Luxury Braided Border Chess Set with Bronze Roman Pieces

Luxury Braided Border Chess Set with Bronze Roman Pieces — Handmade in Armenia

Thirty-two cast figures in a bronze finish — crowned kings and queens, helmeted officers, rearing horses, tower rooks and shield-bearing soldiers — stand on this luxury chess set, inside a wide four-strand braid carved round the frame. 50 × 50 cm / 19.6″ × 19.6″ open, handmade in Armenia from beech in a warm brown stain, with a bag.

This is the wooden chess set where the border and the army were made for each other. The braid is cut as four broad strands weaving over and under on a stippled ground, the edge is straight with a moulded lip, and the coordinates are carved beside the inlaid squares. The figures are the same gold-bronze tone on both sides; the turned wooden base under each one tells the armies apart — pale for one side, dark for the other.

Under the lid there is a second field: the inside is carved and inlaid for backgammon, with a lace-work disc at the centre of each half, though only the chess figures ship with it. The two halves close on bronze hinges and clasps, and the figures have room to stand apart on a board this size.

Specifications

• Size: 50 × 50 cm / 19.6″ × 19.6″
• Material: beech wood in a warm brown stain, with inlaid pale and brown squares
• Carving: four-strand braid in relief round the whole frame on a stippled ground, straight moulded edge, carved coordinates; inlaid points with fleur-de-lis tips and a lace-work disc in each half inside
• Pieces: 32 cast figural chess pieces in a bronze finish on turned wooden bases, 16 on pale bases and 16 on dark
• Folded: 25 × 50 cm / 9.8″ × 19.6″
• Hardware: bronze hinges and clasps
• Craftsmanship: handmade in Armenia

What's Included

• Folding carved beech chess board
• 32 cast figural chess pieces in a bronze finish, 16 on pale bases and 16 on dark
• Carrying bag

Why You'll Love It

• A Roman army: kings, queens, officers, rearing horses, towers and soldiers, cast in metal with real heft.
• Bases tell the sides: one army on pale turned wood, the other on dark, under figures of the same bronze tone.
• Braid round the field: four broad strands in real relief on a hand-stippled ground, all the way round.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the carving real? The figures are cast metal with a bronze finish, darkened in the folds and heavier in the hand than any wooden piece, each fixed to a turned wooden base. The board is beech: the braid carved in relief with the ground stippled by hand, the coordinates cut, the squares and the points inside inlaid. Nothing is printed.

Are backgammon checkers included? No. This set ships with the 32 chess figures; the inside is carved and inlaid as a backgammon field, so a set of checkers and dice of your own turns it into a two-game board.

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.