From the bustling streets of the Middle East, where backgammon is believed to have originated, to the championship circuits of the US and Europe, the way in which backgammon is played differs throughout the world, with tastes and preferences driven by cultural norms and artistic traditions dating back centuries. Whether you seek the atmospheric click-clack of a wooden board or the softer, quieter experience of playing on leather, at Alexandra Llewellyn we offer a range of different playing surfaces for our backgammon sets and games, with the finish you choose dependant on the energy and pace of your play.
MARQUETRY
The sound of pieces being moved around a wooden backgammon board is familiar to anyone in the Middle East, where the game is played every day, on street corners and in smoky cafes. The classical board designs, inlaid with hundreds of miniature pieces of wood, is what inspired Alexandra to start designing her exquisite marquetry backgammon sets. An extraordinary show of master craftsmanship, the stylised playing surfaces, inlaid with hundreds of miniature pieces of wood, offer a rich and melodic playing experience, with the gloss surface accentuating the colours and grains of the different marquetry woods.
PRINTED ON WOOD
Celebrating the ancient tradition of playing backgammon on a wooden board, our printed wooden playing surfaces contrast the incredible, vibrant imagery and photographic elements of Alexandra’s designs with the natural warmth and beauty of wood. Printed in high-definition detail on the wooden playing surface by fine art printers in the UK, the satisfying click-clack of playing pieces as they are counted around the board brings a sense of occasion to each game.
PRINTED ON LEATHER
A playing surface printed on leather offers a quieter game, as is preferred in the US and UK, with the smoothness of the leather allowing the pieces to move effortlessly around the board and tempering the noises traditionally associated with backgammon for a softer playing experience. The newest addition to our range of handcrafted playing surfaces, our leather backgammon boards are printed in the UK by a team of artisans who specialise in the technically challenging process of reproducing complex designs on leather, with the option of triangles inlaid in different coloured leather.
CUSTOMISABLE COMPONENTS
Once you have selected your desired playing surface, the customisation options for your Alexandra Llewellyn backgammon board are endless. Do you prefer the look and feel of traditional, weighted leather playing pieces or the natural beauty of semi-precious stone playing pieces, selected for their unique patterns, textures and energies? Does a classic leather doubling die best complement your chosen playing surface or is a transparent resin doubling die containing an explosion of vivid colour more your style? The choice is entirely yours.