A steel-and-wood chess set crafted at summer camp by a Scout working on his Metalwork merit badge is now in the World Chess Hall of Fame.
The one-of-a-kind creation is the work of Boy Scout Chandler Francis, who crafted the piece this summer at Lake of the Ozarks Scout Reservation in Gravois Mills, Mo., part of the BSA’s Great Rivers Council.
“We congratulate Chandler on being featured at the World Chess Hall of Fame,” says Doug Callahan, Scout Executive of the Great Rivers Council. Callahan says the camp and council are “proud to have helped him in this endeavor, and we hope his creativity inspires other Scouts.”
To earn the Metalwork merit badge — No. 40 on the list of last year’s most popular merit badges — Scouts learn how to safely work with metal. They choose from one of four tracks: sheet metal mechanic/tinsmith, silversmith, founder or blacksmith.
Chandler selected the blacksmithing option and worked with camp counselor Justin Tattich on his project. The requirements state that Scouts must forge two objects — one with a decorative twist and one with a hammer-riveted joint.
That means Chandler could’ve stopped after making, say, one queen and one rook. But he kept going, creating all 32 pieces using a variety of forging techniques.
But Chandler wasn’t done. He paired the pieces with a wooden board he created with a laser engraving machine.
The result is a blend of old-world techniques and new technology that’s worthy of Hall of Fame status.
