Large Basket Weave Chess and Backgammon Set with Carry Handles

Large Basket Weave Chess and Backgammon Set with Carry Handles — Handmade in Armenia

Strips carved to pass over and under each other cover the whole frame of this chess and backgammon set, right up to the carry handle cut through each end. 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″ open, handmade in Armenia from beech and stained dark, with 32 turned pieces, 32 checkers, dice and a bag.

This is the wooden chess set you can feel from across the table. The weave is cut deep, every band riding over and under the next with a stippled ground showing in the gaps, and it runs to a waved edge on all four sides. The squares are inlaid pale and dark with the coordinates on brass discs, and the 32 pieces are turned in two woods, one side warm brown, the other near-black.

Inside is the backgammon field: pale points, a carved flower wheel in each half, a checker trough down both sides and lifting slots where the handles come through the rails. Big enough for a proper game of either, shut to half its width when the evening is over.

Specifications

• Size: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Material: beech wood, dark-stained, with inlaid pale and brown squares
• Carving: basket weave in relief over the whole frame with a stippled ground, waved edge, brass coordinate discs; inlaid points and a flower wheel in each half inside
• Pieces: 32 turned wooden chess pieces, 16 warm brown 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 carved beech board — chess outside, backgammon inside
• 32 turned wooden chess pieces, 16 brown and 16 dark
• 32 wooden backgammon checkers and a pair of dice
• Carrying bag

Why You'll Love It

• Woven edge to edge: over-and-under strips in real relief across every part of the frame.
• Nardi under the lid: a full backgammon field with a trough for the checkers and a carved wheel in each half.
• Handles at both ends: cut through the frame — the board goes wherever the players are.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the weave carved? Carved. The weave is real over-and-under relief cut into the dark-stained beech, with a stippled ground in every gap; the two handles are cut through the frame itself; the squares outside and the points inside are inlaid. 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.