Special Play65 tournaments for the holidays and some surprising backgammon related gifts.

Play65 is inviting you to celebrate the upcoming holidays in two special events:

€10,000 Xmas, the first and the biggest, will take place on Christmas evening, December 25th 2009 at 20:00 GMT with €10.000 prize pool, to be divided between 128 players. Entry fees are €100, and follow Play65 tournament schedule for satellites.

€2010 New Year’s Tournament is the second festive event that marks the end of the year and the beginning of the new year with a €2010 prize given to the winner, while every additional prize money will be given to the runner up. Entry fees are €20.10 and the tournament is scheduled to December 31st, at 20:10 19:00 GMT.

Backgammon Gift Ideas

What can you buy a backgammon fan who already has the best backgammon board, most precise dice and the fullest backgammon books library?

Traveling backgammon players enjoy the richest variant of backgammon accessories and gifts. From a game board bandana that serves as a head cover, body cover, towel, blanket and backgammon, chess and checkers board in one (£10.00, about €11.27 or $16.16) to a handmade knitted backgammon set vintage Bakelite and mother of pearl buttons ($5, about €3.5).

 via etsy

Backgammon nuts who want to surround themselves with triangles in alternating colors would not face a skint selection of objects either. For $15.99 (or €11.15), they can have backgammon bracelet, "the perfect accessory for game nights or days playing chess in the park" (for wrists no thicker then 8 inches or 20.32 cm).

via Modcloth

Or a 20"x20" backgammon board pattern with cross stitched gladiolus Iris as triangles. It is so beautiful you should probably frame it and break the glass only in case of emergency. $3.50/€2.44 etsy again.

You are back from your summer vacation, you worn out your travel backgammon board, but the summer is not over yet. You still have time to prepare a large scale, lawn backgammon board and suitable backgammon checkers. Here’s the how to, based on The Oregonian instructions on how to make a lawn checkers board:

For the backgammon board, you will need is 4 pieces of 36 inches (92 cm) square felt in homogenous color and 24 pieces of felt in two contrasting colors cut into triangles 32 inches (82 cm) long with 3 inches (8 cm) wide basis, thread in matching colors and a sewing needle or a sewing machine. And for the checkers, you will need 5 x 2 pieces of Fun Foam sized 12 x 18 inch (30 x 45 cm) in two different colors.

The making of the backgammon board is pretty simple if you are practiced in the craft of attaching pieces of fabric together. First, combine the four large squares to create a big surface. Then place the alternate colored triangles according to the backgammon board pattern and attach them to the surface by making a few stitches at the triangle’s head and basis.

To make the checkers use a round facility such as a saucer or bowl about 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) in diameter to outline a checker, then cut it out. You can make 3 checkers of every Fun Foam piece, and eventually you will have 15 checkers of each color.

Making a large sized precision dice is more complicated, but not as complicated as carving life sized chess pieces:

If you have managed to create an outdoor backgammon board, please send us your photos!

Summer time is travel season, thus there is not a better time to learn how to prepare your very own miniature backgammon board you can carry around to wherever you plan to spend summer vacation (that unless you plan to drag an ultralight laptop and play backgammon online while swinging on a hammock in some deserted island).

The video shows you how to make a multi purpose game board (backgammon – chess – checkers – tic-tac-toe) board from an empty box of mint, using baked polymer clay sculptures and chopped pieces of magnet as checkers.

[via box in hand]

How to Make a Miniature Backgammon Board in four simple steps:

• Print the template sheet with your desired board game pattern and glue it on one side of the tin box (after washing and drying it).
• Create 15 X 2 game pieces from Fimo or find readymade objects that can fill this purpose (breath mints in two different colors?), just bear in mind that the checkers should not be much wider than the base of a triangle and a row of five-six checkers should not stretch much longer than the triangle’s height.
• Cut magnets into tiny pieces with pliers and glue them to the bottom of the game checkers. If Fimo it is, bake the pieces after attaching the magnets to their bases.
• Add pair of dice and a single doubling cube, and your travel backgammon board is ready to go!

Special Warnings

Keep those magnetic checkers away from kids and credit cards.

Continuing with the Christmas spirit, here is a nice story on how handmade backgammon boards can make happier holidays for less fortunate children, as well as for those who have created the boards in their own hands.

The Daily Herald, the information source of Suburban Chicago, reports on the traditional charity auction held every year at the St. Charles East High School Little Theater for the benefit of the disadvantaged children of Mooseheart. The items sold on this auction were all created in the wood workshop of East High School by students and include various furniture, wooden toys such as hockey tables, backgammon, chess and checkers sets, and more. All the incomes from the wooden items sales will benefit the Christmas wishlists of, hopefully, 200 children from neighboring Mooseheart. The students-craftsmen are especially satisfied seeing their creations make other students happy.

St. Charles East High School is not the first organization to discover the joy of giving away backgammon boards. Last summer, Play65 donated 100 backgammon boards to special schools in Israel during the "Good Deeds" day. Well, great minds and all…

The online backgammon magazine GammonLine has published a new article, the first in almost 8 years. Formed by Kit Woolsey one of the top 5 backgammon players in the world, and the author of the "Woosley’s doubling rule" (which says, that whenever you are not certain about accepting or passing a doubling offer - double), Gammonline features database of backgammon articles in variety of topics.

The new GammonLine article, titled "Conversations with Backgammon Software" was written by Mike Corbett, another American backgammon giant and the author of a new book called "Backgammon Problems", discusses the differences between the backgammon play of a computer and a human player including examples and illustrations.

Posh backgammon players might be happy to learn that another rare and extremly expensive backgammon board is up for sale. Designed by Tomasso Barbi the brass and burled wood backgammon table is available through Casa bella Showroom for those of you who are brave enough to ask for the price.
(thanks to Mike Boudet from Universe of Luxury for the info)

Here’s another backgammon board you cannot afford: Renault newly launched backgammon set. The €19,320 backgammon board is made of parts actually taken from Renault celebrated racing car Formula 1. 

The backgammon board is made of underfloor of chassis, plank permaglass straight from F1, sterling silver and leather, and it is priced at €19,320, which is something like $27,000. 

Their chess set, on the other hand cost €28,890 and it is made from the suspension, hubs, uprights, wings and cockpit, plus titanium, stainless glass, aircraft specification aluminum, carbon fibre, sterling silver and leather. 

 If you are tighter on the budget and you still want some game set from Renault collection, the carbon disk break solitaire costs only €828 ($1,218). 

The artist Bernard Maquin created a once in a lifetime backgammon board consists of 2071.48 carats diamonds (of over 60,000 black, white and yellow diamonds) plus more than 6.77 kg gold and 150 gr silver. The making of the precious backgammon board took about 10,000 hours. The design of the backgammon set (which included white diamonds checkers) was inspired by Mesopotamian art. The backgammon game is believed to be originated in Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq). You can glance at photos of the backgammon board at Charles Hollander Collection website.

 On the other hand, you can surely afford making your own backgammon board using cheap, homey materials:

• How to make a miniature travel backgammon board using an empty box of mints and chopped pieces of magnets
• How to make a large-scale outdoor backgammon board using your sewing skills.

If you were looking for a special Christmas present, you might be delighted to read that Braroe Chess is throwing a special 12-days sale.

Braroe Chess is an online shop that specializes in board gaming equipment, especially chess and backgammon boards, checkers and sets. Starting on Monday, December 3rd and until December 15,  each day one item of the online shop’s board game supplies (including chess and backgammon) will be offered in special discount.
In the meantime, a $199.95 chess board was offered for $109.95. You should check it out, it could be worthwhile.