Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Diving Eagle, Contour Outline

Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Diving Eagle, Contour Outline, by Hrachya Ohanyan

The same dive, a bolder frame. In the wide lobed cartouche on the cover, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved an eagle braking out of a stoop — wings thrown up and back, tail fanned, legs thrust forward with the talons open — every feather cut separately so the bird stands clear of a stippled ground. Around the cartouche runs a rope border and a field of fine carved lattice, 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, all stained a deep brown. A handmade wooden backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of beech at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm — the bird in motion, the board shaped to match.

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 lodge with the trophy wall, the pilot's study and the friend who keeps binoculars on the windowsill for the buzzards.

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 deep brown and varnished
• Motif: an eagle diving with wings swept back and talons open, carved in deep relief inside a lobed cartouche on a stippled ground; rope border, carved lattice field; 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: wings, tail and talons are carved by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop and stand well off the ground — run a finger along 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 border, the contour edges and the wheel ornaments inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed. The brown 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 Stoop

Falconers call it the stoop — the moment a bird of prey folds and falls, then throws its wings open at the last second to brake and strike. It is the fastest thing in the animal kingdom and the hardest pose to carve, because nothing in it is symmetrical: one wing higher than the other, the tail twisted, the feet ahead of the head. Master Ohanyan carves it anyway, feather by feather, and then cuts the board itself into a scalloped contour so the frame moves with the bird. On a nardi board it does what a stooping eagle should: it makes the other player hurry.

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 hunter, a pilot, a falconer, a promotion or the friend who has an eagle on every belt buckle, a hand-carved wooden backgammon set with a diving eagle on a contour-outline cover is the backgammon gift set that needs no card. We send it at Christmas and on Father's Day. It gets opened, played and passed on.