Luxury Acanthus Travel Chess and Backgammon Set with Bronze Pieces

Luxury Acanthus Travel Chess and Backgammon Set with Bronze Pieces — Handmade in Armenia

Deep acanthus scrolls fill the frame of this luxury travel chess and backgammon set round a carry handle at each end, and 32 openwork bronze pieces on turned bases stand on its field, with a backgammon field inside. 40 × 40 cm / 15.7″ × 15.7″ open, handmade in Armenia, with checkers, dice and a bag.

This is the wooden chess set with the most carving per centimetre on the shelf and a metal army to match. The acanthus stands off a stippled ground in the round, fronds overlapping along every side and rolling round the handles, out to a waved edge; the field is plain inlaid squares with brass discs for the coordinates. The pieces are cast bronze pierced right through, each on a turned base, pale for one army and dark for the other.

Open it and the backgammon field is inside: pale points on a dark ground, a four-lobed knot in pale wood at the centre of each half, the handles showing as lifting slots in the end rails. The bronze army ships in a satin-lined wooden box; the board closes on bronze hinges and clasps.

Specifications

• Size: 40 × 40 cm / 15.7″ × 15.7″
• Material: beech wood, dark-stained, with inlaid pale and brown squares and brass coordinate discs
• Carving: deep acanthus scrolls in relief over the whole frame on a stippled ground, waved edge, cut-out handle at each end; inlaid points and a four-lobed knot disc in each half inside
• Pieces: 32 openwork cast bronze chess pieces on turned wooden bases, 16 pale and 16 dark; 30 wooden backgammon checkers; pair of dice
• Folded: 20 × 40 cm / 7.9″ × 15.7″
• Carry handle: cut through each end, with lifting slots in the end rails inside
• Hardware: bronze hinges and clasps
• Craftsmanship: handmade in Armenia

What's Included

• Folding carved beech board — chess outside, backgammon inside
• 32 openwork cast bronze chess pieces on turned bases, 16 pale and 16 dark, in a satin-lined wooden box
• 30 wooden backgammon checkers and a pair of dice
• Carrying bag

Why You'll Love It

• Pierced bronze on carved wood: castings you can see through, on a frame carved in the round.
• Chess out, nardi in: a plain inlaid field on top, a backgammon field with a knot disc in each half underneath.
• Boxed army, handled board: the bronze ships in a satin-lined box; the board lifts by a handle at either end.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the carving real? The pieces are cast bronze, pierced in openwork and noticeably heavier than wood, each on a turned wooden base. The acanthus is carved into the dark-stained beech in deep relief with the ground stippled by hand, the handles are cut through the frame, and the squares, points and knot discs inside are inlaid wood. Nothing is printed.

What about shipping and returns? Shipping is free worldwide and tracked. Every set is covered by our 30-day returns policy.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Wipe with a dry, soft cloth and store it closed.

Also known as nardi (нарды), nardy, tavla or shesh besh.