Mind Games Perfumes: A Complete Guide to Every Fragrance (2026)
Mind Games is a New York luxury niche house founded in 2022 by Alex and Mariana Shalbaf, built entirely around chess — every fragrance is named for a move or concept and framed as an "aromatic movement." Alex runs The Fragrance Group, a major North American niche distributor, and Mariana (whose grandfather taught her chess) drives the design; the results sit in Neiman Marcus and Saks, in heavy glass flacons with metallic chess-piece caps, and have picked up Fragrance Foundation nominations plus a 2024 luxury-packaging award. We stock the full run of roughly 28 Mind Games extraits at Redolia ($395–$475), and this guide covers the standouts with their real notes and how the big lineup is organized.
Every note list below is from the published pyramid. With ~28 fragrances we detail the flagships and group the rest by family rather than invent pyramids for each.
The story of Mind Games
The concept is unusually coherent for a young brand. Alex Shalbaf brought two decades in the perfume trade (and a distributor's sense of what sells), Mariana brought the chess story and the art direction, and together they launched a first collection of ten "movements" in 2022. The pitch is "niche wearable" — unconventional pairings that still work as everyday fragrances, not difficult art projects.
What backs the marketing is real placement and recognition: stocked at Neiman Marcus, Saks and Bloomingdale's, Fragrance Foundation Award nominations, and a 2024 win for Best Luxury Packaging. The bottles are genuinely heavy, with caps that sit above the glass like chess pieces. What surprised us with the testers is how wearable the line is given the premium price and conceptual framing — these are rich extraits, but most are smooth and crowd-friendly rather than challenging.
Every Mind Games fragrance we carry, explained
Mind Games Kingside
Kingside ($475), a 2025 release, is the nutty gourmand and one of the most distinctive. Pistachio, cardamom and grapefruit up top; hazelnut, rum and peony in the heart; almond milk, Peru balsam and tonka at the base. It's a creamy pistachio-and-hazelnut gourmand with a boozy-spicy lift — dessert-adjacent but grounded by balsam and tonka. For cold weather and anyone chasing the nutty-gourmand trend done in extrait.
Mind Games Mentor
Mentor ($475), from 2024, is the dark amber gourmand — plum, caramel, coffee and oud. It reads as a rich, fruity-coffee gourmand with an oud backbone: sweeter and darker than Kingside, with real depth from the oud. For evening and cold weather, and for someone who wants gourmand with a woody-serious side rather than pure sweetness.
Mind Games Blockade
Blockade ($395), a 2022 original, is the leather-oud — warm notes rooted in leather, oud and amber. It's smooth and warm rather than smoky-harsh, a wearable take on leather-and-oud that leans confident and cold-weather. For anyone who wants the leather-oud idea in a polished, less animalic form.
Mind Games Checkmate
Checkmate ($395), by David Apel (2022), is the rosy chypre — champagne, red currant and davana up top; May rose, Bulgarian rose and magnolia in the heart; patchouli, tobacco and moss at the base. It's a fruity-boozy rose over a classic mossy-tobacco chypre base — elegant and a bit retro-glamorous. For someone who wants a rose that's grown-up and structured rather than sweet.
The rest of the range, by style
The line splits into a few camps. The amber & gourmand group (Kingside, Mentor, Opera Mate, Grand Master) is the sweet-and-warm side. The woody group — Blockade, As-Suli's Diamond (woody-aromatic), Counterplay (woody-fruity) — covers leather, oud and dry woods. The floral & chypre side includes Queenside and Checkmate (chypre-floral), Prodigy and Caissa (floral-woody), and Castling (green floral). We list these by their documented family; the top tier ($475) is the newest, richest releases, and the $395 tier the broader collection. Test by the family that matches what you already love.
Mind Games comparison table
| Fragrance | Family | Best for | Season | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingside | Nutty gourmand | Pistachio-hazelnut, cold weather | Autumn / winter | $475 |
| Mentor | Amber gourmand (coffee-oud) | Dark, rich, evening | Winter | $475 |
| Blockade | Leather-oud | Smooth wearable leather | Autumn / winter | $395 |
| Checkmate | Rosy chypre | Structured, retro-glam rose | Autumn | $395 |
| Floral / woody / gourmand line | Various | Range of tastes | Varies | $395–$475 |
Which Mind Games fragrance should you choose?
Start with Kingside if you want the nutty-gourmand standout, or Blockade for a smooth, wearable leather-oud. Go to Mentor for a darker coffee-oud gourmand, and Checkmate if you want a structured, grown-up rose chypre. Explore the wider floral and woody lines if those families are your lane. Given the $395–$475 pricing, these are considered purchases — test before you commit, and let the family, not the chess name, guide you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mind Games perfume worth it? At $395–$475 these are premium extraits with luxury packaging and department-store placement (Neiman Marcus, Saks). For the concentration, presentation and distinctive compositions, fans say yes — but it's high-end pricing, so test first.
Who owns Mind Games fragrances? The brand was founded in New York in 2022 by Alex and Mariana Shalbaf. Alex is also CEO of The Fragrance Group, a leading North American niche distributor, which helps explain the brand's fast retail placement.
What is the best Mind Games fragrance? Kingside (nutty gourmand) and Mentor (coffee-oud gourmand) are the acclaimed top-tier releases; Blockade (leather-oud) and Checkmate (rose chypre) are standout originals. Which is best depends on whether you want gourmand, woody or floral.
What does Mind Games Kingside smell like? A creamy nutty gourmand: pistachio, cardamom and grapefruit up top, hazelnut and rum in the heart, almond milk, Peru balsam and tonka at the base. Dessert-adjacent but grounded and boozy-spiced.
Do Mind Games perfumes last long? Yes — they're extraits de parfum, built for strong projection and long wear. The amber, gourmand and oud scents (Mentor, Blockade) are the biggest performers.
Are Mind Games fragrances unisex? Yes. The house lists its fragrances for women and men, and the gourmand, woody and even the rosy chypre styles wear as shared scents.
Why are Mind Games bottles so heavy? Presentation is central to the brand — the flacons are thick glass with metallic caps shaped to sit above the bottle like chess pieces, and the packaging won a 2024 luxury-design award. You're paying partly for that presentation.
Browse the full range on our Mind Games collection page, read our Redolia Journal guides to gourmand and oud scents, or come test them at our boutique at 92 West Main St, Somerville, NJ. Questions? Email info@redolia.com.