Armenian Chess & Backgammon Set - Coat of Arms of Armenia 15.7" | 40 cm

Armenian Chess & Backgammon Set - Coat of Arms of Armenia

Armenia's coat of arms is carved into the border of this board — the shield with Mount Ararat at its heart, the eagle and the lion holding it up. Around it runs a hand-cut scroll of pale wood against dark, edge to edge, and the board finishes in a scalloped wave instead of a straight line. It is the kind of wooden chess set people pick up and turn over in their hands before they ever play on it.

Two games live in one board. Chess is played on the outside, on a field lettered and numbered along the border. Release the brass clasps and it opens to a full backgammon field, with a carved ornament set into each half. At 40 x 40 cm / 15.7 x 15.7" this is a travel chess set you can genuinely carry, and it folds shut into its own case. Made by hand in the workshop of National Master Hrachya Ohanyan.

What's Included

• Folding chess board with backgammon field inside
• Full set of hand-turned chess pieces, light and dark
• Backgammon checkers, light and dark
• Dice set
• Carrying case with handle

Specifications

• Board size: 40 x 40 cm / 15.7 x 15.7"
• Material: beech wood
• Motif: Coat of Arms of Armenia
• Handmade in Armenia

Why You'll Love It

• The national coat of arms carved by hand, so no two boards come out the same
• Two games in one board — chess outside, backgammon within
• Brass hinges and clasps; it folds closed and travels in its own case
• Small enough to take with you, finished well enough to leave out on the table

The Story on the Shield

The coat of arms of Armenia holds a whole history on a single shield: Mount Ararat with Noah's ark at the centre, and around it the emblems of the four royal houses — Artaxiad, Arsacid, Bagratuni and Rubenid — with the eagle and the lion standing guard. On paper it is a state symbol. Carved into wood and set into a board you actually play on, it becomes something you touch every time you move a piece.

About the Master - Hrachya Ohanyan

In 1985, National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine wood craft, bringing a new hand to age-old Armenian woodworking. The workshop that carries his name was established in 2010, and every chess model still passes through fourteen separate stages before it leaves the bench. See more of his work in the Hrachya Ohanyan chess sets collection.

A Gift That Lasts

A handmade Armenian chess set is a gift that never expires — a wedding, an anniversary, a graduation, or a Christmas morning by the tree. Solid wood, a master's hand, and the coat of arms of a nation: it will be played, displayed and passed on.