Engaing and interesting arrangement. Focus is pretty good--I imagine you want all to be in focus, though the closest pawns are not. I love the direction lighting and the mysterious mood you've created.
interesting angle. I like the arrangement, and the colors of the pieces, but I wish the board was more interesting. The squares could use more contrast than this board provides.
Very nice composition. I like the symmetry... it is nicely offset by the patterns on the surface of the board. I think this photo could benefit from extra depth of field. The foremost pieces in the scene are soft because of this. I can't really see any improvement in the image by shooting it this way. = 7