Guides

Looking for a backgammon board that feels like a work of art? Below you’ll find the craft tradition behind these boards, the materials that make one worth collecting, a look at Pilardi’s own sets, and usable tips for choosing, displaying, and caring for your piece.

The Heritage of Persian Backgammon Boards

A Persian game board has never been just a surface for dice. It is a canvas, and the decoration on it belongs to two long-standing Iranian crafts.

The first is khatam-kari, Persian marquetry. Fine rods of wood, bone and brass are bundled together, sliced across the bundle, and the resulting slivers are hand-assembled into dense geometric patterns. Some pieces also carry mother-of-pearl. The geometry echoes the emphasis on order and harmony found throughout Islamic decorative art.

The second is tazhib, the Persian art of illumination. Historically it is the gold-and-pigment ornament applied to manuscript pages; on a Pilardi board it is hand-painted directly onto the wood.

Because every sliver and every brushstroke is placed by hand, no two boards come out the same. Pilardi’s boards are made in the workshops of Isfahan, where the craft passes down through apprenticeships, and are then curated in Paris.

Materials & Craftsmanship: What Makes a Board Luxury

Luxury here is not a price tag. It is the sum of material choice, technique, and the number of hours a pair of hands spends on one object.

Wood is the backbone. Every board in the Pilardi range is walnut. There is no ebony, no rosewood, and no exotic hardwood substitute: walnut is the single wood used across the collection, which is also why the boards read as a family when you see them side by side.

The decoration is where the hours go. In a khatam board, the pattern is built from those hand-cut rods of wood, bone and brass, laid piece by piece onto the walnut. The brass is what catches the light and gives the geometry its metallic line. On a tazhib board, the ornament is painted rather than inlaid, so the detail is finer and the colour fields are broader.

One point worth clearing up: the Khatam Chess & Backgammon Set – Golden Edition takes its name from the warm golden tones within the khatam inlay itself. There is no gold leaf on it, or on any other piece.

Once the decoration is finished, the surfaces are sealed under a clear protective resin finish. That is what you are actually touching when you handle the board, and it is what determines how you should clean it later.

Every set is reversible: chess on one side, backgammon on the other. Each one is supplied with chess pieces, backgammon checkers and a protective hard case, and each one is one-of-one.

Pilardi’s Signature Luxury Backgammon Collection

Pilardi brings the Isfahan tradition to a global audience. The boards are handcrafted in Isfahan, curated in Paris, and shipped worldwide from Paris. Because every board is one-of-one, the piece you receive is the piece you saw.

The khatam marquetry sets are the geometric side of the collection:

• Khatam Chess & Backgammon Set – Golden Edition
• Khatam Chess & Backgammon Set – Black Edition
• Khatam Chess & Backgammon Set – Turquoise Edition

The painted sets put miniature and illumination work at the centre:

• Tazhib Chess & Backgammon Set – Indigo
• Tazhib Chess & Backgammon Set – Turquoise
• Hand-Painted Polo Chess & Backgammon Set
• Polo Miniature Chess & Backgammon Set – Khatam Marquetry, which combines a painted polo scene with khatam inlay

If space is the constraint, the Compact Khatam & Tazhib Chess & Backgammon Set – 34 cm is the smallest board in the range.

Checkers are also sold on their own, which is useful if you already own a board and want khatam pieces to play with: the Khatam Backgammon Checkers Set, the Premium Khatam Backgammon Checkers Set, and the Khatam Backgammon Checkers Set – Faux Leather Edition.

Collectors often pair a board with other pieces from the same workshops, such as a Hand-Painted Tazhib Mirror – Indigo or a Hand-Painted Decorative Tray, for a room that reads as one collection rather than one object.

Explore the full range at Luxury Chess & Backgammon Boards. Each piece is shown in a lifestyle setting, which helps you judge how it will sit in your space.

Selecting, Displaying, and Caring for a Luxury Backgammon Board

Choosing starts with purpose. Do you plan to play often, or is the board mainly a display piece? For frequent play, a compact board that lives on a side table wins. For display, choose the pattern that carries across a room: bold khatam geometry reads from a distance, while a painted tazhib or polo scene rewards a closer look.

When the board arrives, let it settle in your home for a day before you put it somewhere permanent. Wood responds to changes in humidity and temperature, and a gentle transition is kinder to it than a sudden one.

Keep the board out of direct sunlight. Prolonged UV exposure is hard on any finish and on painted decoration in particular. If it has to sit near a window, a UV-filtering curtain is worth the trouble.

Cleaning is simple, because the surface is a clear protective resin finish rather than bare wood. Dust it with a soft, lint-free cloth. Skip commercial cleaners, solvents and polishes: the finish does not need feeding, and those products can dull or damage it.

When the board is not in use, keep it in the hard case it came with, in a room with reasonably stable conditions. If you display it in a glass case, leave a small gap for air circulation.

FAQ

How can I tell if a backgammon board is truly handcrafted?

Look at the inlay. Hand-cut khatam shows tiny irregularities in the geometry and variation in the wood grain, and the pattern will not repeat with machine precision. Hand-painted tazhib shows brushwork under close light. A machine-printed pattern looks the same everywhere.

What materials are used in Pilardi’s boards?

Walnut for the board itself. The khatam marquetry is made from fine rods of wood, bone and brass, with mother-of-pearl on some pieces. Painted boards are decorated in the tazhib tradition. Everything is sealed under a clear protective resin finish.

Do luxury backgammon boards require special storage?

Nothing exotic. Keep the board away from direct sunlight and out of damp or very dry rooms, and use the protective hard case supplied with it when it is put away.

Can I use the board for regular play without damaging it?

Yes. These are boards made to be played on. Keep the surface clean, avoid spills, and use the chess pieces and checkers supplied with the set.

How does Pilardi ensure each board is unique?

Every board is decorated by hand in Isfahan, so the pattern layout, the wood grain and the placement of the brass and bone differ from one board to the next. Each board is one-of-one.

What comes with a Pilardi board?

Each board is reversible, with chess on one side and backgammon on the other, and is supplied with chess pieces, backgammon checkers and a protective hard case. Orders ship worldwide from Paris.

Conclusion

If you want a backgammon board that blends craft tradition, hand-work and visual impact, Pilardi’s one-of-one sets are worth your time. Browse the Luxury Chess & Backgammon Boards collection and order the piece you want, because once a board is sold, that exact pattern is gone. Shipping is worldwide from Paris.