We know you can play chess on your phone any time you want, but it’s not quite the same as a big tactile set is it. Eco lodge guests at Wheatland Farm can play chess on our outdoor chess table. It comes without screen time limits and is so much more fun.
In the summer you might find the outdoor chess table out in the lodge field, near the picnic table and campfire site. (The pieces should be in a box in the Pizza Shed)
Pssst! Have you tried the ‘Ooh look at that butterfly over there’ sneaky move when you’re in a tight spot?? But no, you wouldn’t. And anyway, being beaten at chess is a rite of passage.
In the shoulder seasons of autumn and spring we’ll usually have the chess set under cover, but still accessible in the Pizza Shed itself. So don’t let a little Devon rain put you off!
Please take care of the chess pieces and return them in the box – don’t let the dog chew them, and definitely don’t hurl them into the long grass when your opponent takes your queen… It’s easy enough to make more draughts, but the chess set is harder to replace. And they don’t do the Wheatland Farm mower any good at the end of the season either.
Setting up the chess pieces
You know how it goes, presumably? The back row goes castle, knight / horse, bishop, King, Queen, bishop, knight / horse, castle. Arrange it so the black king is on a black square, and the white king on a white square. The front row is all pawns. Off you go…and if you can’t remember all the moves, there are plenty of chess tutorials online.
Sustainability credentials?
The white tiles were left over from when we refurbished one of hte lodge bathrooms. The black squares are cut from broken roofing tiles, and the table itself is made from reclaimed wood. The chess set came from a charity shop.