Mount Ararat Chess Set with Basket Weave Frame

Mount Ararat Chess Set with Basket Weave Frame — Handmade in Armenia

Basket weave, cut strip over strip, covers the whole frame of this chess set, and Mount Ararat is carved in a scrolled cartouche at each end with the snow left in pale wood. 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″ open, handmade in Armenia from beech and stained dark, with 32 turned wooden pieces and a carrying bag.

This is the wooden chess set for a full-size game. The weave stands well off the surface, every strip passing over and under the next on a stippled ground, and the outline waves in scallops down both sides. At the top and bottom a pair of scrolls opens round the twin peaks, with small clouds carved above them. The squares are inlaid pale and dark, the coordinates sit on brass discs, and the pieces are turned in two woods.

It folds shut on bronze clasps. Open it the other way and the inside is carved as a backgammon field — pale points with leaf finials, a carved flower wheel in each half, and a trough along each side with cups at the corners. The set ships with the 32 chess pieces only.

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, Mount Ararat with clouds in a scrolled cartouche at each end, scalloped edge, brass coordinate discs; backgammon field with leaf-tipped points and a flower wheel in each half inside
• Pieces: 32 turned wooden chess pieces in pale beech and dark walnut
• Folded: 30 × 60 cm / 11.8″ × 23.6″
• Hardware: bronze hinges and clasps
• Craftsmanship: handmade in Armenia

What's Included

• Folding carved beech chess board
• 32 turned wooden chess pieces, 16 pale and 16 dark
• Carrying bag

Why You'll Love It

• Woven in wood: the strips of the weave pass over and under each other in real relief, right out to the scalloped edge.
• Ararat facing each player: twin peaks in a scrolled cartouche at both ends, snow in the pale wood, clouds above.
• Full-size squares: a big field with brass coordinate discs, sized for the turned pieces and a long evening.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the basket weave carved? Yes. Each strip is cut to pass over and under its neighbours, so the frame stands in real relief and casts its own shadows, and the ground between the strips is stippled by hand. The two Ararats and their scrolls are carved from the same dark-stained beech, and the squares are inlaid wood. Nothing is printed.

Are backgammon checkers included? No — the set ships with the 32 chess pieces. The inside is carved as a full backgammon field, so a set of checkers and dice of your own turns it into a second game.

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.