The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
As-Suli was a Persian chess master from the 10th century, considered by historians one of the greatest players who ever lived. The name carries weight, legendary, undefeated, ahead of his time. Annick Ménardo built this fragrance around that idea: a scent that commands the board before the opponent realizes the game has already been won. The diamond isn't a metaphor for brilliance in the cliché sense. It's the certainty of someone who calculated the ending twelve moves ago. This is what that kind of confidence smells like, not loud, not performative. Just inevitable.
What makes the pyramid unusual is the middle ground between green and resinous. Fig leaf usually signals something aquatic or fresh, but here it arrives alongside mandarin and bergamot in a way that feels more textured than clean. The broom note is rare in perfumery, a powdery, honey-like absolute that bridges the bright opening and the smoky base. Ylang-ylang does ylang-ylang things, but the tonka bean underneath keeps it from floating away into floral abstraction. The real structure lives in the base: opoponax (sweet myrrh) and incense together create something almost waxy, like the air in a room where candles have been burning for hours.
The evolution
It opens green and bright. Fig leaf first, not the watery kind, the actual vegetable kind, slightly bitter, grounded. Mandarin and bergamot arrive together, citrus that cools rather than sweetens. Twenty minutes in, the florals assert themselves: ylang-ylang going tropical, broom adding a faint powdery warmth that rounds the edges. The incense doesn't wait. It starts as a whisper in the first five minutes and grows into the dominant voice by hour two. By hour three, the dry woods arrive, amberwood giving structure, myrrh adding a leathery darkness that refuses to let go. At hour six, on fabric especially, it's still there: a smoky, resinous warmth that doesn't evolve much but doesn't fade either.
Cultural impact
Mind Games occupies a specific space in the niche market, neither heritage house nor flash-in-the-pan trend. The brand's chess concept gives it an intellectual identity that resonates with wearers who see fragrance as part of a larger self-image. As-Suli's Diamond, named after the legendary Persian chess master, appeals to that same sense of historical weight and strategic confidence. The fragrance has found its audience among those who want resinous depth without entering territory that's too dark or challenging.
