A good chessboard pairs a pale wood for the white squares (maple, birch, ash) with a darker wood for the black squares (walnut, rosewood, mahogany), most often as marquetry veneer on a stable base rather than in solid wood. The FIDE standards call for a rigid, flat, matt and clearly contrasting board.
We talk a lot about the pieces and less about the board. Yet it is the board that works hardest: a wooden panel some forty centimetres square, laid flat and exposed to the heat of a lamp or a radiator, has to stay perfectly flat. The choice of woods and the way they are assembled matter as much as their colour.
The chessboard in a few definitions
- Chessboard
- A square board of 64 squares (8 ranks of 8), alternately light and dark, on which the game is played. It is placed so that each player has a light square in the right-hand corner.
- Marquetry
- A technique that consists of assembling sheets of wood of different colours, cut and joined edge to edge, then glued onto a base. The squares of a marquetry chessboard are pieces of veneer.
- Veneer
- A thin sheet of wood (often less than a millimetre) sliced from a log and glued onto a panel. Veneer allows rare woods to be used sparingly and gives a board more stable than solid wood.
Woods for the light squares
Maple is the most widely used: creamy white, discreet in grain, it offers a luminous background that sets off the black pieces. Birch and ash, cited by the FIDE standards, play the same role with a slightly more pronounced figure. Boxwood, rare in large surfaces, is found in stringing and inlays rather than in whole squares. Some decorative boards also use sycamore (a European maple) for its satiny look.
Woods for the dark squares
Walnut is the European benchmark: chocolate brown, warm, very stable once dry. Rosewood gives a more contrasting purplish brown (see rosewood or bois de rose). True mahogany (Swietenia), reddish brown, was long the wood of English boards; it is now listed in CITES Appendix II and is often replaced by sapele, which looks similar. Ebony is found as veneer on the most luxurious boards, but the contrast with maple can then become too harsh for a long game.
Burrs (elm, walnut or amboyna burr) are growths of the tree with a tormented figure. Superb in a frame or a box lid, they are not recommended for the squares themselves: their pattern blurs the reading of the position.
Table: the most common wood pairings
| Light squares | Dark squares | Contrast | Look |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple | Walnut | Clear but soft | Classic, warm; the choice of demanding clubs |
| Maple | Rosewood | Strong | Elegant, purplish brown |
| Maple | Mahogany or sapele | Medium | English style, reddish brown |
| Birch or ash | Walnut | Clear | In line with the FIDE list, visible figure |
| Maple | Ebony | Very strong | Decorative, spectacular |
Solid, marquetry or veneered: what is the difference?
A solid wood board is made of strips of solid wood glued together. It is heavy and can be repaired by sanding, but it is sensitive to humidity: each square expands and contracts, and the joints can open. Serious makers use very dry woods and leave the board room to move within its frame.
A marquetry board brings together sheets of veneer cut into squares, glued onto a stable panel (plywood, lumber core or MDF). It is the most common solution for quality boards: it guarantees flatness and allows stringing, borders and decorative frames. A counter-veneer (veneer glued to the back) balances the panel and stops it from bowing.
A printed or screen-printed board has wood only in its base: the squares are painted or printed. It is light and inexpensive, but wears faster and lacks the depth of real wood.
| Type | Stability | Weight | Repair | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid | Sensitive to humidity | High | Sanding possible | Thick boards, tables |
| Marquetry (veneer) | Very good | Medium | Delicate (thin veneer) | Club and prestige boards |
| Printed | Good | Low | Impossible | Beginners, travel |
What the FIDE standards require of a board
Since 1 March 2026, the FIDE standards for equipment without electronic components specify that the board must be of natural wood, for example birch, maple or European ash paired with walnut, teak or beech. It must be rigid, perfectly flat, at least briefly water-resistant, show enough contrast (including for colour-blind players) and have a matt, non-reflective finish. The squares measure between 5 and 6 cm square, and four pawns must be able to stand on a single square. The question of dimensions is covered in more detail on our page on chess piece sizes.
The frame, the border and the finish
The frame protects the edges of the veneer and gives the board its character: a simple walnut moulding, a boxwood stringing, a moulded border. Coordinates (a to h, 1 to 8) engraved or inlaid on the border are handy for study. As for the finish, playing boards favour a satin or matt varnish, an oil or a wax: a board that is too glossy reflects the light and tires the eyes. To compare boards, the Palais des Échecs collection of solid wood and marquetry chessboards illustrates these differences in frame and finish well. And to look after them, see caring for a wooden chess set.
Setting the board up correctly
A board, however handsome, is placed the right way round: each player must have a light square in the right-hand corner (the h1 square for White). The coordinates engraved on the border, letters from a to h and numbers from 1 to 8, help avoid mistakes. On a marquetry board, the stringing around the squares and the border must be perfectly square: a misalignment is seen at once when the pieces are in place.
Board, table and playing dimensions
The FIDE standards also specify the dimensions of competition tables: about 110 cm long and 85 cm wide (within 15%), at a height of 74 cm (within 10%). At home, a games table or a coffee table will do, provided there is room around the board for a clock and the captured pieces. Chess tables with an integrated marquetry board follow the same construction principles as boards: veneer on a stable base, solid wood frame, matt finish.
Frequently asked questions
What is a chessboard?
It is the square board of 64 alternately light and dark squares on which chess is played. Loosely, the word is sometimes used for the whole set (board and pieces).
How many squares are there on a chessboard?
64 squares: 8 ranks of 8, of which 32 are light and 32 dark.
Which wood for a chessboard?
A pale wood (maple, birch, ash) paired with a darker one (walnut, rosewood, mahogany or sapele), preferably as marquetry veneer on a stable base. The FIDE standards cite birch, maple and ash paired with walnut, teak or beech.
Sources: FIDE, standards for equipment without electronic components (in force from 1 March 2026); CITES (Appendix II, Swietenia); The Wood Database.
Further reading
- Chess piece woodsThe species compared: colour, density, hardness and CITES.
- Rosewood or bois de roseTwo names often confused, and what CITES says.
- CareWax, humidity, felt and storage.