This pattern knits up quickly. I finished it in 3 evenings while watching TV. The pattern assumes knowledge of stranded colorwork.

The body is make with acrylic yarn, and the edging is done in cotton, though any fiber would work for the edging. If you want to substitute yarn for the body, make sure it’s still acrylic, since you have to kill the yarn to get it to lay flat, and acrylic seems to hold up to the abuse better than animal fibers.
I used scraps for the edging, and about half a skein each of the black and the white. I’m currently re-knitting this to put one up in my etsy shop. The “I Love This Yarn” is the perfect amount for 2 boards.

I had so much fun making this board. I think I’m going to crochet some checkers so I can play that, too. Mr. Turtle can be a rather tricky adversary.

This is available as a Ravelry Download, and is also available on my Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/49989826/chess-board-pdf-pattern