Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Chocolate, Barolo and backgammon - the perfect night in

I got a backgammon set for my birthday. Doesn't sound momentous I know, however I've been looking for a decent set for years and I've never been able to find a nice one for under about £250. As I wouldn't class myself a fanatic I've never therefore seen the value of buying one and limited myself to playing on holiday and with friends who have their own.

But a few weeks ago my mother in law found and bought one in John Lewis and it's an absolute cracker of a set. It's come as an absolute bonus with Louis having just been born. As we're completely house tied, we've wiled away dozens of hours, downed too many bottles of Barolo (especially as Nic's breastfeeding ah well) and eaten far too much Green and Blacks. Perfect.

14 comments:

flyingfinn said...

Never played backgammon. I'm not sure how it works.

Kayfer Kettle said...

I love the game Six!

I love it best when I'm in a coffeshop in Amsterdam, but it really is the best way to spend a few hours with A.N.Other!

I advise you, Finn, to learn it. It'll take you about an hour to learn. It's simple, but beautiful, and there are great standard moves that are often over-looked and therefore games get lost!

K x

Crispin Heath said...

The standard moves are the key to keeping in the game. I find that when I resume playing after a long time off I go through 3 stages. Extreme caution followed by a laissez-faire throw it all in attitude and then thoughtful refelection leading to boredom in your opponent.

Anonymous said...

Hi six,

did you receive that letter from your MP on leg and reg reform?

fec

Crispin Heath said...

Yes actually that's a good reminder I was going to scan that wasn't I.

Span Ows said...

It's very addictive Six, like dominos (my preferred bar-room game) not because I'm an old northern git in a pub but because it is THE game in South America....beer must be involved.

My brother is actually a cup-winning backgammoner...you'll end up joining a club too.

Simon Fawthrop said...

Is it a wooden one with wooden counters? This is the only way to play backgammon as you can make lots of noise like the Greeks and Cypriots do, great fun. I lived in Cyprus, twice, and loved playing with the locals.

Here's a tip, pack you backgammon box with other games, yatzi, travel scrabble, dominoes, cards and cribbage board and call it you "game box". Take it with you whenever you are away with the kids as you need something like that to help while away the hours wjile they are in bed.

Gavin Corder said...

I don't play. I've always felt bad about that... as an amateur historian and whatnot.

But you kind of play the games you learned as a child, don't you? Even when seriously enebriated I can still remember how to play bridge and chess, Monopoly too for that matter, but other stuff that someone once showed you as an adult just doesn't stick in the same way.

Actually I can still play Spit (or Spitfire) like a demon, but only with my sister - no-one else seems to know the rules...

Linda Mason said...

An old Turkish man taught me how to play backgammon. It's a brilliant game and I wish I had learned how to play the game when I was young. It was the only way I could get to sit in those Turkish coffee shops as the only female without feeling out of place. I used to smoke and drinkcoffee 'em under the table but alas they whooped my bottie at backgammon.

Gavin Corder said...

And I played with Tonka toys...

Lucy said...

I must have had a bad teacher of backgammon as it didnt captivate me but few rounds of bridge can be a fun evening.

Span Ows said...

so Gavin, you play kiss-chase do you?

Gavin Corder said...

I can safely say the kiss-chase is MY GAME!

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