November 2026 Featured Chess Set

A Set for All Seasons: Artist Bethany Adams’s Spring vs. Autumn Chess Set

During November 2026, the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries (WCHOF) is highlighting a new, handmade addition to the museum’s collection: a polymer clay chess set made by Bethany Adams. Part of the WCHOF’s Featured Chess Set project, it is on view outside the museum’s third-floor gallery next to a display of the plaques for the World Chess Hall of Fame and U.S. Chess Hall of Fame 2026 inductees.

The WCHOF’s Featured Set program features beautiful, offbeat, and unique chess sets from the museum’s collection. It also offers visitors from the Saint Louis area the opportunity to display special sets from their own collections for a month, highlighting collectors and the stories of how chess has played a role in their lives.

Featured Chess

News

Published on: November 11, 2026

Explore the November 2026 Featured Chess Set at the WCHOF—a handmade polymer clay set by artist Bethany Adams capturing the transformation between spring blooms and autumn leaves.

Bethany Adams's polymer clay chess set with green and pink spring trees opposite brown and orange autumn pieces on a checkered board. — Bethany Adams, **Spring vs. Autumn Chess Set**, 2025, Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries, Photo by Austin Fuller

Spring vs. Autumn Chess Set

Inspired by fall walks, Bethany Adams’s Spring vs. Autumn Chess Set captures seasons of change. On the spring side, trees and other plants burst with pink and red blooms, while the other side features autumnal shades of brown and orange and trees with bare branches. Adams states that she loves spring and fall, as the world is full of motion. The transformations occurring in nature in these seasons make them a fitting theme for a chess set, pieces for a game where a pawn can become a queen.

Adams has sculpted for many years, but this is her first chess set. After selling some clay dolls, she wanted to make something with a purpose. Adams is also interested in the long history of the game and the symbolism of its pieces. She and her husband have also taken up playing chess, noting the benefits the game offers its players. Adams is also excited to be featured at the WCHOF, writing, “It’s really very thrilling for me to be featured, and your museum seems to be a lovely hub for the chess community.”

Close-up of green, pink, red and brown tree-shaped chess pieces and small green pawns from Bethany Adams's Spring vs. Autumn Chess Set. — Bethany Adams, **Spring vs. Autumn Chess Set**, 2025, Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries, Photo by Austin Fuller

About the Artist: Bethany Adams

Artist Bethany Adams began sculpting at the age of ten, when a family friend bought her some oven-bake clay. She writes, “She showed me how to make a rose by just twisting a circle for the middle, then sticking on one petal at a time. Handbuilding with clay has been my favorite pastime ever since.” Today, Adams enjoys designing poseable animal-themed dolls, finding joy in inventing backgrounds for the animals. She states that it is fun to decide that a “honey badger would probably have a tough-guy job like…a logger, then put him in overalls and a hard hat and build a little chainsaw.” Currently, Adams is working on another chess set featuring cute bugs battling spooky ones, noting that she has been sculpting a few minutes at a time or one-handed since the birth of her daughter. To see more of Adams’s work, visit her Etsy shop Dotables.

Chess in Clay: Connecting with the WCHOF Collections

Colorful and accessible, clay is a popular material for sets in the WCHOF collection. Check out a few of these sets from our past exhibition Paws and Pawns: Exploring Animal Chess Sets.

Six blue cat-shaped polymer clay chess pieces, including crowned royal figures, a bishop, a horse-headed knight and a cat in a trash can. — Unknown artist, **Dogs vs. Cats**, c. late 20th century-early 21st century, Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries, formerly collection of Israel and Remi Raphaelli, Garden State Chess, NJ USA, Photos by Austin Fuller

Six orange dog-shaped polymer clay chess pieces, including crowned royal figures, a bishop, a horse-headed knight and a dog on a crate. — Unknown artist, **Dogs vs. Cats**, c. late 20th century-early 21st century, Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries, formerly collection of Israel and Remi Raphaelli, Garden State Chess, NJ USA, Photos by Austin Fuller

This chess set gives the phrase “fighting like cats and dogs” a new meaning. While some artists depict warring armies on a chess board, the unknown creator of this set looked closer to home, dressing up house pets as royalty and bishops.

Black and white panda chess pieces holding and climbing bamboo, with crowned pandas behind a row of bamboo-shaped pawns. — Jordan, **Pandas’ World**, c. late 1990s or early 2000s, Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries, formerly collection of Israel and Remi Raphaelli, Garden State Chess, NJ USA, Photo by Austin Fuller

With their black and white coloring, which helps them camouflage themselves in the wild, giant pandas are the perfect animals for chess pieces. In this set, they clutch pieces of bamboo, climbing to different heights. Bamboo makes up 99% of a panda’s diet, and they can eat 26-84 pounds of bamboo in one day. Only a little over 1800 pandas remain in the wild in their home habitat in China.

Written by Emily Allred, curator, WCHOF

FAQs:

How can I participate in the Featured Chess Set Project?

Saint Louis area residents can email WCHOF curator Emily Allred at [email protected] or call 314.243.1543 if they are interested in participating in the Featured Chess Set project. Please include photos as well as a brief description of the set you would like to loan. Each set will be displayed on the third floor of the WCHOF and will be highlighted in the WCHOF’s monthly newsletter, website, and social media.

How can I see this month’s featured set?

Visit the WCHOF to see the sets in this rotating display yourself. From 3d-printed chess sets to one-of-a-kind artistic creations, the Featured Set Project shows how the ancient game has inspired artists and creators for centuries. Each set is only on view for a month at a time, so visit often to see a new set!

How can I donate chess sets to the WCHOF?

Our generous donors help us preserve chess history! From mass-produced sets with pop culture themes to rare and historical pieces and sets used by everyday players, the WCHOF seeks artifacts that show the game’s impact on history, art, and culture. For more information about donations, email [email protected].