Field Report: How Backgammon Went From Game Night to Every Night
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In the Field Report franchise, SPY investigates the rise in popularity of a product by reporting on how marketplace trends created the phenomenon.
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All of a sudden, we, the people, blinked, and backgammon was everywhere. Just as hit pandemic-era shows like The Queen’s Gambit ushered in a wave of chess-as-trend that hadn’t been seen since Fischer was facing down Spassky, the new board game du jour has been backgammon. This time though, it’s amped up its style and luxe offerings, with a manageable package that’s ready for on-the-go use.
Plenty of New Yorkers have been scooping up their own stylized sets for use out in the wild. SPY asked members of The Spy Network, along with a handful of experts on the topic, about the stories and thinking behind their favorite boards.
“I bought this one from Chess Forum on Thompson Street in the village,” says design specialist Brian Oranté. “My girlfriend and I always play at home and on the weekends in Prospect Park. We learned during COVID and have been obsessed since. Chess Forum is so chill. They have a bunch of boards for sale.”
Chess Forum 15" Vinyl Backgammon Set
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Sure, you could buy a board from Amazon, or you could support a local business that’s been in the city for decades.
Since the boom began though, people have been digging out their heirloom boards, while also looking to invest in the ones they can pass down. “My family has a bunch — most from before I was born — so I’ve never purchased one before. I have, however, had my eye on this one for a while,” says SPY Network member Grace Astrove.
Nine Fair Pennsylvania Cherry Backgammon Board
“I love a custom job,” says Astrove.
As much as the game has become an go-to hobby for many, others have taken to playing so often — and applying their skill and strategy — for more competitive means. “I play every day. I have two proper sets, a roll-up one, and then an app [where] I play with my family online all the time,” says New Yorker and avid backgammon player Jacqueline Stoner. “I’ve been playing for years. For a while, I even had a backgammon pop-up in the Bahamas outside of a bar and made money off drunk tourists. This is the ideal travel set, since the home ones are all basically very similar.”
Net-a-Porter Backgammon Board
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This set is perfect for rolling out on the table of a beach bar.
While the game is a summer beach bag staple, the rise and ubiquity of backgammon as a trend has brought it everywhere from local parks to crowded bars. “I started playing in law school in 2019, but I didn’t get serious about it until after the pandemic,” says one New York-based lawyer.
He plays at bars like The Nines, with more than a few people patiently waiting to put down their wager to play him. “By now, I probably have twenty-ish boards,” he says. “The first thing that’s super important to me is that it’s not wood or acrylic — the sound is just unbearable to me. After that, it’s all about play action, like the checker slide. I think for high-end boards, P40 is the best. They just play out of this world, it’s like air hockey.”
Custom Backgammon Board by P-40
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P40’s custom boards cost a pretty penny, but are well worth the investment to serious players.
For some, the game has evolved from boards that have been in the family for years, like Tim and Leela Paulson, who live in New Jersey. “My wife and I play an abnormal amount,” says Tim. “We have a tiny travel one that folds in half to about the size of a composite notebook that we bring to bars or on vacations. At home, we use a bigger board that’s closer to the size of a coffee table book when it’s closed.”
“The best way though is playing on the board [from her] grandpa in Iran. It’s made of wood and the dice are small and made of ivory so they dance around the board. I don’t like the roll-up ones because the anticipation of the dice bouncing around makes the game more fun. We grew up playing, so it’s always been around, but it’s crazy how it’s everywhere now.”
Chairish Handcrafted Persian Khatam Backgammon Board
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Vintage boards can also range in ornate style and materials used. This handcrafted Persian one on Chairish is perfect for the expert player.
For those looking to bring some of the heritage of backgammon and its history to their own home play, artist Sarp Kerem Yavuz has plenty of experience both in the game and in the art world to create the perfect board. The SPY Network member has been constructing his own. “I grew up playing backgammon. It’s a very quintessential Aegean summer pastime,” says Yavuz, who grew up in Turkey. “There is something really soothing about the sounds of the dice and the clacks of the wooden game pieces being shuffled around. I honestly didn’t expect to discover so many people in New York playing it lately.”
In his work as an artist, though, Yavuz has continued his work with Lego bricks as a medium and began constructing backgammon sets that function both as a playable board, and as an art objét for the coffee table. “It really came about as a result of me making giant versions of traditional Turkish tiles from Lego. I wanted to find a way to involve the audience in something that was both modern and traditional. I also never explored the possibility of play in my artistic practice. After literally four years of research and development, I’m really happy to have made maybe the first build-it-yourself backgammon set, Tavla (Red). I’m launching it with the Perrotin Store in New York.”
Perrotin Sarp Kerem Yavuz – Tavla (Red)
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Perrotin’s store sells Yavuz’s pieces in small batches.
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