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

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

A tiger halfway out of the wood. 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, fangs bared, the fur cut in short bristling strokes — and one forepaw reaches forward with the claws spread and breaks clean over the rim of the ring. 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 cut the board into a contour outline that swells at the shoulders and scrolls at the corners, so the edge of the board moves the way the animal does. The beech is stained a deep chestnut brown under clear varnish. 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 short-nardi player who hits every blot, the brother-in-law who talks through the whole game, and the shelf that wants a curved silhouette instead of a box.

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: 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

• Claws over the rim: the forepaw is carved right across the rope ring and stands proud of the lid — real depth cut by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, on the workshop's curved contour outline.
• 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.

A Board for Short Nardi

There are two games on every nardi board in the Caucasus. In long nardi you build and race and never touch the other man's checkers; in short nardi — the game the rest of the world calls backgammon — you hit. Every blot left open is an invitation, and the players who love the short game are the ones who accept every invitation. The Hrachya Ohanyan workshop carved this lid for them: not a lion sitting in state but a tiger halfway out of its frame, claws first. It is the only board in the range that tells you how its owner plays before the first roll.

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 promotion, a fortieth birthday, the brother who plays short nardi and hits everything that moves, or the friend who has been called Tiger since the army, a hand-carved backgammon set with a tiger breaking out of the lid is the backgammon gift set that picks a side. We send it at Christmas, on Father's Day and for new-year birthdays. It gets opened, played and passed on.