Classic Wooden Backgammon Set in Honey Brown

Classic Wooden Backgammon Set in Honey Brown, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Warm, plain and made to be used. The cover of this classic backgammon set is one smooth piece of beech, stained the colour of honey and finished under a clear varnish so the long grain shows through — a moulded edge, two bronze clasps, and nothing else to catch the eye or the dust. Master Hrachya Ohanyan builds it exactly the way he builds his carved boards and simply leaves the lid alone. A handmade wooden backgammon set at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm, for the person who wants the board itself, not a picture on it.

Undo the clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm wooden backgammon board shows where the work went: a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring at the heart of each half, points alternating pale wood and dark, each one tipped with a fleur-de-lys, a carved scalloped frame round the field and an ornate 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 kitchen table, the summer house and the friend who plays nardi properly and does not need to be impressed.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, made from one piece, stained honey brown and varnished
• Design: plain smooth cover with a moulded edge; wheel ornaments in scrolled rings, pale-and-dark fleur-de-lys points and a carved scalloped frame inside
• Outline: classic, square
• 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

• Plain on purpose: a smooth honey-brown cover with a moulded edge and no carving at all — the wood, the grain and the varnish do the talking, and it goes with any table.
• Worked where you look: wheel ornaments in scrolled rings, fleur-de-lys points in pale and dark wood and a carved scalloped frame inside — the decoration is for the players, not the shelf.
• 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 cover really plain? Yes — on purpose. The outside is honey-stained beech under a clear varnish with a moulded edge and no carving or decoration. Inside, the wheel ornaments and the fleur-de-lys points are worked into the wood and the scalloped frame round the field is carved by hand.

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 Colour of the Sideboard

Every Armenian home has a piece of furniture this colour — the sideboard, the wardrobe, the kitchen table where the nardi board lives between games — honey-brown wood polished by decades of elbows. The Hrachya Ohanyan workshop stains its beech in a few shades, and this is the warmest of them: the colour of old furniture and late-afternoon light. It is the board that does not announce itself. It comes out after dinner, and by the time the coffee is cold it looks as if it has been in the family for years.

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 nardi player who wants a proper board and no fuss, a housewarming, a father who says he has everything, or the office that plays at lunch, a classic handmade backgammon set in honey brown is the backgammon gift set that goes with the furniture and gets used the same evening. We send it at Christmas and on Father's Day. It gets opened, played and passed on.