Armenian Ornaments Backgammon Set for Three Players in Relief, 40 cm

Armenian Ornaments Backgammon Set for Three Players in Relief, 40 cm by Hrachya Ohanyan

The carved one for three: a rosette of leaves round a flower, left standing in pale beech on a dark lowered disc, on all three sides, scrolls at the corners. This is the 40 cm / 15.7″ 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 three brothers, the cottage with one table, and the player who wants the three-way game in solid beech with the ornament cut, not drawn. On every cover the flower and its wreath of leaves are the pale wood left proud while the disc around them is lowered and stained dark, so the rosette stands out; the corner scrolls are cut the same way. The three fields are carved from the solid, each with twelve pale points, a petal wheel and a scalloped rim.

Hinged in a chain, the leaves open into a star with a bar at the centre and fold back into a chevron, held by cast-bronze clasps with a stamped hinge between; the chevron bag takes it. Three-player backgammon is Armenian — devised in 2007 by Nerses Nersesyan — and this is the size that seats three. For the trio who play every summer, and the family that outgrew two chairs.

Specifications

• Size open: three leaves of about 40 × 20 cm / 15.7″ × 7.9″ meeting at the centre in a three-pointed star
• Size folded: 40 × 40 × 3 cm / 15.7″ × 15.7″ × 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 rosette — a flower in a wreath of curling leaves — in relief, the pale beech left standing 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, ornaments 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

• Cut, not drawn: the rosettes and scrolls stand proud of a lowered, stained ground on every cover — relief you can feel — where the plywood three-player boards carry the ornament in line.
• Solid beech, three fields: each field is carved from the solid with a scalloped rim, so the checkers run on solid wood and the board takes years of three-way games.
• 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

What is the difference from the plywood three-player board? The wood and the cut. This board is solid beech: the rosettes and corner scrolls are carved in relief, the pale forms left standing on a lowered ground stained dark, and the three fields with their points, wheels and scalloped rims are cut from the solid; the plywood board carries the same ornament in line work. Both play the same three-way game — fifteen checkers each in three colours, 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.