From lucite to glass to traditional mahogany and walnut, from malachite and lapis to capiz-shell designs, checkerboard and chess tables are everywhere. Everybody seems to know how to play checkers.

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Whether stamped on the vinyl floor of a 1950s diner, tessellating down a Victorian hallway, or stencilled atop ...