Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th May 2019 saw the Lindores Abbey Chess Stars Tournament taking place. The event featured World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen and Indian Chess Grand Master Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand. Chinese Champion Ding Liren featured in the competition and the Russian Grand Master Sergey Karjakin also starred.

Drew McKenzie Smith, the founder and managing director of the distillery, commissioned me to design and make a series of four chess sets. They were to be based on Lindores Abbey Distillery.

Each piece represents something from the history of the abbey or from the modern distillery. The pawns are whisky barrels. The bishops are monks from the abbey. The knights take their shape from the Lindores stills. The rooks are based on the remains of columns found at the abbey. The queen represents Mary Queen of Scots and the king is based on James IV who gave the abbey a charter to make “aqua vitae” in 1494.

I made the pieces from laburnum and maple, and I made the board with walnut and maple squares. An oak border and mouldings finish the board. Jane at www.laserflair.co.uk laser etched the engraving on the oak.

Are you interested in a custom chess set like this? Do you have an idea for a theme of your own? I would be happy to discuss it.