When chess enthusiasts browse e-commerce pages, few realize that the choice of chess piece materials is far more than just "good-looking". Kaile Recreation Products, which has been deeply involved in the chess equipment industry for two decades, recently disclosed its material research and development database for the first time, revealing the differentiated considerations in material selection for wooden chess pieces, plastic chess pieces and smart chess clocks. This in-depth analysis based on user feedback from 37 countries is reshaping the industry's perception of the value of chess equipment.
Ten years ago, we thought that solid wood was synonymous with high-end. Zhang Lei, the Chief Product Officer of Kaile, stroked the set of walnut wood chess pieces in the exhibition hall. "It wasn't until a customer from Northern Europe complained that there were 0.3-millimeter shrinkage cracks on the pieces in a warehouse at minus 20 degrees Celsius." This lesson prompted the R&D team to establish an extreme environment laboratory. Now, each wooden chess piece has to undergo a cycle test ranging from -30℃ to 50℃. Canadian maple wood stands out due to its stable fiber structure and has become the first choice for the high-end series.
On the plastic chess equipment production line, engineers are adjusting the injection molding parameters of the new type of copolyester. Parents are always worried that plastic chess pieces are toxic. In fact, the danger often comes from recycled materials. Quality Director Wang Fang picked up two chess pieces and struck them. "Listen to this crisp sound. Our raw materials have passed the EU EN71-3 certification. Even the printing of the chessboard has been changed to soy ink." This obsession with safety has enabled Kaile plastic chess to gain a market share of over 65% in the campus market. A key middle school has even included "Kaile certification "in its procurement standards.
The material selection story of the smart chess clock is more tech-savvy. When the German client put forward the strict requirement of "to be used in desert events", the R&D team turned their attention to the aerospace field. The carbon fiber reinforced composite material ultimately adopted not only reduces the weight of the chess clock by 40%, but also maintains the timing accuracy error of less than 0.02 seconds at a high temperature of 55℃. Last year at the final of the Dubai Masters, our chess clock withstood the test of continuous operation for 48 hours. After the game, the players collectively signed on the timer as a memento. International Business Manager Li Yang was showing off that precious signed photo.
Chess sets are the medium that connects strategy and art. At the new product launch event, Chen Ming, the general manager of Kaile, demonstrated the latest smart chess clock. "When your fingertips touch the warmth of walnut wood, hear the crisp sound of plastic chess pieces hitting the board, or see the smooth countdown animation on the clock screen, the sensory experiences brought by these materials are redefining the charm of modern chess sports." This pursuit of material aesthetics has made Kaile the first Chinese brand to win both the Red Dot Design Award and the FIDE certification simultaneously.
The data from actual usage scenarios confirm the wisdom of material selection. In a certain resort hotel in Hainan, the five-year return rate of solid wood chess sets is only 1.2%, while a competing plastic chess set deforms within three months in a humid environment. More interestingly, the chess equipment specially designed for kindergartens with antibacterial materials has reduced the cross-infection rate of influenza by 37%. These cases have been compiled into the "White Paper on Chess Furniture Materials", which has become an important reference for industry procurement.
We are developing a chessboard that can "breathe". The head of the R&D center disclosed that the new generation of products will be embedded with phase change materials to automatically adjust the surface temperature of the chessboard. "Imagine in a hot summer, when the pieces land on the board, they no longer get too hot. This kind of detailed experience is the true product upgrade." This ultimate pursuit of user experience enables Kaile to invest 8% of its annual revenue in material innovation, far exceeding the industry average.
In the exhibition hall of Yiwu International Trade City, Carlos, a distributor from Brazil, repeatedly played with the newly arrived bamboo travel chess pieces: "After being used in the Amazon rainforest for two weeks, the chess pieces haven't got moldy at all." This feedback greatly encouraged the team. Currently, Kaile's material laboratory is collaborating with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop self-healing coatings. In the future, minor scratches on the surface of chess pieces may heal automatically. This technology is expected to be applied to high-end product lines in 2025.
The war on the chessboard requires reliable "weapons". Chen Ming pointed at the material comparison picture in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci's manuscripts on the wall and said, "From tropical rainforests to deserts and Gobi, from children's classrooms to world championship arenas, we hope that every set of Kaile chess equipment can become the most reliable partner for players." This belief is translating into tangible market returns. The company's revenue exceeded 230 million yuan last year, with exports accounting for 61%.
When asked about his future vision, Chen Ming took out a yellowed old photo from the drawer: "This is the first set of chess my grandfather made in 1953, using the leftover scraps from shipbuilding." He gently wiped the photo. "Now we use aerospace materials to make chess clocks, but the core has never changed - using the best materials to carry humanity's eternal love for intelligent games."
