Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Lion's Roar, Contour Outline

Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Lion's Roar, Contour Outline, by Hrachya Ohanyan

Mid-roar, mane thrown back. Inside an oval frame of carved rope on the front cover, a lion's head fills the space in deep relief — jaws open, teeth bared, the mane cut in long wind-blown strokes that catch the light from every angle, every whisker and fold of the muzzle standing up out of a finely stippled ground. Master Hrachya Ohanyan set the oval between cusped panels of carved diamond lattice and stippled texture, ringed the whole lid with rope-and-bead borders, and cut the board itself into a contour outline that swells at the shoulders and scrolls at the corners. Stained a warm chestnut brown under clear varnish. 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 a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring at the heart of each half, points in pale and dark wood tipped with fleur-de-lys, a carved scalloped frame round the field and an ornate hinge on the centre bar. Turn it over and the back cover carries two eternity whirls in deep relief inside lattice panels. 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 man who plays to win, the Leo with a birthday coming, and the study that needs one thing on the shelf that is not a book.

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 chestnut brown and varnished
• Motif: a roaring lion's head hand-carved in deep relief inside an oval rope frame on a stippled ground; cusped panels of carved diamond lattice and stippled texture with rope-and-bead borders; two eternity whirls in deep relief on the back cover; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: contour, with scrolled corners 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, with velvet bases
• Dice set
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• A roar you can touch: the mane, the muzzle, the open jaws and every tooth are cut down into the beech by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop — real depth, real shadow, and no two lions with the same expression.
• Carved on both covers: the lion on the front, two eternity whirls in lattice on the back — there is no plain side to this board.
• 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 lion, the rope frame, the lattice panels, the stippled ground, the eternity whirls on the back and the scalloped frame inside are cut into the beech by hand in relief; the wheel ornaments and the points inside are worked into the wood. Nothing is printed or pressed. 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.

The Lion on the Board

Lions have guarded Armenian doorways for three thousand years — the stone lions of the Urartian kings at Erebuni, the lion on the coat of arms holding the shield opposite the eagle, the lion of the Bagratuni kings on the walls of Ani, the crowned lion of Cilicia. The nardi table has its own lion: the player who wins the last game of the evening and does not stop reminding everybody. The Hrachya Ohanyan workshop carves the roar to fit — full relief, mane flying, teeth out — so the board announces the winner before the dice do.

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 Leo's birthday, a promotion, a father who plays to win or the friend who runs the office nardi league, a hand-carved backgammon set with a roaring lion on the lid is the backgammon gift set that arrives with an attitude. We send it at Christmas, on Father's Day and for fiftieth birthdays. It gets opened, played and passed on.