detailed design

Hand-carved of acacia wood for a smooth ride, this maze game from India is presented by Arti Sharma, who works with local artisans to improve their exposure. Featuring a round shape, the maze is detailed with circular designs that lead toward the center. Three steel marbles roll within the grooves.

Challenge your mind and enjoy a classic game with this beautiful chess set box designed by India's Rakesh Pathak. Hand carved from durable soapstone and wood, the set features finely detailed pieces you can store inside the box when you're finished playing. The inside of the box is lined in purple velvet where the chess pieces rest. The inside upper panel is lined in white satin for an elegant look.

Garuda, Indonesia's national symbol, represents invincibility and is believed to take the souls of the dead to the gods. It inspires Wayan Suteja to design a spectacular kite with special details on its head and wings to generate improved drag and stability. Suteja crafts the subtly three-dimensional kite with bamboo and nylon to create a magnificent golden eagle.

The kite is designed to fly with appropriate length of rope (not included).

Handmade of acacia wood, a geometric chess board provides the perfect place for a battle of minds. This chess set is designed by Indian artisan Ashish Mehta. He details the board with haldu wood inlay for a two-tone appearance. Magnets under the board help keep your pieces in place during play. A velvet lining inside the drawer protects the chess pieces.

Jayaprana and Layonsari are forever reunited in this hand-carved backgammon set by Ketut Sandi. According to legend, the king was mad with desire for Layonsari, and so had her husband, Jayaprana, killed. Rather than submit to the monarch, Layonsari killed herself, and joined her beloved husband in heaven. The artisan's expertise is evident in the detailed and expressive images of the eternal lovers. He uses manual tools to carve the portraits from native cempaka wood. The checkers and dice are all carved by hand as well; the lighter pieces are carved from the external part of the wood.

This handsome version of the traditional oware game by artisan Kofi "Tall" Agudoawu features a table board in iroko wood (oak) painted in terracotta and dark brown colors, finished with wax. The intriguing decorative motif is an asenn dua (cross) and the beads are made of recycled non-toxic light-weight plastic.

Oware is a game of skill and strategy designed for two players, challenging mental agility and alertness. The objective can be briefly described as "counting and capturing beads" and there are no chance factors in it. The player's strategy entirely depends upon the ability for reasoning and counting.

The set includes a detailed playing manual. It should be cleaned with a soft and dry cloth.

Inspired by one of the greatest civilizations in human history, Tulsi Dass' chess set pays homage to Rome in every detail, challenging you to a battle of intellect and cunning. Directly from India, the pieces are crafted from brass, with each team featuring a bright or dark metallic hue. The board is enhanced by brass-plated iron accents that complement the design with a sublime aura. In addition, a wooden box allows you to store this majestic piece of art in a safe place.

Nine adinkra symbols that convey West Africa's collective wisdom adorn the lid of this intriguing game of oware. It opens to reveal the playing field of twelve depressions. Oware is a game of skill and strategy designed for two players, challenging mental agility and alertness. The objective can be briefly described as "counting and capturing beads" and there are no chance factors involved. A player's strategy entirely depends upon reasoning and counting abilities. Because of this, aware has been used successfully throughout Africa for teaching children basic numbers and arithmetic.

Oware is one of the oldest games in the world. The earliest records describing the game were found in Arab religious texts dating to the Middle Ages, suggesting the game originated in the Middle East and spread from there to Africa, then to Asia with Arab traders, and to the Caribbean around 1640 via the African slave trade. Other experts place its origins in Central Africa; the Masai people state that oware was invented by Sindillo, the son of the first man, Maitoumbe, and was originally called geshe.

In Arab countries, the most common name for this game is mancala, an Arabic word meaning "to move." In some West African countries the depressions in the board are referred to as warri or wwari, which means "houses," thus the name owari. In Nigeria it is known as adi, which is also the name of the seeds used to play it; and in South Africa it is called ohoro. With different and exotic names such as congklak, dakon, aggalacang, and nogarata, it has also been played in Asia long before the Portuguese rounded the southern tip of Africa.

Today, oware represents the diversity of Africa, as some version of it is played in nearly every country on the continent. Legend relates that Shyaam aMbul aNgoong, founder of the Kuba kingdom of Central Africa, taught the game to his people to encourage foresight and calculation.

The set includes 42 beads and a detailed playing manual.