I know it's weird to have a black background in a backlight challenge.
Use a black bed cover and a table lamp behind a glass chess set.
Be careful not to illuminate too much of the bed cover,
position the lamp outside of the frame (obviously...)
If you look closely at the shadows,
you can see some poinnting towards the camera.

Original Date/Time: 2006:10:29 19:33:59
Exposure time: 1/4
F-stop: 5.6
ISO speed: 200
Focal length: 0.0000
Focal length (35mm): 0
Flash: Not fired
Exposure mode: Auto
White balance: Auto
Orientation: Top-left
Exposure bias: 0.0000
Metering mode: Center Weighted
Exposure program: Aperture priority
Digitized date/time: 2006:10:29 19:33:59
Modified date/time: 2006:10:29 19:33:59
Scene type: Photograph
Custom rendered: Normal
Scene capture type: Standard
Contrast: Normal
Saturation: Normal
Sharpness: Normal
Subject distance range: Distant
Camera make: PENTAX Corporation
Camera model: PENTAX *ist DS
X resolution: 72.0000
Y resolution: 72.0000
Resolution unit: Inches
Camera Version: *ist DS Ver 2.00
Colorspace: sRGB