Luxury Burj Al Arab and Crypto Walnut Backgammon Set, Two-Sided

Luxury Burj Al Arab and Crypto Walnut Backgammon Set, Two-Sided by Hrachya Ohanyan

Dubai's sail on one cover — the Burj Al Arab carved in relief on smooth walnut — and on the other two coins, Bitcoin and Ethereum, ringed with binary code. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ luxury wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, classic outline, two-sided. Handmade in walnut with pale inlay, 32 checkers, dice, branded case.

This is the board for the Dubai apartment, the trader who plays after the markets close, and the player who wants the skyline and the blockchain on one box. The hotel is cut as it stands off Jumeirah: the great sail curved and ribbed, the mast at its crown, in relief on a smooth panel inside a cusped rope-and-bead frame. Turn it over and the Ethereum diamond and the Bitcoin sign sit on discs ringed with ones and zeros, with a dedication in Russian in raised letters between them.

Inside, the two coins come back as the ornaments on each half — line-work discs in place of the usual petal wheels — between points of pale inlaid wood tipped with fleurs-de-lys, with a brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark on the bar. For the crypto founder's fortieth, the Dubai office, and the player who wants the future of money on a very old game.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: walnut wood, natural colour, varnished; pale wood inlay in the points
• Carving: the Burj Al Arab — the sail-shaped tower with its ribbed face and mast — in relief on a smooth walnut panel inside a cusped rope-and-bead cartouche, diamond lattice and carved leaf corners (front cover); the Ethereum and Bitcoin emblems in line work on two round discs, each ringed with binary code, and a dedication in raised Russian letters on a cross-hatched ground (back cover); the same two emblems in line work on the halves inside, pale inlaid points with fleur-de-lys tips
• Outline: Classic — straight edges and square corners
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Hand-carved walnut backgammon board, carved on both covers
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• Dubai on the lid, blockchain on the back: the hotel is carved as architecture, in relief with a smooth sky behind it, and the coins are drawn in fine line with their binary rings — two ways of carving on one board.
• The coins inside too: open it and the Ethereum and Bitcoin discs take the place of the usual ornaments, so the theme carries right through to the dice.
• Make it theirs: add a name or a date at checkout to mark a birthday, a retirement or years of games together.

Good to Know Before You Buy

What do the Russian words on the back say? Вся жизнь игра — 'All of life is a game' — and beneath it 'to the best player of their own life': the dedication this board was carved with as a special order. Ask us at checkout for your own line in any language and we will confirm it with the maker before carving. The tower, the coins and the letters are all cut into the walnut, the pale points are a second wood let into the board, and the whole is varnished. Nothing is printed or applied.

What about shipping and returns? Shipping is free to the US, Canada and Europe, always tracked; other countries pay a flat $100 (Brazil, Chile and New Zealand $200). Every set is covered by our 30-day returns policy.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Wipe with a dry, soft cloth and store it closed in its carrying case.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine woodcraft in 1985 and founded his workshop in Yerevan in 2010. This board belongs to his collection of wooden backgammon sets, each one made by hand by the craftspeople of that workshop. Read Hrachya Ohanyan's story or explore the full backgammon collection.

Also known as nardi (нарды), nardy, tavla or shesh besh.