If you’re using a standard material, you’ll never get perfect checkerboard, unless you don’t stretch the cylinders. Not handy 
If you don’t distort too much, you can do it with a standard mesh
It is possible to do world aligned that does move and rotate with the object. But, yes, there is no one-click solution. Subtracting the object location in the WA material fixes the moving with the object part, but getting it to rotate with it is more of a fiddle. There’s a video here ( yikes )
He does several on this subject, I’m afraid I can’t recall the one you need. It’s a PHD in world alignment.
Splines are also part of PGC now, maybe there’s something there, but I don’t’ know, that’s just an idea…