The apple is carved from cake and covered with buttercream, then fondant. The tulip is from a blend of fondant & gumpaste, as are the chess men. 12" and 7" layers are iced in buttercream, with fondant accents. The board is covered in 2" squares of fondant. Having never seen the book, I had to do some research before coming up with this design for a birthday request. Challenging, but I enjoyed the results.