The photos of the recent 4NCL http://www.chessbase.de/nachrichten.asp?newsid=9698 show plenty of elbows in action.

[James Ryan]

Thanks, that is a very good point, which actually leads to another question.
Is there a standard or competition size board?
James

[Roger de Coverly]

Thanks, that is a very good point, which actually leads to another question.
Is there a standard or competition size board?
James

The boards in the 4NCL photos would probably have had 50mm or 55mm squares.

The range 45-60mm would be "normal" sized boards. Plastic boards are most frequently used in competitions.

http://www.ukgamesshop.com/Merchant2/me ... de=cheqset

There's also a range of wooden boards.

http://www.ukgamesshop.com/Merchant2/me ... de=cheqset

The board size should be proportionate to the piece size, so that the diameter of the base of the pieces fits inside the squares without being "too small" or "too large".

[Ian Thompson]

Thanks, that is a very good point, which actually leads to another question.
Is there a standard or competition size board?
James

Recommendations for tournament equipment can be found at http://www.fide.com/fide/handbook?id=16&view=category

The nicest chess table I've ever used had slightly sloping padded edges to lean on.

[Paul McKeown]

James,

Looks nice! I agree with Roger, though, it needs a bit of room front and back. Also drawers to store the pieces and clock!

Good luck.

[E Michael White]

Is there a standard or competition size board?

http://www.fide.com/fide/handbook?id=16&view=category

This specifies some standards for equipment and general playing conditions for FIDE events. In a FIDE registered event each board or 2 players should have at least 5 square metres of space. Your table may be a bit wide for 5 square metres of space. Perhaps you do not foresee your table being used for FIDE events except for top class events where 9 square metres should be allowed.

Also "The size of a table should have a minimum length of twice the length of the chessboard and a width of 15 – 20 cm more than the chessboard. It is recommended to use tables with a minimum size of 120 x 80 cm for top level FIDE tournaments. The height of a table and the chairs should be comfortable for the players. Any noise when moving the chairs should be avoided."

I notice the vertical edge looks about 10-15 centimetres, this may make it difficult for tall players to get there legs underneath unless the table surface is high off the floor which may be inconvenient for smaller players.

[James Ryan]

This is great, thank you very much.
Realistically this is more of a recreational domestic piece but it would be good to get the key dimensions and criteria correct.
You cannot see from the picture but there are drawers in each end to store all the pieces.
Thanks again for all the links.
James

[Jonathan Bryant]

This is great, thank you very much.
Realistically this is more of a recreational domestic piece but it would be good to get the key dimensions and criteria correct.
You cannot see from the picture but there are drawers in each end to store all the pieces.
Thanks again for all the links.
James

Very much like the look of that table - inlaid chess board v. nice! Like the others I would suggest a few inches space between the board and the edge of the table.


If you're going to use that photo for advertising, though, prepare yourself for pedants (like me) pointing out you have the kings and queens on the wrong squares.

Out of interest - how much is the table likely to go for?

[James Ryan]

It is handmade so will cost £12,500.That includes two chairs.
I should perhaps mention that the board rotates
and has a backgammon board on the other side.
I had not noticed the king and queen!
Thanks for all the comments.
James

[Peter Rhodes]

I think it's well designed and tasteful.

One thing that came to mind - and I am not in a good position to judge this - is that the design is quite contemporary and I was curious if that fits with the market which you are aiming for ?

Do you have a close up of the pieces ? I think that's an important consideration for most chessplayers. Where are the pieces stored ?

[Jonathan Bryant]

It is handmade so will cost £12,500.

I'm sure it's worth it ... but it will be a while before I have that much in my penny jar!

Good luck with the project.

[Trevor Davies]

Sounds extraordinarily expensive to me - it'll probably end up with someone who wouldn't notice that the pieces are not set up properly. (Glad to see that the board is the right way round). What materials are used? I can't quite see that such a simple (if admittedly elegant) piece of furniture could take the many hundreds of hours of labour that the price suggests.

[Peter Rhodes]

What materials are used?

I was also interested myself and took a peek at the website.

"The main timbers used are cherry and burr vavona."

You can also find a close-up of the chess pieces at
http://barnsley-furniture.co.uk/gallery/default.asp

[James Ryan]

I suppose it could be considered expensive but then could also be quite cheap if one counts the hundreds of making hours in it all.
The chess pieces were the only items not made by us and actually came from Chess Baron.
I was very keen to get "proper" ones weighted and so forth.
I really do appreciate all the comments as normally I have a client to collaborate with in setting a design brief.
In this particular case I did not so all very helpful for the next version
James