A new Board arrival from MTM wood.

Here's my latest acquisition from the MTM wood company, a one level chaotic patterned chessboard made with various dark and light hardwoods for the playing field, a cherry trim with engraved alphanumeric characters and a padauk border. Squares are 2.28" (58mm). Exceptional craftsmanship. Shown with a antiqued Soviet Latvian set from CB and a Dubrovnik set from HOS. 

Congrats Jorge, its an interesting and gorgeous board with a lot going on.  Maybe too much for my tastes.

Congratulations on your acquisition of an exquisite and unique chess board.  I have seen the work of MTM Wood on the internet and he appears to be a superb craftsman.  It's a work of art, which you can be proud to own.

If I may ask, how much did the chessboard set you back?  I assume it wasn't cheap, especially since it was also shipped from Russia?

Thanks Mike and Chuck it will serve my purpose quite well. I have 2 others from MTM that aren't so intricate in design but play absolutely fine with raised playing fields. I want to obtain a Druke board and a Tower Series board from Colorado woodworker Brad, perhaps another from MTM with purpleheart and movingui wood squares as shown. They are next in line on my list of additions to the collection.

You will have a great collection of boards, that's for sure! Brad made a nice board for me and he's super to work with. MTM seems to do exceptionally fine work.

The following thread discusses Drueke, JLP and Colorado Woodworker boards...

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/drueke-vs-jlp-woodworking-solid-wood-chessboards?page=1

Thanks RussBell I have read this post in it's entirety when it was first entered in this section. Quite informative and helpful.

What a gorgeous board!  I love the engraved notation.  I'm going to have start saving my pennies for this work of art.

I wonder if Brad can engrave the notation on the Drueke board.

You could contact Brad through his webpage and ask him.  However I would recommend against any permanent modifications to any of the more desirable, high quality, solid wood chess boards such as Drueke, JLP, Colorado Woodworker, MTM, etc., etc.  Boards of this quality, if maintained in very good or better condition will likely appreciate in value over time.  I would venture that modifying these boards would only have a negative affect on their market value.  My two cents!

Thanks cghori for your comments, I believe MTM wood used a CNC for both the engraving of the cherry trim and the profile style of the padauk border. Much more precision, he used a router previously for the profile design but with the use of the CNC machine, profile styles are endless and much more cost efficient in the long run. As far as original design I can agree with RussBell you wouldn't want to mark up a Druke board or even one from the Colorado woodworker but if this is your intent do what you desire. My board was a custom job taken from the MTM website. Same specs just on a smaller scale so in a way it's an original design from MTM wood company. The only alteration I requested was to make it smaller and personalize it on the bottom with my name and the craftsman name and his company. I'm not planning to sell this ever. It will be handed down to my family when I leave this big blue marble.

I prefer one color per square

Me too, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating the beauty and craftsmanship of this design. Must be pretty cool to sit down at a board that's so unique yet still very playable.

RussBell: Why would engraved notation degrade the value of the board?

If that helps you that is your prerogative. I like the uniqueness of my board. I have boards that are of solid two color squares. This design may not be for some but fits my desire to have a beautifully designed and unique board. It's the only one of it's kind in my collection. There have been some really bad looking boards out there with multiple designs etched within the squares that don't do a thing for me and some that have independently carved out squares with distinctive deep gaps and separation between them which I really don't care for or desire as well. This board for the most part is one level and plays well and that's all that is really important to me. 

I guess only in the sense of selling it to a potential buyer who wants an "original' version of a Druke board but now that I look at the Druke outer walnut border I could envision engraved alphanumeric characters, it would give it a cool different look. I don''t think the Druke company would do that but perhaps Brad from Colorado woodworks would in his replica design of the Druke board. Send him a message and see if he can make it for you. I hear he's a very kind gentleman to speak with about board ideas.

Not really to my taste (too busy), but looks great.  Not sure if I'd want to play on it, but of course I want it anyway...

congrats on the board from MTM, fo a long time I Wanted to order a board from him. Truly he is one great craftsman. 

I must agree with the OP.  I really like the wood pattern(s) of that board, especially with a set on it.

I have boards that are very grained and have a lot of natural variation in each square.  This one shows that variation in straight lined blocks.  The effect is very nice.