I had fun taking the pictures, thank you for the idea
Discussion
I really like the concrete effect, with some little dents here and there.
Maybe you could try to paint the dark squares with a slightly darker color: it should creates a interesting difference with the border, and increase the contrast with the gold squares.
I am going to make another set after the holidays. I want to try acid staining to theme them with the board and to offset the border. I also need to pour the board & black pieces together next time, to endure they're the same color from the start.