Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Coat of Arms of Russia, Contour Outline

Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Coat of Arms of Russia, Contour Outline, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Three crowns, two heads, one board. In the round rope-ringed frame on the cover, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved the coat of arms of the Russian Federation in deep relief — the double-headed eagle with both wings raised, the three crowns above it joined by a ribbon, the sceptre in one talon and the orb in the other, and on its breast the shield with St George on horseback spearing the dragon. Every feather is cut separately and stands clear of a stippled ground. Around the frame runs a field of carved lattice between lobed panels inside a beaded border, and the whole board is cut in a contour outline: scalloped sides that curve in and out, a cusped top edge, stepped rims under your hand. A handmade wooden backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of beech at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm, stained a deep honey brown.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens on a carved wheel ornament in a scrolled ring at the heart of each half, pale points tipped with fleur-de-lys flourishes and an ornate bronze hinge on the centre bar. Thirty-two checkers in light and dark wood, a dice set and the branded carrying case come with it. This is the handmade backgammon board for the dacha veranda, the office with the flag in the corner and the grandfather who calls it nardy, plays for matchsticks and never loses.

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 honey brown and varnished
• Motif: the coat of arms of the Russian Federation — the double-headed eagle with three crowns, sceptre, orb and the St George shield — carved in deep relief inside a round rope-ringed frame on a stippled ground; carved lattice field, lobed panels, beaded border; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: contour — scalloped sides and a cusped top edge, with carved stepped rims
• 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, with velvet bases
• Dice set
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• Eagle in real relief: the double-headed eagle, the crowns, the sceptre and the orb are carved by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop and stand well off the ground — run a finger over a wing and you feel every feather, and no two boards come out the same.
• Contour outline: the board is not a box — its scalloped, cusped silhouette is cut into the wood itself, so closed on a shelf it reads as a carving before it reads as a game.
• 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. The eagle, the lattice, the rope and beaded borders, the contour edges and the wheel ornaments inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed. The honey 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.

The Double-Headed Eagle

The two-headed eagle came to Moscow with Ivan III's marriage to Sophia Palaiologina, niece of the last Byzantine emperor, in 1472, and it has looked east and west at once ever since. The three crowns are the old tsardoms of Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberia — or, in the modern reading, the three branches of the state; the sceptre and the orb are power and law; the rider on the breast is St George, patron of Moscow, spearing the dragon. Restored as the arms of the Russian Federation in 1993, the eagle has been carved on nardy boards for as long as there have been nardy boards to carve. On this one it looks both ways across the table — at both players.

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 jubilee, a promotion, a business partner in Moscow, a veteran's Victory Day or the friend who plays nardy at the dacha every August, a hand-carved wooden backgammon set with the double-headed eagle on the cover is the backgammon gift set that needs no card. We send it at New Year and for 23 February. It gets opened, played and passed on.