Recognizing a Quality Chess Table
Chess is a board game that is played between two players with a chess board. The chessboard is square-shaped and contains 64 squares arranged on an 8 by 8 grid. Each player during a chess match starts with sixteen different pieces. Each player has one king and queen, two rooks, knights, and bishops, and eight pawns. Every unique piece on a chess board has unique ways of traveling up and down the chessboard. Both player in a game of chess has the goal of using the pieces to checkmate the opponent’s king to win the game.
If you are planning to purchase a chess table, there are several things that you should consider, depending on how you plan on using it, how often, and who will be using it. Chess is a game that is taken very seriously by a lot of people and it is not uncommon for chess players to spend upwards of $5,000 or even $10,000 for a chess table in their home. The following is information on determining the quality of chess tables, because the price of a chess table is not always a determining factor of its quality.
Three Types of Lumber Used for Chess Tables:
Chess tables are usually made out of three types of lumber– Hardwood, softwood and composite. Hardwood chess tables are usually made out of thick and durable woods, such as cherry and oak. They are long lasting and resistant to most scratches and dents. Softwood usually consists of woods such as fir and pine, and are susceptible to scratches, dents, knots and splits. While the base and structure of the chess table should not be made out of softwood for quality purposes, softwood can make a visually appealing chess board surface. The final type of wood is composite, which is made by placing scrapes of either hardwood or softwood under a large amount of pressure. They are the least expensive but are not durable. They are, however, used to bring down the price of a chess table by using composite wood for less visible elements of the table, such as the inside of drawers.
How to Spot Quality Construction When Examining Chess Tables:
After determining which wood a chess table is made of, one should examine each individual table they are looking at for any imperfections and characteristics that would signify a chess table of lower quality than what the price states or of what the are looking for.
The first thing a buyer should do is examine the table for design flaws, such as gaps in the parts or uneven parts. In no way should a table move when pressure is applied to the top and there should be no squeaking sounds neither.
You should also ask how the lumber used to make the wood was dried. After wood is cut to be used for building furniture, it must be dried. Some companies air dry it, while others use a heating chamber, which is considerably more effective. When furniture is built with lumber that has been put through a heating chamber, it is more protected against humidity in your home.
