Luxury Chess and Backgammon Set with Carved Figural Pieces

Luxury Chess and Backgammon Set with Carved Figural Pieces — Handmade in Armenia

Every one of the 32 chess pieces on this luxury chess and backgammon set is carved as a figure — bearded kings, helmeted pawns, horse-head knights — on a plain dark board with a stippled frame and a carry handle at 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 where the army is the carving. Each piece is cut from wood, not turned: the kings and queens have faces and crowns, the bishops and pawns wear helmets over carved features, the knights are full horse heads, and the rooks are towers with cut battlements — one side pale, the other dark. The board under them stays quiet: inlaid squares, carved coordinates, a frame textured with a fine stipple, and a waved edge.

Open it and the backgammon field is inside, with pale points, a carved knot wheel in each half, a trough for the wooden checkers along each side and lifting slots where the handles come through. A big board for both games, and it still shuts to half its width.

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, carved coordinates; inlaid points and a carved knot wheel in each half inside
• Pieces: 32 figural carved wooden chess pieces with faces, crowns and helmets, 16 pale and 16 dark; 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 figural carved wooden chess pieces, 16 pale and 16 dark
• 32 wooden backgammon checkers and a pair of dice
• Carrying bag

Why You'll Love It

• An army with faces: kings, bishops, pawns and knights carved as figures in wood, not turned on a lathe.
• A board that stays out of the way: plain inlaid squares and a stippled frame, so the figures do the talking.
• Two games, two handles: chess on top, nardi inside, a grip through each end.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Are the pieces carved or moulded? Carved. Each figure is cut from wood — the faces, crowns, helmets and horse heads are all in the wood itself — with one army left pale and the other stained dark. The board is dark-stained beech with inlaid squares and points and a hand-stippled frame. Nothing is moulded or 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.