Why no backgammon discussion?

[thesilkworm]

Thanks for the reply. I think I'll go ahead and get the Student edition of Snowie. The main things I like about Snowie are:

- the interface/it looks pretty etc
- the panels that appear after each move I make

I doubt I'll ever play this game for money, so I'm effectively just buying a computer game here, but I think it's worth it for the hours of enjoyment I'll get out of it.

[kerr]

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I have been having difficult finding a board I am happy with, so could someone point me in the right direction?

Specifically, I want it be large, non-leather with printed points on a felt type surface.

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There are a lot of decent boards you can get from a backgammon supplier like Carol Joy Cole. I'm not sure how large you mean; there are some small briefcase boards used in tournaments that may be around US$50.

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Thanks. CJC emailed me some details on her boards. My understanding is that 1-3/4" checkers on a 21" board are typically used in tournaments, so I want to go with that. Now I just have to choose a board.

[pzhon]

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Thanks. CJC emailed me some details on her boards. My understanding is that 1-3/4" checkers on a 21" board are typically used in tournaments, so I want to go with that. Now I just have to choose a board.

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Yes. You can trust what CJC says about what is standard, as she sells a lot of equipment at major tournaments, and also runs a club herself. I've been very happy with my purchases from her, e.g., a beautiful set of Spanish pearlized checkers.

[kerr]

The bit about what's standard and mostly used in tournaments is merely my assumption.

GammonCity, re their Svilo boards, state:
- S50 is the luxury jumbo backgammon board with a 50 mm (2") checker diameter.
- S44 is the large backgammon board with a 44 mm (1.75") checker diameter.
- S40 is the tournament backgammon board with a 40 mm (1.50") checker diameter.
- S33 is the compact backgammon board with 33 mm (1.25") checker diameter.

So are 1.50" or 1.75" checkers more commonly used? I know I'm being retentive about this, but I want to make sure I get something that I and everyone I play against in future will be happy with, especially if I pay a pretty penny for a board.

OMG, I just found a TAKI board ($850 mind you) that has little abacus' to keep score!

[pzhon]

All of my boards, and the boards used by backgammon clubs I have visited, have used 1.75" checkers.

One loaner set I used at a tournament used 1.5" checkers. That set was much more portable, but it wasn't as nice.