Travel Armenian Ornaments Backgammon Set for Three Players, 30 cm

Travel Armenian Ornaments Backgammon Set for Three Players, 30 cm by Hrachya Ohanyan

A different rosette on each side — a flower in a wreath of scrolls, a whirl of four leaves, a spiral of lotus buds — drawn on pale discs on the three leaves. This is the 30 cm / 11.8″ travel Armenian wooden backgammon set for three players made by Hrachya Ohanyan. Plywood and beech, 48 checkers, dice, bag.

This is the board for the three who travel together, the flat with no room for a full-size board, and the family that wants a real game for three in a bag. Each leaf is a full field of twelve pale drop-tipped points and a petal wheel, and the three hinge into a star round a central bar. The rosettes are line work on bare discs — no two alike — with pale acanthus scrolls in the corners of every leaf and a notched border on the rims.

Folded, it is a chevron the size of a hardback, with cast clasps and stamped brass hinges, and it slides into a black bag cut to the same outline. Three-player backgammon is the Armenian game of 2007 — fifteen checkers each, three colours, first to bear off wins. For the train, the beach house, and the third player who is tired of keeping score.

Specifications

• Size open: three leaves of about 30 × 15 cm / 11.8″ × 5.9″ meeting at the centre in a three-pointed star
• Size folded: 30 × 30 × 3 cm / 11.8″ × 11.8″ × 1.2″ — a chevron, three leaves stacked
• Material: plywood and beech, stained walnut brown and varnished; the rosette discs, corner scrolls and points left bare
• Decoration: three Armenian rosettes in line work on bare discs, a different one on each leaf — a flower in a wreath of scrolls, a whirl of four leaves, a spiral of lotus buds; pale acanthus scrolls in line work in the corners; pale drop-tipped points and a petal wheel in line work on each of the three fields inside, with a notched border along the rims
• Outline: Triad — three leaves hinged in a chain, opening to a three-pointed star and folding to a chevron
• Hardware: stamped brass hinges, cast-bronze clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Three-sided backgammon board with a different Armenian rosette in line work on each leaf
• 48 beech and walnut checkers in three colours — natural, dark and red — with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Black carrying bag cut to the board's shape

Why You'll Love It

• Three rosettes, no repeats: each leaf carries its own Armenian rosette — a flower in scrolls, a four-leaf whirl, a spiral of lotus buds — so the closed board reads as three different discs.
• The pocket one: the smallest of the three-player boards — a hardback's footprint folded, a bag cut to its shape — the one that goes in a rucksack and still seats three.
• 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 30 cm big enough for three? It is the travel size: each leaf is about 30 × 15 cm, so the three fields meet in a star roughly 30 cm across, and it plays on a café table or a train tray. The rosettes, scrolls, points and petal wheels are cut in line work into the pale-and-stained wood and the board is varnished — nothing printed or applied. The rules are the Armenian ones, devised in 2007: three colours, fifteen checkers each, first to bear off wins.

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.