I don't get a clear message from this photo. Including all the men, some of them on their sides, gives the impression of a chaotic battle in progress. The paper board gives a feeling of superficiality. Yet the pieces are arranged nearly symmetrically, which suggests planning and deep purpose. The overall yellowish hue could represent optimism, cowardice, or several other things; or maybe the white balance was just set wrong.
Technically this is well done. The lighting is very dramatic, as pointed out by many previous comments. I find it interesting how the shadows of the light pieces seem lighter than the shadows of the dark pieces. The focus and exposure are fine. I think a little sharpening would improve the image overall, but again don't know the message so can't say for sure.
I love the composition and use of dramatic lighting. Perhaps it would have worked better if you were directly above it and there was a solid white surface underneath? Also I am a little bothered by the yellow light cast.
I think the black pieces need a little more lighting (the whole picture does, though the highlights on the white pieces are a little bright) to separate them from their shadows a bit more. Good setup, I like how the captured pieces are knocked down on the board.
I really like chess shots. Photographers sometimes have an urge to show everything with one shot. I suffer from this problem and have read that instead when shooting, you can focus in on the details. Here, instead of showing the top-down overall view, I would suggest setting up a few pieces and shooting in from the side looking up slightly. Go Macro! This would give a sense of strength to the subject (The chess men) and also give your photo a wow effect. You can play with the lighting to get the desired effect. Light it up from different angles as you prefer. Most of all, continue to shoot and experiment with the chess shot!
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