Kamagong Chess Set

While in the Mountain Province, on the Philippine island of Luzon, I came across a chess set made of kamagong (or Philippine ebony). The chess set was hand-made by Emiliano Blass in the remote village of Batad which, at the time of my visit, had no roads or electricity. Emiliano builds about three such chess sets a year; we were told that one such set was awarded to the world champion from Israel.

The chess set was one of the most unusual crafts we had yet discovered and we decided to purchase it. After many hours of negotiation between Mary (Emiliano's wife and school teacher in Batad) and our friend Udsie, a price was agreed upon (10,500 pesos, or about $240.00 US). We carefully packed the chess set in newspaper, stuffed it into a rice sack, and I carried it out on my back over the pass to Banaue, the nearest village.
I admired the chess set not only because of the incredible craftsmanship and beautiful wood, but also because the pieces told an ancient story of warfare between the two tribes of the area: the Bontoc and the Ifugao.

Both the white and black are carved from kamagong. The heartwood is naturally solid black, and has been selected to avoid any lighter streaks. The sapwood is lighter in color and shows the grain well.

The chess board is made from kamagong and nara wood. The board also serves as a box for storage of the pieces.

The Ifugao are represented in white:

Pawn

Pawn

Queen

Queen

King

Knight

Knight

King

Bishop

Bishop

Rook

  
The name "Ifugao" comes from a bird common to the region. The rook is a native hut with the ladder going up the side and a chicken on top. The knight is the local deer. The pawns are holding chickens. Each bishop is holding a chicken because they sacrifice the chicken before going to war, and the bile helps them determine whether or not to go to war. The king has a head about to be sliced off. The queen has a tarp on her back used for harvesting sweet potato (kamote); she is using it as a headdress against rain.
The Bontoc are represented in black:

Bishop

Bishop

King

King

Knight

Knight

Pawn

Pawn

Queen

Queen

Rook

  
The Bontoc king is holding a head about to be sliced off, as are all the pawns. The rook shows a typical native hut, but in this case, the ladder goes up the inside and through the floor as was characteristic of this tribe. It also has an owl on top which is more common in the Bontoc region. The bishop is holding a bowl specifically designed for holding rice wine for the celebration after the head hunting. Heads must be obtained as proof of the killing, and a three day celebration follows with dancing about the heads that are hung up. The knight is a carabao (a wild water buffalo), and the queen has a baby on her back.