Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - St. Basil's Cathedral and Soviet Arms, Two-Sided

Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - St. Basil's Cathedral and Soviet Arms, Two-Sided, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Moscow on one side, the Union on the other. Inside an oval rope frame on the front cover, St. Basil's Cathedral rises in deep relief — the onion domes, each with its own pattern, the tented central tower, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky at the foot of the steps — cut so deep that the domes throw shadows across the stippled ground. Turn the board over and the coat of arms of the USSR fills the same oval: hammer and sickle over the globe, the rising sun, the sheaves of wheat bound with the ribbons of the republics, the star above and СССР on the scroll below. Master Hrachya Ohanyan set both inside cusped contour panels of carved lattice and rope, and stained the beech a warm chestnut. A wooden backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of wood at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens on an eternity whirl in pale wood at the heart of each half, pale and dark points tipped with fleur-de-lys and an ornate hinge on the centre bar. The checkers are the surprise: every one of the thirty-two carries a classic Soviet saloon on its face — a 1950s Volga on the light pieces, a Lada on the dark — so the game is played with a fleet. A dice set and the branded carrying case come with it. This is the two-sided backgammon set for the flat that keeps a Volga in the garage, the Moscow-born grandfather, and anyone who grew up with a red star on the school wall.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, carved from one piece, stained warm chestnut brown and varnished
• Motif: two-sided — St. Basil's Cathedral with the Minin and Pozharsky monument on the front cover, the coat of arms of the USSR on the back, both hand-carved in deep relief inside oval rope frames on a stippled ground; cusped contour panels of carved lattice and rope; eternity whirls in pale wood inside; checkers each carved with a classic Soviet car
• Outline: contour, with scrolled cusps and carved moulded edges
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and clasps
• Entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Backgammon board with bronze hinges and clasps
• 32 checkers made from beech and walnut wood, each carved with a classic Soviet car, with velvet bases
• Dice set
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• Two monuments in deep relief: St. Basil's domes on one cover and the Soviet arms on the other stand up out of the beech — carved by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, and there is no plain side to this board.
• A fleet of checkers: every piece carries a classic Soviet saloon on its face — a Volga on the light, a Lada on the dark — the detail nobody expects until the box opens.
• Ready for the table: full-size 23.6″ / 60 cm board, checkers in light and dark wood, dice and a carrying case — open it and play.

Good to Know Before You Buy

How big is it? Open, the board is 23.6″ / 60 cm square — the standard full size for a living-room table. Closed, it is 23.6″ × 11.8″ / 60 × 30 cm and stands on its own edge.

Is the carving real? Yes — all of it. The cathedral, the monument, the coat of arms with its wheat and ribbons, the rope frames and the lattice panels are cut into the beech by hand in deep relief. The eternity whirls inside are pale wood worked into the dark ground, and the cars on the checkers are cut into each piece. Nothing is printed. The chestnut colour is a stain in the wood under the varnish.

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.

Can I add a name or a date? Yes — choose the engraving option on this page and tell us the text. A name or a date turns it into a personalized backgammon set, and it is the detail people remember years later.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sun and away from radiators, wipe with a dry soft cloth, and store it closed in the case.

Red Square, Both Ways

St. Basil's has stood at the bottom of Red Square since 1561, built by Ivan the Terrible to mark the taking of Kazan; it survived Napoleon, who ordered it blown up, and the planners of the 1930s, who wanted it moved. The Soviet arms are the other half of the century that followed — a hammer and sickle over the whole globe, the same motto on the ribbons in the languages of the republics. Put them on opposite covers of a nardi board, the game every Soviet courtyard played from Yerevan to Vladivostok, add a Volga and a Lada on the checkers, and you have the world a whole generation grew up in — carved in beech in Armenia, which was part of it too.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

In 1985, National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine wood craft, introducing a new approach to the age-old traditions of woodworking. After many years of dedication, the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop was established in 2010. Every board passes through 14 stages of production, with 14 separate craftsmen leaving their mark before it reaches its finished form — a piece of wood artistry admired both in Armenia and around the world. Read the story of master Hrachya Ohanyan or explore the full Hrachya Ohanyan backgammon collection.

A Gift That Lasts Generations

For a father born in the USSR, a Russian-speaking grandfather, the friend who restores a Volga at weekends or the office that plays nardi at lunch, a two-sided backgammon set with St. Basil's on one cover and the Soviet arms on the other is the backgammon gift set that starts every story at once. We send it at Christmas, for New Year's Eve and on 23 February. It gets opened, played and passed on.