Species suggestions for chess set

[Jamo0001]

Hey everyone-

I'm tackling my first large, cohesive project (chess set) after fiddling around with paper weights, novelty wood coins, decorative walking sticks, etc for a year or two.

I've finished sketches for a really cool chess set (pieces from 2 to 5 inches tall), but I'm sort of at a dead-end when it comes to choosing particular species of wood. I'd like to get a nice contrast in color (i.e., pine vs cedar or something), but I'm much more concerned about finding a wood that won't crack after getting such detailed work done to it and that won't be super soft or incredibly dense; I need the wood to be heavy enough that the pieces won't always be falling over, but I also have never tried carving a very dense wood in this detailed of a manner. My past experience has basically been limited to what I've had on hand.

Any suggestions?

PS: I'll attach my sketches once I figure out how to do it!

[Mitchell]

Light colored woods: Holly, Basswood, Ash, Aspen, Pine. If the wood is too light, consider adding a little weight to the bottom (inside).

Darker woods: Walnut, Butternut, Mahogany, Cedar.

[Donsexton]

I have seen maple and black walnut used for the pieces and the board it looked great.

[brent]

You might could try making the base of each piece a dark and a lighter colored wood and then carve the upper parts out of holly, basswood, ash, etc.
Let the bases denote the grouping of light and dark for a difference.

[arbarnhart]

Originally Posted by Donsexton

I have seen maple and black walnut used for the pieces and the board it looked great.

+1
That would likely be my choice. At the risk of opening a cannaworms, I do have a caveat on those choices - I would cut (probably on the scroll saw) and/or turn the blanks fairly close to final form before starting to carve. You are looking at a lot of pieces of decent size in hard woods.