Sculpted Stripes Backgammon Set with Classic Outline

Sculpted Stripes Backgammon Set with Classic Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

No picture, no ring: the whole lid is carved into long flowing ridges and hollows, like grain blown into waves, edge to edge. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, classic outline. Handmade in beech, with 32 wooden checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded carrying case.

This is the board for the modern room — the one with the concrete floor and the single good chair. There is nothing on the lid to name: the beech is cut into broad, flowing ridges that swell and dip across the surface, catching light on the crests and holding shadow in the hollows, the grain brushed up so every ridge is striped. The same carving runs across the back cover, so closed it reads as one sculpted block, its edges left irregular where the ridges break off.

Open, it is the traditional game in full: pale and dark points with fleur-de-lys tips, a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring on each half, an ornate bronze hinge on the bar, a carved scalloped frame round the field. For the architect, the flat with no ornaments in it, and the player who wants a board that looks nothing like his father's.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained pale honey and varnished, the grain brushed up
• Carving: lid and back cover sculpted into flowing ridges and hollows running edge to edge, with irregular broken edges; no ring or motif; inside, wheel ornaments in scrolled rings, fleur-de-lys-tipped points and a scalloped carved frame
• Outline: Classic — a square board, its edges left irregular where the carved ridges break off
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

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

Why You'll Love It

• Sculpture, not decoration: the lid is one carved surface with no border, ring or motif — it is shaped rather than decorated.
• Both sides carved: the back cover has the same ridges, so it looks right from any angle and stands as an object when nobody is playing.
• 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

Is the lid really carved? Yes. The ridges and hollows are cut into solid beech across both covers; the light and dark come from the shape and the brushed grain, not from paint. Inside, the points, wheel ornaments and frame are carved into the playing side. Stain and varnish come last; 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.