It looks like you have a good start here, but what is jumping out at me is that there are no shadows, and the lighting is a bit bland. I really notice the polygons in the close-up image, so perhaps a meshsmooth on your chess pieces would be appropriate. There also appear to be striations on the corners of the board itself. Since you're using max 5, try hitting it with radiosity and soft shadows, or whatever strikes you as ideal. Maybe some raytraced reflections? If you have the hardware to throw at it, why not? A little more interesting background would be great, but not so much that it detracts from the focus of the image. As it is the chessboard could be floating in the sea of greyness that surrounds it. I like the faux-marble plasticy texture of the pieces. Good work, almost there.