Attaché Case Backgammon Set

Playing backgammon exhibits a certain refinement of thought and cultural appreciation. It's civilised. One form or another of this type of dice race game has been enjoyed a long, long time. The early history of the game is hazy, but similar games seem to have circulated around ancient Persia and into the Byzantine Empire. Jeux de Tables, which is the predecessor of modern backgammon, appeared in France in the 11th century. Equivalents popped up in other European countries.

Let the archaeologists work it out

The definitive history and antecedence of the game is for the archaeologists to work out. We just want to be able to enjoy a game whilst eating pistachios and listening to Leontyne price singing Puccini arias.  If you are looking for good backgammon board for amusement both home and away, then I would suggest Geoffrey Parker of England (1958).

Respectable chap

Geoffrey Parker is a third-generation family company. We hope it staves off the rapacious venture capitalists and the 'luxury conglomerates' so that it remains safely in family hands for many more generations to come. That's third-generation Elliot Parker standing in front of a portrait of founder and grandfather Geoffrey below. With what looks like a three-piece pinstripe suit, he seems a thoroughly trustworthy and respectable custodian of the family business.

Geoffrey Parker of Wimbish near beautiful Saffron Walden in Essex specialises in making timeless board games and games tables. The company sticks to the early ethos and ideals of its eponymous founder by keeping standards of construction very high, using 'only the finest materials and the most skilled craftsmen'. This is what their clients want. By rejecting 'the trend to manufacture overseas to achieve a margin', Geoffrey Parker recognises that its strength lies in remaining small and specialised and quality-oriented — and able to retain that all important Made in England stamp of authenticity — for a loyal customer base that appreciates the beauty of what they produce.

Chessboard for Dunhill

Geoffrey Parker started his business by first making miniature leather bound books with hand-painted covers. He sold these to the likes of Alfred Dunhill of London. Alfred was impressed enough to ask Geoffrey to make a leather chess board for his London shop. Geoffrey and his small team worked hard at the leather cutting and inlaying to create a peerless board. More orders followed and the name of Geoffrey Parker was on its way to becoming synonymous with the very best board games.

A Geoffrey Parker chessboard was used for the famous 1972 World Chess Championship, the 'Match of the Century' between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. That's a special edition Spassky & Fischer Collector's Chess Set below. The pieces are stored in leather-bound book boxes harking back to the roots of the company.

Backgammon tournament aboard the QE2

Geoffrey Parker now makes numerous indoor and garden games, but let's concentrate on the backgammon boards today. In 1975, Geoffrey Parker was asked by Dunhill's president, Richard Dunhill, to create backgammon boards for a tournament he had organised aboard the QE2. The Greek journalist Taki was a competitor and you can read his recollections of the tournament here.

Geoffrey Parker backgammon boards were as eagerly adopted for gaming salons as the chessboards. On the top photo you can see a lovely blue version of the Leather/Metal Table-Top Backgammon board. The board is hand-made to order in your choice of colour combination.

Each table-top board is made from leather and the finely-weighted stones are made from polished metal and leather.

Perfect for beach or chalet

The table top set is great for home use, but you might want something more portable to be able to play all day under the shade at a beach-side chiringuito or ski chalet on your holidays. Geoffrey Parker produces some beautiful backgammon attaché cases.

There's something of James Bond and From Russia with Love about a leather attaché case and those double clicks as you open the locks. The attaché case you see here is made from water snakeskin, a leather chosen because of its durability and the fact that the scales do not lift.

The attaché case sets contain everything you need, including the doubling cube to make things more interesting. One of the more fascinating things in life is what happens between two people and a backgammon board.