Crisloid Red Tabletop Cork Backgammon Set

When deciding on a backgammon set, make sure you choose a surface that makes sense. There are a whole slew of surfaces out there, here are examples of a few that we carry in the Zontik Games shop:

• One of many cork backgammon sets from Crisloid. The Crisloid tabletop sets are actually what’s pictured in the photo above, and it’s one of our bestsellers.
• Here are some wood backgammon sets from Neroulia, which come in a multitude of types.
• A billiard cloth backgammon set from Geoffrey Parker and a leather backgammon set from Genesis Naylor.
• And a different kind of fabric backgammon set. This Dal Negro set is actually a very vibrant colored bookcloth, and it joins the Crisloid set as one of our bestsellers.

If you’re just getting your feet wet in the backgammon scene and you’re not yet ready to commit to a major purchase but still want to have an “industry standard” set, the Crisloid cork backgammon sets are perfect for tournament or chouette play.  The larger sets have greater “presence”, but they are more awkward to carry.  The smaller sets fit a greater array of tables, and are more “user-friendly” for younger players.

Until we had started carrying high quality leather and billiard cloth sets, cork was our favorite playing surface. Of all the cork boards out there, Crisloid produces the highest quality. Contrary to what you might think, cork backgammon sets are actually less prone to extreme bounces from the dice than leather surfaces (in this sense, billiard cloth is the best surface). Additionally, the points are screened on rather than sewn or appliquéd on, which means that the backgammon checkers slide smoothly over the surface.

Generally, billiard and cloth surfaces are much more preferable to wood and cork because they’re much quieter. However, backgammon sets with a wooden playing surface (like Neroulia for example) are very popular in the Middle-East and adjoining Mediterranean countries (in particular Greece, Turkey, Israel and Egypt). In the United States, we’ve heard several players remark on the pleasant “clicking” sound made when the checkers meet the wooden frame during a move.

Of all the surfaces, we prefer billiard cloth, it’s extremely quiet and the checkers slide very easily. Our Geoffrey Parker billiard cloth sets are made of a fine woven 100% wool in Yorkshire mills in the north of England. Amazingly, to design his sets, Geoffrey Parker collaborated with some of the world’s best tournament backgammon players. His boards are as close to perfect as you can get.

Dal Negro Soft Leather Backgammon Set in Black

We’ve been updating our product line all week, and one of the areas of growth has been the Dal Negro backgammon sets. One of the primary reasons for expanding our product offering from Dal Negro specifically is their reputation for high quality games. In the past, we’ve tried to expand our product offerings slowly, making sure that all of our manufacturers live up to our standards. Today, we’re happy to be able to offer more of the Dal Negro sets we love so much. We’ve added a dozen new backgammon boards from the great Italian manufacturer, and we think our customers will love them as much as we do. Check out the fabulous new Dal Negro Backgammon range in our shop, including the beautiful soft black leather model pictured above.

This particular backgammon case features a great gray leather field, offset by black and white inlaid leather points, plus all the high quality backgammon accessories you’ll need including:

• Thirty mother-of-pearl acrylic checkers in white and opalescent black.
• Two harlequin semi-leather black and white dice cups.
• Four precision dice.
• One doubling cube.

Our updated Dal Negro section also has fabric, leather, as well as exotic and wooden boards and sets like walnut, mahogany ebony. We encourage you to view our entire Dal Negro range.

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