Mount Ararat Chess and Backgammon Set with Leaf Scroll Frame

Mount Ararat Chess and Backgammon Set with Leaf Scroll Frame — Handmade in Armenia

Leaf scrolls run down both sides of this chess and backgammon set on a stippled ground, and Mount Ararat sits in pale relief above a carry handle cut through each end. 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″ open, handmade in Armenia from beech and stained dark, with pieces, checkers, dice and a bag.

This is the wooden chess set you can pick up with one hand. The handles are cut clean through the frame at the top and bottom, the mountain rises just above each one with its snow in the pale wood, and the scrolls curl out from the corners in relief. The outline waves in soft scallops, the coordinates are carved beside the inlaid squares, and the 32 pieces are turned, one side pale, the other stained dark.

Inside, the backgammon field carries Ararat again — the twin peaks inlaid in pale wood in each half, with clouds cut in line above them — between pale points and a checker trough along each side. Nardi for the family, chess for the long evenings, one board for both.

Specifications

• Size: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Material: beech wood, dark-stained, with inlaid pale and brown squares
• Carving: Mount Ararat in pale relief above the handle at each end, leaf scrolls at the corners and sides on a stippled ground, waved edge, carved coordinates; inlaid points and Ararat in pale wood in each half inside
• Pieces: 32 turned wooden chess pieces in pale beech and dark walnut; 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 pale and 16 dark
• 32 wooden backgammon checkers and a pair of dice
• Carrying bag

Why You'll Love It

• Carry it like a case: a handle cut through each end, so a big board still goes to the next room or the next house.
• Ararat outside and in: in pale relief above each handle, and inlaid again in both halves of the backgammon field.
• Scrolls, not a plain rim: leaf scrolls carved on a stippled ground at every corner and down the sides.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the carving real? Yes. The scrolls, the mountain and the stippled ground are cut into the dark-stained beech in relief, the handles are cut through the frame itself, and the squares and the peaks inside are inlaid pale wood. Nothing is printed or glued on top.

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.