Representational
Initial glance, it is quickly identified as the familiar, checkered board game and from its non-uniform pieces, that it is indeed the game of chess. The checkered pattern distinguishes each positional squares that may house one piece at a time. Each game piece is different in shape---cubes, spheres and combinations of simple shapes---to make one recognizable from the other. The board is simplified to its functionality, stripped down of its traditional decorative form. Its mere checkerboard pattern and well-known pieces denotes a game of strategy, even a hobby for most. Its minimal elements opens a wider gate for users to interpret its abstraction and symbolic elements.
Abstraction
If not for the checkered pattern of the board, the abstraction of its game pieces makes it difficult to recognize the game it represents. The small and plain cube pieces can be identified as the pawns, the weakest and common pieces of the game. Unlike traditional chess boards, this particular design utilizes each pieces' movements and replaces their original form to mimic their movement (ie. the bishop's cross form imitates its diagonal movement). The simplicity and abstraction that this version represents emphasizes utility and functionality of the game board. More importantly, its abstracted elements embodies the symbolic principles of the Bauhaus movement.
Symbolic
There is an irony with what this board stands for. It strips the game pieces from their usual symbolic representation. But at the same time, this abstraction signifies a different focus, one concerned with the intentions of Bauhaus aesthetic. By removing the pieces' traditional identities, they now represent utilitarianism and a redirected focus for the user's gameplay. Rather, the representation of this design and the lack of symbolic attachment to its pieces through use of abstraction, becomes a symbol in it of itself.
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