Last updated on April 20, 2024
In this post, we take a look at another premium backgammon set from Manopoulos. This is a new set in the range and is made from walnut root wood. It’s a striking set, with a burl effect from the walnut wood. We saw this set recently when one of our irregular regulars dropped in for a game on Monday night. The set belonged to Alex, who had received the backgammon set for her fortieth birthday. Alex is a curious player, she relies almost always on luck, struggles to win a game, and often wonders why, out loud. A tall, intelligent lady, with dark hair, who believes in astrology and tarot, perhaps that explains her reliance on luck.
Construction
The outer cabinet has a distinctive pattern of grain from the walnut root wood. The pattern on the board will be unique in every instance. Walnut is a sustainable timber and consistently demands high prices due to its fine quality and rarity. The outer cabinet is constructed of walnut, with the root burl on display. The playing field is walnut root veneer, which offers a hard surface and will result in noisy gameplay. The points are light and dark inlays, which complement the underlying veneer. The outer board includes checker trays for storing the pieces when bearing off. The entire set is robustly constructed with brass furnishings, including the simple clasps to hold the set when closed. As there is no carrying handle, this is a set best left for home use. We have no doubt that, with care, this luxury backgammon set will last for generations.
Accessories
The set includes 4 plastic dice and a doubling cube. The checkers are made of olive wood in natural and stained black colours, the grain is clearly visible in both colours. The backgammon set included a single leatherette dice cup, which was a bit disappointing, a set of this quality deserves something better. The dice cup could easily be replaced by a pair of substitutes of suitable natural material. There was also a linen drawstring bag for storing all of the accessories when not in play, but this may have been an addition by Alex.
Dimensions
This premium backgammon set weighs approximately 2.8kg. The dimensions when closed are approximately: 48cm x 30 cm and when open: 48cm x 60cm. The checkers are 3.5 cm in diameter and are perfectly fitted for the points.
Conclusion
This luxury backgammon set is really designed for those who don’t mind a noisy game due to the walnut hardwood veneer. At Deluxe Backgammon we really enjoy the sound of the dice as they clatter over a hardwood board. This backgammon set has an excellent build quality that we have come to expect from Manopoulos. If you are looking for a quality Backgammon set and don’t mind a hardwood surface it is hard to look past this walnut root backgammon set from Manopoulos. It’s a beautiful backgammon set, but that isn’t generally helping Alex with her gameplay, she really needs to study some of our backgammon playing guides. RRP price at the time of writing was £190.
Note: On the night in question, Alex won two of her three matches. I thought it was due to an obscene number of doubles. She thought it was in the ‘cards’. She is a nice lady and this is one of the best backgammon sets we have seen of late.
Related content
The walnut burl gives this Manopoulos backgammon set some real character.