Punched-Frame Travel Chess and Backgammon Set with Carry Handles

Punched-Frame Travel Chess and Backgammon Set with Carry Handles — Handmade in Armenia

Thousands of tiny punched stars cover the frame of this travel chess and backgammon set — a 30 × 30 cm / 11.8″ × 11.8″ board with a waved edge, a carry handle cut through each end, brass coordinate discs round the inlaid squares and a line-work backgammon field inside. Handmade in Armenia, with pieces, checkers, dice and a bag.

There is no carving to catch on this wooden chess set, only texture: the whole frame is punched by hand with a small star stamp until it reads as a matt, even ground against the polished squares, the edge waves in and out, and the grip of each handle is shaped for the fingers. The pieces are turned in pale and dark-stained wood, the kings tipped with a finial, scaled to the small field.

The second game waits under the lid: turn the board over and open it to line-work points with arrow tips, a sun wheel drawn in each half and a starred scalloped rail behind the troughs, where the pale and dark checkers stack with the dice. Shut, the two handles meet at the top and the whole thing lifts in one hand.

Specifications

• Size: 30 × 30 cm / 11.8″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood in a warm brown finish, with inlaid pale and brown squares and brass coordinate discs
• Detailing: frame punched all over in a star pattern, waved edge, cut-out handle at each end, brass coordinate discs; line-work points and a sun wheel in each half inside
• Pieces: 32 turned wooden chess pieces, pale and dark-stained; 32 wooden backgammon checkers, pale and dark; pair of dice
• Folded: 15 × 30 cm / 5.9″ × 11.8″
• Carry handle: cut through each end with a shaped grip
• Hardware: brass hinges and clasps
• Craftsmanship: handmade in Armenia

What's Included

• Folding board — chess outside, backgammon inside
• 32 turned wooden chess pieces, 16 pale and 16 dark
• 32 wooden backgammon checkers and a pair of dice
• Carrying bag

Why You'll Love It

• Texture, not ornament: a star-punched frame that reads plain from across the room and detailed up close.
• Two handles, two games: chess on the lid, nardi with checkers and dice inside, a grip at each end.
• Brass discs: the coordinates sit on brass, so they never wear away.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the carving real? The star texture is punched into the frame by hand, one stamp at a time; the waved edge is shaped by hand, the handles are cut through the wood, the squares are inlaid, the coordinates are brass discs, and the points and sun wheels inside are cut in line work. 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.