Braided Cross Backgammon Set with Contour Outline

Braided Cross Backgammon Set with Contour Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

Four plaited arms meet at a small star and make a cross, with leaf scrolls filling the spaces between. It sits on the cover of this 60 cm / 23.6″ wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, inside his scrolled contour outline. Handmade in beech, with 32 wooden checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded carrying case.

This is the board for someone who likes a pattern they can follow with a finger. Each arm of the cross is a true plait — three strands over and under, in relief, so the braid throws its own small shadows — and the scrolls between them curl back on themselves like fern tips. Around it all runs a rope-and-bead ring on a fine punched ground, and the rim swells and curls in the contour shape.

Inside, the game is the standard full size: pale and dark points tipped with fleur-de-lys, a wheel ornament in a scrolled ring on each half, an ornate bronze hinge on the bar. The back carries two eternity whirls in the lattice. For the player who wants ornament without a picture — and a board that is not a rectangle.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained chestnut and varnished
• Carving: braided cross — four plaited arms from a central star with leaf scrolls between, in relief inside a rope-and-bead ring on a punched ground; carved lattice with cusped panels; eternity whirls on the back
• Outline: Contour — scrolled edges with swelling shoulders and curled corners
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Hand-carved backgammon board
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• A real plait: the braid arms are carved over and under, not scored on the surface — look along them and the strands actually cross.
• Ornament, not a picture: no animal, no mountain — just braid and leaf, which suits a room that already has enough going on.
• Make it theirs: add a name or a date at checkout to mark a birthday, a retirement or years of games together.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the carving real? Yes. The plaits, the scrolls and the little star at the centre are carved into the beech in relief; the punched ground, the lattice and the rope ring are worked into the same surface, and the contour edge is shaped from the board itself. Stain and varnish come last; nothing is printed or applied.

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 policy.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Wipe with a dry, soft cloth and store it closed in its carrying case.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine woodcraft in 1985 and founded his workshop in Yerevan in 2010. This board belongs to his collection of wooden backgammon sets, each one made by hand by the craftspeople of that workshop. Read Hrachya Ohanyan's story or explore the full backgammon collection.

Also known as nardi (нарды), nardy, tavla or shesh besh.