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Philos 1154 Rinia Big Backgammon set.

Last updated on November 25, 2023

We viewed this Philos 1154 Rinia Big Backgammon set in one of our regular Monday night matches. It was owned by one of our fellow players. It’s an elegant looking piece. It follows the standard Philos cassette design with a magnetic lock. As noted before, the Philos packaging is uninspiring when compared to say a Jaques set, but what we are truly interested in is the luxury backgammon set inside. It is very similar to the Philos 1157 Iraklia Backgammon set. The key difference is the lid design.

Construction

The board is made from hevea-wood, otherwise known as rubberwood. It’s considered to be environmentally friendly wood because the trees are harvested from rubber plantations after they have completed the latex producing cycle. The hevea-wood has been stained to give it a walnut finish and the outer lid comes with an attractive natural burl veneer. The burl ensures that the set will be unique. Some might argue that it is trying to be something it isn’t with the walnut staining, but we argue that this is acceptable because of the sustainably sourced hevea-wood.

Philos 1154 Rinia Big Backgammon set.
Philos 1154.

Dimensions

It is a large board. The dimensions of this luxury backgammon set when closed are: 6.5cm x 49cm x 30cm (Height x Width x Depth). It weighs a hefty 3.1kg, therefore it is definitely not a travel set, this one is for the home.

Accessories

Included in the set is a standard set of plastic dice in ivory and brown and a doubling cube. If you have read some of the other posts or pages on Deluxe Backgammon you would know that for social play, we would replace these with wooden dice purely for the look and feel. The dice cups are also crafted from hevea-wood and stained walnut. This is a nice touch because so many luxury backgammon sets are supplied with plastic or faux leather dice cups. Finally, the checkers are made from alder and are natural and black stained. They are perfectly sized for the inlaid points.

Philos 1154 Rinia Big Backgammon set.
Philos 1154.

Conclusion

This Philos 1154 Rinia Big Backgammon set passes the Deluxe Backgammon test. It’s an elegant looking board, solidly constructed and robust. Because it has also been made from sustainably sourced materials, we would have no hesitation in recommending it as a Deluxe Backgammon set. It is very similar to the Philos 1157 Iraklia Backgammon set. The key difference is the lid design. It just depends on whether you prefer the burl veneer of the Rinia or the starburst design of the Iraklia. RRP at the time of writing £109.00.

Manufacturer’s reference: Philos_1154

2 Comments

  1. Beau Beau

    I own a Philos 1154 Big Rinia backgammon set and have done for several years. It looks great and plays well. Can’t complain, I use it every week and it has held up well… just need to improve my backgammon skills.

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