Armenian Interlace Backgammon Set for Three Players, 50 cm

Armenian Interlace Backgammon Set for Three Players, 50 cm by Hrachya Ohanyan

The big three-player board: an Armenian interlace rosette — pointed petals woven through one another, a whirl in each — carved in relief on a dark disc on all three sides. This is the 50 cm / 19.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set for three players made by Hrachya Ohanyan. Handmade in beech, 48 checkers in three colours, dice, branded bag.

This is the board for the club that plays for three, the big kitchen table, and the player who wants the three-way game at full size in solid beech. Each leaf carries an interlaced rosette: bands of pale beech woven over and under each other into pointed petals, a whirl cut in every one, all standing on a disc lowered and stained dark; pale acanthus scrolls sit at the corners. The three fields are carved from the solid, with twelve pale points, a petal wheel and a scalloped rim apiece.

Closed, the three leaves stack into a chevron on cast-bronze clasps, a stamped hinge on the bar, and the felt bag is cut to the same outline. The game is the Armenian one for three — fifteen checkers each in natural, dark and red, first to bear off wins — and the checkers are full-size. For the three-generation table, the club, and the host who never wants to sit out.

Specifications

• Size open: three leaves of about 50 × 25 cm / 19.6″ × 9.8″ meeting at the centre in a three-pointed star
• Size folded: 50 × 50 × 3 cm / 19.6″ × 19.6″ × 1.2″ — a chevron, three leaves stacked
• Material: beech wood, stained walnut brown and varnished, the rosettes, scrolls and points left pale
• Carving: an Armenian interlace rosette — bands of pale beech woven into pointed petals with a whirl in each — in relief on a lowered dark-stained disc, on each of the three leaves; acanthus scrolls in relief in the corners; three fields carved from the solid with scalloped rims, pale fleur-de-lys-tipped points and a petal wheel in a scrolled ring on each
• Outline: Triad — three leaves hinged in a chain, opening to a three-pointed star and folding to a chevron
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Three-sided backgammon board carved in beech, interlace rosettes in relief on each leaf
• 48 beech and walnut checkers in three colours — natural, dark and red — with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying bag cut to the board's shape

Why You'll Love It

• Full size for three: the largest of the three-player boards, with the fields and checkers of a full two-player set, so three adults sit round it in comfort.
• Interlace in relief: the woven rosettes and corner scrolls stand proud of a dark lowered ground, carved from the solid beech — the maker's carved line, not the drawn one.
• 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

Which three-player board is this? The largest and the carved one: solid beech at full size, with the interlaced rosettes and the corner scrolls cut in relief on lowered, dark-stained grounds, and the three fields with their points, petal wheels and scalloped rims carved from the solid. The three-player game itself is the Armenian one, devised in 2007: three colours, fifteen checkers each, first to bear off wins. Varnished; 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 bag.

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.