How to Make a Checkerboard Game Board

Use the ruler and pencil to create an 18-by-18-inch rectangle on cardboard or a piece of wood.

Cut the piece of cardboard. To cut a piece of plywood into an 18-by-18 rectangle, use a table saw or have a trained professional at a hardware store cut it for you.

Use the ruler and pencil to draw a 1-inch border around the rectangle. This creates more of a finished look and allows some space between the squares and edges of the board to help keep your pieces from falling off. Then use the ruler and pencil to create 64 squares. Each square should be 2 inches by 2 inches. Place them in eight rows and eight columns.

Paint the square in the bottom-right corner red. Use a different brush and paint the square above and the square to the left black. Continue to alternate painting the squares red and black. In the end, the top-left square and bottom-right square should be red. The bottom-left and top-right squares should be black. The same colors should touch only diagonally -- never horizontally.

Place the board in a cool, dry location. Let the paint dry overnight.

Cut 1-inch diameter pieces out of cardboard. The cardboard should be thick enough so players can pick up the pieces from the sides. For example, 1/2 inch would be plenty thick, even for small children. A standard game consists of 12 pieces for each player, so cut at least 24 pieces. You probably want at least four extra pieces for each player, in case any get lost. Paint half of the pieces red and the other half black.

Or, cut wooden pieces from a circular piece of wood at least 24 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Cut 24 pieces using a table saw or have a trained professional cut them for you at a hardware store. Paint half the pieces black and the other half red.