Gammoner "X-22" Paul Magriel Commemorative Backgammon Set Unboxing

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Link to *MY T-SHIRT BAND* - UN: • Un - Live at the High ...
My unboxing and review of a limited edition Paul Magriel Commemorative backgammon board, produced by Gammoner of Münster, Germany (www.Gammoner.us). This special board is also known as an X-22 board (only 22 will be produced), so named because of Magriel's unusual sobriquet, derived from his theoretical backgammon work in the 1970s, in which he single-handedly hand-rolled an entire backgammon tournament using 64 distinct players, or avatars, with X-22 coming out at the top of the heap.
I worked directly with Gammoner CEO Volker Wenzlaff prior to purchase, and also became Facebook friends with board and cube designer Alexander Auer, during my research into this unique and beautiful board. The board was shipped to me on November 30, 2020 via DHL, but due to the Christmas season and the vagaries of the USPS, it didn't arrive at my door until December 30, which is a bit absurd for an 'express' shipping company.
This board is "top drawer" in every particular, from the leather exterior, to the wool felt playing surface, the hefty, solid aluminum X-22 doubling cube, and the unique signature touches on the interior. It is, hands down, the most luxurious backgammon board I've laid my hands on, which is why I'll likely only play it on "special occasions."
In my video, I mention another video that inspired me to learn more about Paul Magriel, eventually resulting in my purchase of this Gammoner board. A link to 'Backgammon Giant' Bob Wachtel's excellent and informative memorial tribute video to Paul Magriel is here: • Paul Magriel Memorial ...
Thank you to Bob Wachtel and Daniel Barre, the videographer of the tribute video above, for graciously allowing me to use images from that video that were not otherwise available in the public domain. And thank you to backgammon legend Candace Mayeron for telling me the fascinating backstory to one of the pictures in the video.
A link to Bob Wachtel's Backgammon Chronicles website, which has links to purchase his books, and a wealth of other media, is here: www.backgammonchronicles.com/
If you have any questions about this video or the board, please post them in the Comments. Links to my other videos can be found below:
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1 янв 2021

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Комментарии : 75

@paperweight57 3 года назад

Love the boards! Keep 'em coming!

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Thanks very much for the compliment and encouragement! I don’t have anything on the way, but I hope to change that soon.

@jgeorgiou3307 3 года назад

I don't think it's fair you have all these amazing boards 🕵️ If only I was rich and could buy a few of these I love it

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

J - Thanks for your comment! I’m very lucky to be able to indulge my passion for beautifully crafted backgammon boards from around the world. I’m still trying to improve my game, which is a much less glamorous and demanding process! ✨🎲🎲✨

@jgeorgiou3307 3 года назад

@@jjmckenna We all are trying to improve Justin, good luck and enjoy your boards. Match the beauty of your boards with your skill and you will be somewhere near the top 🤗

@TheKingOfSwampCastle 3 года назад

Wow, what a beautiful board - thank you for sharing Justin. An heirloom set that you will enjoy for many years! Paul's book was my first intro to backgammon theory. I'm confident Paul would want the board to be taken "through the mudstorm" instead of being preserved in a shipping box. Good call...

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

King, I completely agree with you that Magriel would want this board to see the light of day, which it will, but not all the time! Perhaps if we meet up OTB (Over the Board) we can enjoy it sometime!

@regularnimnule9715 3 года назад

Wow. Just wow!

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Spud, I know, this board is the nuts. Hands down, the nicest board I've ever laid a hand on. And what makes it even more special is that it commemorates a unique and interesting 'nerd' who happened to be both a brilliant backgammon player, as well as a keen poker player, who actually contributed some unique insights into poker theory. It's a joy to play on, but I do plan to keep it reserved for special occasions, otherwise, it would be the only board I play on! Cheers!

@daviddaniels4248 3 года назад

Wow... What a beautiful board! I came to your videos through Marc Olsen & Backgammon Galaxy. Great videos and great reviews man!! I really want one of Gammoner's "traveller" boards

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

David, Thank you for the kind words! Marc has commented on a couple of my videos, and you know that he has a really nice board collection as well. I'd definitely encourage you to check out Gammoner's website (gammoner.us) for specs and prices on their 'traveller-size' board, which is the size of the Magriel Commemorative board. You should also check out FTH Backgammon, which are very similar to Gammoner boards, but a fraction of the price. I have an FTH board ready to 'unbox' and review, so look for a new video in the near future. Cheers!

@daviddaniels4248 3 года назад

Thanks so much.... I'll check out FTH now! Looking forward to the review 👍🏽

@DrFly-ek4sx 3 года назад

What an extraordinary treat to be able to own such a special, limited edition, board! It's really a thing of beauty; you must be very proud. I agree that it should be played on, but I understand your desire to preserve it's 'newness' and beauty over time. OK, as for that shirt/band. Based on your musical tastes, it appears that the shirt says 'UN,' which I'm guessing isn't the United Nations, but instead an obscure metal band from Seattle that goes by 'Un' and plays really heavy music. I found it on the internet! Amirite? Keep up the good work!

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Dr., Thank you for the positive vibes! Yes, you are correct that my shirt is from the metal band, Un, who are an awesome doom band from Seattle. If you’re into that kind of music, check them out. And check out my next video, which should be posted before week’s end!

@vlladellu 3 года назад

Beautiful board

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Thank you kindly!

@craigduffy1899 3 года назад

black checkers look superb. nice video as always.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Thanks, Craig! They are stunning! Perhaps you need to obtain one while you still can.

@Q8Marine24 3 года назад

Great video and unboxing as always! And ofcourse an amazing board! One of the finest ones I’ve seen so far. Keep it up! 😃

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Omar, Thanks for the kind words! This is definitely one of the nicest backgammon boards I’ve ever seen and I feel honored to own such a beautiful piece.

@alexanderauer1211 3 года назад

Congratulations on your new purchase and your great video. I wish you much joy with this excellent backgammon board.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Thank you very much, Alex. Kudos to you, the designer of both the checkers and the cube. I can’t overemphasize how impressed I am with the quality of this beauty. Congratulations!

@petermittak7960 3 года назад

What a start for 2021! The board and the checkers are astonishingly beautiful, very special and unique set! Congrats! Good to see such a gorgeous set in detail at least in a video! I can understand your dilemma whether to use it or to keep it from using - but I personally think that this set is way too beautiful to simply keep it closed... 😀 So I hope that you will have good matches on it, even if you use it only on special occasions. The video is otherwise superb, with many interesting details, thank you! I think your videos are better and better, so I hope you will continue! 😀

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Péter, Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement! I do have an FTH board on the way, which will have a similar color scheme to this Gammoner board, but which is much more suitable as a ‘daily player.’ The X-22 will have a special place in my board ‘stable,’ but will be pampered more than the others! I appreciate your comment that my videos are improving in quality; it is an ongoing learning experience. Cheers!

@johnk.1103 3 года назад

Justin, another excellent video, of a very special board. I cannot believe how gorgeous those black checkers are! Just thought you'd like to know that your limited checker and cube play was close to flawless, EXCEPT for White's first move, 6-3, which is a running play, 24/15. I think your 24/18 13/10 is perfectly reasonable, though. Great job, and I look forward to whatever else you post!

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

John, That is very good to know! I think that was the only move I suspected might be a bit off, but I was so impressed with the beauty of the board, I’m glad I “put my checkers where they belonged!” 👍🏼🎲🎲✨

@edition-deluxe 3 года назад

Gorgeous set, black checkers are a little wild for my taste, but I'd still love to have that set!

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Andrew, thanks for the comment! This set is a dream to play on, quiet and commanding with the oversize 50mm checkers. The black checkers are incredible; each one is uniquely marbled. I find them beautiful, but I suppose they could be distracting to some. Gammoner is definitely one of the premier names in backgammon, and for good reason. Cheers!

@johnk.1103 3 года назад

Who in the world uses words like 'sobriquet?' I literally had to listen to that word three times, realizing it was a 'real word,' then turning on the captions to confirm, confirming your spelling of the word (great captions, btw), and then double checking the definition online! Thanks for the vocab adventure!

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

I appreciate a fellow vocab ‘nerd,’ John. Glad to help in your acquisition of the choice addition of ‘sobriquet.’ 🧐✨🎲🎲

@s.p.thornton1686 3 года назад

Justin, Absolutely beautiful and the coolest checkers I have ever seen...Sui Generis! Again, thank you for your videos as these are very helpful in getting a closer look at the build and bespoke elements of the board. Mr. Wenzlaff does not disappoint. I am easily talking myself into getting one of the remaining boards.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

S.P. - Gammoner boards are exceptionally crafted, in full leather. No doubt they command a high price. The designer of the Magriel board and solid aluminum cube, Alex Auer, recently showed me pictures of his new Gammoner board, wrapped in deep blue leather, with a deep blue playing surface, gold and white points, and blue and black marbled checkers. Stunning! They are worth every penny, but that's a LOT of pennies!

@s.p.thornton1686 3 года назад

@@jjmckenna Justin - Most good things in life command a high price. I already know I won't be happy until I have both a Terlemez and Wenzlaff in my collection. I'll be on the lookout to see if Gammoner posts Alex Auer's new board. Stunning indeed. Since you have the commemorative board, do you know if there's a story behind why they chose the playing field/pip color combination that they did? It is classic and timeless...

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

@@s.p.thornton1686 - Indeed the designer of the board, Alexander Auer, who consults with Mr. Wenzlaff, wrote an obituary of Paul Magriel and mentioned the reason he decided to design the commemorative board and solid aluminum doubling cube. An excerpt from his piece is below: "I took the passing away of Paul Magriel as an occasion to have a Backgammon board built to commemorate him. Only the best materials should be used and processed to the highest quality. That's why none other than Gammoner came into consideration. The design embodies simplicity and purity. The colouring should be classic and restrained, reflecting on the one hand the grief of the loss, but also the light that Paul Magriel brought into the game. It may always admonish me to look for the one best move, to 'put my checkers where they belong.'" Gammoner makes very special boards, which is why I feel very lucky to have one of the 22 Magriel X-22 boards that will ever be constructed. It's a dream to play on. I encourage your desire to own one of the best, and I look forward to hearing about your process and seeing the final product. Cheers!

@s.p.thornton1686 3 года назад

@@jjmckenna Justin - I think this post is single handedly responsible for the immediate increase in PMM board sales. Only one left. Well done, Sir.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

@@s.p.thornton1686 Wow, I wasn’t aware of that, but I’m glad to hear it. A fellow collector in Australia bought TWO, after seeing my video, I know that much. Did you happen to acquire one, by chance? I hope so.

@MillencolinSweetMuz 3 года назад

Paul took a shit at my house, once. Nice chap.

@jjmckenna 2 года назад

Nice story, lol.

@reesemack3968 3 года назад

Love it.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Thank you, Reese! I fell in love immediately!

@hansimgluck2294 3 года назад

Not Munich, it came from Münster!

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Hans, That’s my mistake! I thought Münster was the German version of Munich. I’m embarrassed I didn’t know the distinction! 😬

@agerray 3 года назад

Wow! Fabulous looking board - great addition to your collection. A minor detail for future unboxings :-) It would be nice to know the thickness of the checkers. Also when the central bar is covered, to see how well checkers sit on the bar. I have a board - nowhere near in the same league - where the playing surface covers the bar and checkers tend to fall off, which is annonying.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Thanks for the kind words, Raymond. I’ll try and keep checker thickness in mind in future videos, and perhaps board length as well. The Gammoner board here has a 22” length to the playing surface, and the checkers are, as you can likely estimate from a close look at the video, exactly 10mm. Cheers.

@mobiusklein9140 3 года назад

as soon as the bubble wrap was off the board just oozed quality.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Mobius, So true! The full hide leather, the perfect playing surface, the solid aluminum cube, the calf leather dice cups. Gammoner makes amazing boards. I feel very lucky to have one of the X-22 commemorative boards produced, with only 22 made worldwide.

@cslack19 3 года назад

I’ve been watching your videos.......man! How much money are you dropping on these board sets. I’m looking to get a decent board. Do you have any recommendations for something in the $300-400 range?

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Chris - Thanks for watching the videos! Yes, I'm lucky that I can drop some coin on these beautiful boards. This one is a collector's item, so it's an investment. For boards in the $300-400 range, I suggest Wycliffe Bros. boards. Their 21" Gen. III or Masters edition boards are very nice at around $265, in a variety of colors. Same goes for the Prestige class 23" board with nickel-plated checkers that go for around $400. Another option would be to consider a board from FMGammon made of MDF (medium density fiberboard), as opposed to solid wood. My 'Hamdi' board is absolutely gorgeous, and you could maybe work out a deal with FM to get within your price range. I love the FM boards, and find myself playing on them all the time. Finally, Crisloid boards are super nice, though the cork playing surface isn't to everyone's taste. Their pre-fab tournament size boards come in some really nice colors, and retail for only $300. Made in the USA! Good luck making a decision!

@cslack19 3 года назад

@@jjmckenna thanks for the reply 👍🏼. Yeah, I’ve been checking out FM and Crisloid. I will look into the Wycliffe as well just have to convince the Mrs that this is an investment into my happiness 😂

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

@@cslack19 Happiness is always the best justification for investing in a board game, especially something like a well-made backgammon board that will last for generations! Pass it down to family or friends!

@xchalibur77 2 года назад

Congratulations on your extraordinary piece of art. Hey I have an idea, why don't you film yourself playing with someone on this particular board. I surely would watch for hours.

@jjmckenna 2 года назад

That’s an interesting suggestion, and I may consider doing a video like this, perhaps comparing the Gammoner and the way it plays to another board with different characteristics, like my FTH, which is similar, but much more reasonably priced. Thanks for the suggestion! 👍🏼✨

@xchalibur77 2 года назад

@@jjmckenna That's an excellent idea, indeed, because the case make it, I want to invest in a special board myself.

@jjmckenna 2 года назад

@@xchalibur77 - I hope you are able to invest in a 'special board' and I highly recommend doing so if you are a backgammon enthusiast. It really makes playing the game extra special! Cheers!

@SybotCB 3 года назад

So I’m newer to backgammon. But don’t you have to cube before you roll the dice? We’ve been doing that wrong if not.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Good question. It may not be clear, but when White rolled 6-6 from the bar, it kept them from coming in, which is when Black offered the cube, which would likely be a Take for White. Black then rolled 5-2, and covered a blot in the outfield. All good.

@SybotCB 3 года назад

@@jjmckenna okay. Great. I don’t process quite that fast yet and didn’t see that white’s double six was a lost turn.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

@@SybotCB - Totally understandable, as I wasn't calling out the rolls as they hit the felt. And, I wasn't really playing to the end, I just wanted to demonstrate that I might know when to cube my opponent. That's my weakness in real backgammon! Cheers!

@BigKingJohn 3 года назад

Sir, this board is absurdly good-looking. I only just stumbled on your channel (you got a new subscriber!), so this ultra-limited edition gem is already sold out. If I wanted to get something of a similar quality and size -- and I'm particularly thinking about the checkers with respect to the latter -- would you have any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

John, Thank you for subscribing, and for your comment. You are correct that this board is ridiculously gorgeous. Gammoner makes stunning boards in pretty much any color you can think up, and they have beautiful checkers as well. Though I think these are limited edition checkers for this board, you could get very similar ones (50mm wide) with a Traveler or King-sized Gammoner board. They’re not cheap (~US$2,000), but they are SO worth the investment! Check them out at gammoner.us Cheers! ✨🎲🎲✨✌🏼

@jeffreyroberts4156 3 года назад

Love your board unboxings from someone who's just discovered your channel. Have you ever unboxed anything from P40 in the USA at all? I discovered their site and the interactive creation of a custom board and curious about their manufacturing quality, especially as it pertains to the leather(?) checkers encased in the metal frames. Thanks.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Jeffrey - I reached out to P40 a while back, and they didn't seem interested in working with me on a board unboxing and review. I wonder if they might feel differently now that I have more videos posted. It's a very unique style of board. I'm not attracted to the metallic clatter, but I will say that they are very interesting. I'd like to unbox and review one, eventually. I think the checkers are probably not leather, but they are very nice looking with the metal edging.

@jeffreyroberts4156 3 года назад

@@jjmckenna A few weeks back I did finally get a hold of someone there about an all yellow/black themed board I tried putting together on their website. Was going for the Bumblebee look (like the insect and the Chevy Camaro used in the last Transformer movie or the Uma Thurman look from the first Kill Bill flik). They can integrate a custom logo So I'm trying to develop the yellow/black imagery and my name. Know of anyone who has the skill/tools of putting together a decent logo for this purpose? They said that they have the software to make the integration happen but not the expertise of actually developing the logo.

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

@@jeffreyroberts4156 - What are you thinking about in terms of an image; a combination of your name and perhaps one of the symbols mentioned above (Bumblebee, for example)? Would you be willing to pay a modest fee to this person for their work, assuming you found it satisfactory?

@jeffreyroberts4156 3 года назад

@@jjmckenna Thanks for getting back to me! Yeah, a couple months ago I put together a brainstorming Word doc together with some ideas that is basically just throwing stuff on the wall to see what sticks. If someone could see the file and maybe come up with some idea of putting something together with the themes I laid out or even a new idea that would be great. The home and outer boards wouldn't have to be exactly the same with regards to a pic being used. How would you want me to send you that file? I would be willing to pay a fee but what do you think would be a fair modest fee?

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

@@jeffreyroberts4156 Jeffrey: If it's a Word doc, you could send it to my gmail account (jjmckennajr@ gmail dot com). In terms of a modest fee, and assuming it didn't take more than a couple hours total, I would think something in the $50 range would be fair? I understand about the two sides of the board having the same symbol/words. Let me know what you think, or send the file at your discretion. Sounds like a good concept!

@sealevelbear 3 года назад

What is a “DMP match”?

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Zoltan - DMP means Double Match Point, which is a situation in which the cube is ‘dead’ and not used, or would not effect the match outcome if used. The best example would be a match to 11, where each player has 10 points. Whomever wins the last game, wins the match, regardless of the cube. Simple 1-point matches, consisting of just one game, also qualify as a DMP game. Thanks for your question!

@mmadeforfighting3628 3 года назад

How much does this board go for, my good sir?

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

Fighting - Check Gammoner.us, they have a specific page regarding this exact board. I believe there are only five still available, perhaps even less by now. I just checked, and the site lists five still left, as mine, #16, is no longer available (only 12, 14, 17, 18, and 19 remain, and #12 may have just been sold).

@mmadeforfighting3628 3 года назад

@@jjmckenna thank you for the fast reply!!! I love your boards, the reviews and how everything is so detailed! Thank you for sharing your passion with us!!

@jjmckenna 3 года назад

@@mmadeforfighting3628 - Thanks very much for the kind words! More videos to come!