Chess
Table
The table’s appearance is determined by the three
types of wood used in its construction. The main structure
and surface is of Santos rosewood, a timber found in Central
Brazil and Bolivia. The amount of timber felled and exported
is severely limited and as a result it is rarely used
in Europe.
The same applies to the African ebony used for the
architrave and for the chess board itself. Deep black
ebony is found primarily in Nigeria and Zaire. The rarity
of the tree and the narrowness of its trunk severely
limit its supply and export controls apply. As a result
this wood is also rarely used.
The lighter elements of the chess board are made of
Canadian maple. This type of maple is harder and more
hard-wearing than the European sycamore and unlike sycamore
belongs to the family of moderately hard timbers. Due
to its apparently undulating growth the wood’s
surface has a curly-like character and this type of
maple is sometimes referred to as the “curly maple”.
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