Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Tiger's Claw, Classic Outline

Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Tiger's Claw, Classic Outline, by Hrachya Ohanyan

The paw comes over the frame. At the centre of this 23.6″ / 60 cm lid a tiger is carved in deep relief inside a round rope-and-bead frame — ears flat, lips drawn back from the fangs, the striped fur cut in short bristling strokes — and one forepaw reaches forward with the claws out and breaks clean over the edge of the ring, as if the frame could not hold it. Master Hrachya Ohanyan set the roundel between cusped panels of fine stippled texture and fields of carved diamond lattice, ran rope-and-bead borders round the whole cover, and kept the outline classic and square with a moulded edge. The beech is stained a deep chestnut brown under clear varnish, so the tiger's raised fur catches the light against the dark ground. A wooden backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of wood at the full living-room size.

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 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 player who attacks from the first roll, the friend born in a Year of the Tiger, and the room that needs one object with teeth.

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 chestnut brown and varnished
• Motif: a snarling tiger hand-carved in deep relief inside a round rope-and-bead frame, one clawed forepaw breaking over the frame; cusped stippled panels and carved diamond-lattice fields with rope-and-bead borders; two eternity whirls in deep relief on the back cover; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: classic, square, with 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 tiger that leaves its frame: the paw and claws are carved right over the rope ring, standing proud of the lid — a piece of theatre cut by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, not a flat picture.
• Carved on both covers: the tiger 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 tiger, the paw over the frame, the rope ring, the stippled panels, the lattice fields and the eternity whirls on the back 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 Paw over the Frame

There have been no tigers in the Caucasus since the Caspian tiger vanished from the reed beds south of the mountains in the last century, but the carvers never let it go — the tiger is the beast you put on a board when a lion is not fierce enough. The trick on this lid is an old one: Armenian illuminators let their beasts climb out of the margins of the Gospels, and the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop lets its tiger climb out of the frame — the paw carved over the rope ring so the animal seems halfway onto the table. The rest of the cover keeps still, lattice and stippling and rope, so that one movement is the only thing you see.

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 thirtieth birthday, a friend born in a Year of the Tiger, the coach who taught you to attack or the player who never leaves a blot uncovered, a hand-carved backgammon set with a tiger breaking out of the lid is the backgammon gift set that arrives already winning. We send it at Christmas, on Father's Day and for new-year birthdays. It gets opened, played and passed on.