Luxury Chess and Backgammon Set with Metal Pieces and Carry Handles

Luxury Chess and Backgammon Set with Metal Pieces and Carry Handles — Handmade in Armenia

Thirty-two openwork metal pieces — one army silver, one gold — stand on this luxury chess and backgammon set, a dark-stained board with a stippled frame, brass coordinate discs and a carry handle cut through each end. 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″ open, handmade in Armenia from beech, with checkers, dice and a bag.

This is the wooden chess set that lets the metal do the talking. The frame is textured all over with a fine stipple rather than carved in pattern, the outline waves in scallops, and the squares are inlaid pale and dark with the coordinates in brass discs. The pieces are cast and pierced right through in scrolls — brick-tower rooks, horse-head knights, crowned kings — with real heft in every one.

Open it on the hinges and the backgammon field is inside: pale points, a carved flower wheel in each half, a trough down each side for the wooden checkers, and lifting slots in the rails where the handles come through. Chess with a metal army on top, nardi underneath.

Specifications

• Size: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Material: beech wood, dark-stained, with inlaid pale and brown squares
• Detailing: stippled frame, waved edge, brass coordinate discs; inlaid points and a carved flower wheel in each half inside
• Pieces: 32 openwork cast metal chess pieces, 16 in a silver finish and 16 in gold; 32 wooden backgammon checkers; pair of dice
• Folded: 30 × 60 cm / 11.8″ × 23.6″
• Carry handle: cut through each end, with lifting slots in the side rails inside
• Hardware: bronze hinges and clasps
• Craftsmanship: handmade in Armenia

What's Included

• Folding beech board — chess outside, backgammon inside
• 32 openwork cast metal chess pieces, 16 silver and 16 gold
• 32 wooden backgammon checkers and a pair of dice
• Carrying bag

Why You'll Love It

• Metal on wood: pierced cast pieces, silver against gold, on a plain dark field that shows them off.
• Two games, full size: chess on the lid, nardi inside with a flower wheel in each half.
• Handles at both ends: cut through the frame, so a big board still goes where the game is.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Are the pieces solid metal? Yes. Each piece is a cast metal shell pierced through with scrolls — one army in a silver finish, the other in gold — and they sit on the board with real heft. The board itself is dark-stained beech: inlaid squares outside, inlaid points inside, a hand-stippled frame.

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.