Make a checkers and chess 2 in 1 set to play at home! You can DIY this simple project in an afternoon and be playing a board game in no time. It’s a perfect craft idea that will keep your family playing all summer long.

Checkers and chess are very different games, but one thing they have in common? In this case, color! We made this colorful 2-in-1 checkers and chess set using just a few easy materials and tools.

What I Love about this Checkers and Chess Set

I love this project not just because it’s colorful, but because it’s also made to stand the test of time as your family uses and plays the board games. It’s a perfect DIY activity to make together, and then play during those long summer days.

I also appreciate that it makes such great use of one of my favorite crafting tools — the Cricut! And not just any Cricut, but the Cricut Joy, which is the newest machine of the bunch.

About The Cricut Machine

If you’re not familiar with Cricut machines, a great place to start is our Cricut series that shares all the details! It covers types of machines, cost, machine ability, project ideas, how to make money with a Cricut, and more. See those posts below:

This particular machine, the Cricut Joy, is a new favorite of mine for it’s small footprint and ease of use.

Whereas the larger machines need more room and more materials to function, the Joy needs less than a square foot of space, and uses minimal materials.

I love the Smart Materials, which you can cut in the machine without a cutting mat. It makes projects incredibly fast, so that you can create things on the fly. Once I decided on the design of the checkers and chess set, I was able to make it in about 30 minutes. Crazy fast!

How to Customize This Project

There are so many ways you could customize the checkers and chess set! Here are just a few ideas to get your wheels turning.

Change up the color palette, or customize it with somebody’s favorite colors for a gift
Use various different fonts for the chess pieces
Make it on a smaller scale to use as a travel set
Instead of wood blocks for pieces, use chipboard, plexi, or another fun material

What You’ll Need

Here are the materials you’ll need to create a checkers and chess 2-in-1 set for yourself! Be creative as you’re collecting materials. If you need to substitute, go for it!

Below you’ll find a list of the exact materials we used here.

Materials

Cricut Joy machine
Cricut Smart Vinyl in various colors
12″x12″ piece of chipboard
32 3/4″ wooden blocks

How to Make a 2-in-1 Checkers and Chess Board

Start by covering your chipboard front and back with white vinyl. This will be your game board.
Next, add a 1/4″ strip of smart vinyl around the edges of each side of the game board.
Open a new file in Cricut Design Space. Using the shape tool, add a square that’s 1.4375 inches (or as close as you can get it). Copy and paste the shape so that there are four squares total.
Click “Make It” and proceed through the prompts on Design Space to choose the Cricut Joy, and the appropriate materials. The software will prompt you to insert your materials into the machine. Click “Go” and it will cut!
Once cut, apply the four squares to your game board, starting with one in the corner abutting the 1/4″ strip of vinyl, and spacing them evenly across.
To create a rainbow board like we did, insert a new color of Smart Vinyl into the Cricut Joy and repeat the process. You should be able to cut the same design over and over without redesigning it. Repeat with various colors until you have 8 rows of four squares each, making sure that you alternate the square placement to create the checkerboard pattern.

How to Make 2-in-1 Checkers and Chess Pieces

Start by cutting squares of color to make the checkers pieces. You’ll need 12 squares of one color and 12 of a contrasting color. Because our wooden cubes are 3/4″, I cut squares that were just a hair smaller than 3/4″ to make sure they fit.
Cut the squares using the Cricut Joy and apply to the wood.
Flip the wood pieces over so that the color squares are facing downward. You’ll now make the chess pieces, so you’ll need to add 4 more to each color (each player has 16 pieces for chess).
In Cricut Design Space, choose a font and a crown icon. The font used here is Deming. Size your font so that it will fit on your wooden cube with plenty of space; do the same for the crown. For each color, you’ll need to type 8 P’s, 3 K’s, 2 R’s, 2 B’s, and 1 Q (8 pawns, two knights + 1 king, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, and 1 queen). You’ll also need two crowns. Type these out, ensure that they are the correct size, and cut using Cricut Joy.
Repeat with the other color of vinyl for the opposing player’s pieces.
Apply the cut letters to each of the wooden blocks. These should be on the opposite side of the wooden block to the squares of color for checkers. For the king and queen, apply a crown over each of the letters.

More Cricut Ideas

That’s it! The Cricut machine truly makes this project incredibly fast and simple, with a major payoff.

This is a game that we’ve already used so many times, and I’m thinking it’ll continue to get plenty of use! I love DIY projects that are as functional as they are beautiful.

For more inspiration, check out some of our other Cricut machine project ideas:

Have fun! xoxo

Make a Checkers and Chess 2-in-1 Set

Yield: Checkers and Chess Set

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Intermediate

Estimated Cost: $20

A fun and colorful 2-in-1 checkers and chess set that's as pretty as it is fun!

Materials

Cricut Smart Vinyl
12" x 12" chipboard
32 3/4" wood blocks

Tools

Cricut Joy

Instructions

Start by covering your chipboard front and back with white vinyl. This will be your game board.
Next, add a 1/4" strip of smart vinyl around the edges of each side of the game board.
Open a new file in Cricut Design Space. Using the shape tool, add a square that's 1.4375 inches (or as close as you can get it). Copy and paste the shape so that there are four squares total.
Click "Make It" and proceed through the prompts on Design Space to choose the Cricut Joy, and the appropriate materials. The software will prompt you to insert your materials into the machine. Click "Go" and it will cut!
Once cut, apply the four squares to your game board, starting with one in the corner abutting the 1/4" strip of vinyl, and spacing them evenly across.
To create a rainbow board like we did, insert a new color of Smart Vinyl into the Cricut Joy and repeat the process. You should be able to cut the same design over and over without redesigning it. Repeat with various colors until you have 8 rows of four squares each, making sure that you alternate the square placement to create the checkerboard pattern.
Start by cutting squares of color to make the checkers pieces. You'll need 12 squares of one color and 12 of a contrasting color. Because our wooden cubes are 3/4", I cut squares that were just a hair smaller than 3/4" to make sure they fit.
Cut the squares using the Cricut Joy and apply to the wood.
Flip the wood pieces over so that the color squares are facing downward. You'll now make the chess pieces, so you'll need to add 4 more to each color (each player has 16 pieces for chess).
In Cricut Design Space, choose a font and a crown icon. The font used here is Deming. Size your font so that it will fit on your wooden cube with plenty of space; do the same for the crown. For each color, you'll need to type 8 P's, 3 K's, 2 R's, 2 B's, and 1 Q (8 pawns, two knights + 1 king, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, and 1 queen). You'll also need two crowns. Type these out, ensure that they are the correct size, and cut using Cricut Joy.
Repeat with the other color of vinyl for the opposing player's pieces.
Apply the cut letters to each of the wooden blocks. These should be on the opposite side of the wooden block to the squares of color for checkers. For the king and queen, apply a crown over each of the letters.

Notes