wood for chess board

Hi All,
I'm having a go at building a chess board as my first project for my wife.
Would like to make the dark squares from Walnut and the light ones from Maple. I am also open to suggestions for different dark/light combinations that might be cheaper or easier to obtain.
Ok so here are the sizes I am after-

5 pieces @ 500mm long x 50mm wide x 50mm deep. (Dark)
5 pieces @ 500mm long x 50mm wide x 50mm deep. (light)

Regards,
Olas.

Source: http://www.woodworkforums.com/f14/wood-chess-board-147696/

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