Snowflake Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline, Medium

Snowflake Backgammon Set with Ararat Outline, Medium by Hrachya Ohanyan

Pale on dark: an eight-fold snowflake in unstained wood on a near-black ground, under the twin peaks of Ararat carved along the top edge. This is the 50 cm / 19.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, in the medium size. Handmade in beech, with 32 wooden checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded carrying case.

This is the board for the flat where a full-size set would take over the table. The snowflake reads like a drawing in light wood: a flower of eight petals at the heart, arms of scrolls spreading from it, each arm ending in a leaf, the whole thing flat and pale on a ground taken down and stained dark. The peaks above carry their carved snow; the rest of the lid is diamond lattice with cusped panels and a rope border.

Open, it plays properly: the points are pale and dark with fleur-de-lys tips, a wheel ornament turns in a scrolled ring on each half, and the bar carries an ornate bronze hinge. Two eternity whirls sit on the back. For the couple in a small flat, the office shelf, and the Armenian family that wants the mountain but not the footprint.

Specifications

• Size open: 50 × 50 cm / 19.6″ × 19.6″
• Size folded: 50 × 25 cm / 19.6″ × 9.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained dark chestnut and varnished, the snowflake left pale
• Carving: eight-fold snowflake — an eight-petal flower with arms of curled scrolls — in low relief, pale against the dark ground, in a rope-and-bead ring; the two peaks of Ararat along the top edge; diamond lattice with cusped panels; eternity whirls on the back
• Outline: Ararat — the top edge rises into the twin peaks of Mount Ararat
• 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

• The middle size: bigger than the travel board, smaller than the sideboard piece — the one that fits a kitchen table with room left for the tea.
• Snow on the peaks, snow on the lid: the mountain is carved with pale streaks and the ornament is left pale too — one idea, top to bottom.
• 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 pattern stands a little proud of a ground that has been cut back and stained dark; the peaks along the top edge, the lattice and the rope ring are all carved into the same beech. Nothing is printed on.

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.