handamde ceramic chess set
handmade ceramic chess pieces
Unfinished ceramic figurines shaped like rabbits on a work surface, with tools and supplies for firing or glazing, including a sponge, a brush, and a plastic bag in the background.
Various gray clay sculptures resembling abstract figures or creatures arranged on a stone surface.

The pieces are first roughly shaped from equal lumps of clay. After drying overnight, each one is individually hand-carved to reveal its unique, final form.

The carving process takes up to 20 minutes for each piece. That is why there are no two identical pieces and no two identical Chess Sets.

The Chess Set was born as a gift for my father and brother who enjoy playing the game together.

The shape of the pieces came to me naturally, through playing and handling the clay, the organic, spiralling shape was born.

A person standing in a kitchen or workshop area, looking down at a countertop with small, colorful, cupcake-like objects arranged in rows. The person's torso and legs are visible, wearing a yellow sweater, dark jeans, and brown shoes.

After the hand carving, the pieces are left to dry over a period of days before they’re submitted to their first firing. After the first firing, they’re hand-dipped in glaze one by one and subsequently refired.

A square white tray with curved edges containing a grid of small square ceramic tiles in shades of blue and beige, placed on a wooden surface.
A ceramic or stone tray with a slightly raised edge, placed on a light-colored stone countertop.
A paper with a grid of painted red and pink squares resembling a chessboard, resting on a wooden surface.

After the drying is complete, the board is fired, then carefully hand glazed with a brush, then fired again.

The board is made from a slab of clay, rolled out by hand, of about 28cmx28cm.

During the drying process, slabs of clay are prone to bending and deforming.

The Chess board must dry for at least 3 weeks in between slabs of wood in order to retain a flat, smooth surface.