I think you should make a video on what to expect at your first major tournament. Hotel booking tips, current tournament rules or changes, budget, etc..
One of the best collections ever! I would love to have that collection. I have the fm gammon Yaldiz model in blue and it is a prized possession. Watching your videos convinced me to go with them. Hey, just fyi, it is pronounced tamber not timber. Even though it is spelled timbre. I am a classical musician and we use that term all the time so…
Wow, Adam, thank you so much for that pronunciation tidbit! I have the utmost respect for classical musicians. I’ve personally been a bit obsessed with Glenn Gould since I was in my early 20’s! 🎹🔉🎵🎶 The Yaldiz board seems quite nice for the price! Cheers and good dice in 2023! ✨🙌🏼🎲🎲
Such a beautiful collection, Justin! The sound of the wood frame never gets old. I'd love to see a box opening of the Monte Carlo board if you end up getting one. I really like that one. Out of curiosity, of all the FM/Galaxy checkers, which ones are your favorite?
Blunder, Thanks for your comment and interesting question. That is a tough question to answer because I like almost all the checkers I’ve received from FMGammon. I definitely like them very well marbled, which is typical. I do like the matte finish checkers of the VOID board, but I’d have to say my favorites are either the green marbled checkers with the Earth board, or the marbled brown that came with my Talat board. Cheers and good luck! 💫🙌🏼✨🎲🎲
@@jjmckenna Thanks for the quick reply and the input on the checkers! I agree those brown marbled ones are super cool as are the matte ones. The matte in particular seem really intriguing. Cheers to you as well and happy new year!
Hi Justin. Can you please make a "wear and tear" video? I am trying to decide between a wooden fmgammon or black painted galaxy board. Thank you for all the videos 👍🎲
E.T., Better yet, if you give me your email I’ll send you a detailed email with photos of the wear and tear on a few of my boards, so you can get an idea of how they hold up. Cheers! 🙌🏼🎲🎲
Great vid. Would be great to have a quick vid on checkers. I noticed in a few of the videos for FM, you used other checkers you already had (not the ones sent with the board you were reviewing). Given the number of boards you have and the number of different checker types FM has, can you showcase them? I now have both Premium and VIP lines, and they are great - but different from one another.
Net, I’ll definitely take your suggestion under consideration! I have a handful of very interesting checkers that would benefit by being shared with the world! 🙌🏼🎲🎲⚫️⚪️🔵
@@jjmckenna great. Would be awesome to head thoughts on size, weight, shape, materials, interchangeability between board makers, how they effect the experience. Also, things to look out for or avoid
Vinny, I finally saw your comment and tried sending you an email but it appears to have bounced back. My email is jjmckennajr @ gmail dot com. Thanks for sending me the file! ✨🎲🎲🙌🏼
I'm having a Casa de Gamao board made for me (with 2" checkers) and am wondering if you've had experience with that set. I know Marc Olsen loves his. Thanks!
Brent - I have not yet owned a Casa de Gamao board, but I’m pretty sure I have played on one before at a tournament. The same is true of Aries boards from Mexico. I hope you enjoy your new board! It sounds lovely! 👏🏼💭🎲🎲
Thanks for the video! I enjoy all of your videos! Lately, I have been vocal about my dislike of the FM gammon boards. Thanks for letting vent in your comments. I used to like them and even wanted to buy one, but then decided against it because the more I saw it being played on through streaming and video views, I no longer like them that much. I especially dislike the backgammon galaxy inserts because they are poorly designed. The colors are hard to distinguish from one another. For such a hefty price, they should have designed it better. The checkers are nice! But the inserts are not pretty because of their poorly designed color scheme. I think that’s my only problem with it. I wish backgammon galaxy would change it. But hey, if you like it and if others like it, then what can I say. I’m just saying that I think they can do better for that price.
It sounds like you dislike the back gammon galaxy playing surfaces that happen to be made by FM gammon. Fair enough, as it was their artistic choice and they are different colors of the same style. The FM Gammon surfaces (all 39 of them) are quite diverse. I suspect there are several you would like. I have 4 of their surfaces with a few more on the way. They are very very nice, with me preferring some over others, but non that I dislike. I wish I could post pics in replies here in YT.
@@bold2013 I have not tried any inserts other than those produced by FM/Backgammon Galaxy because I’m not aware of any on the market. Moreover, I have no issues with the inserts that came with the board. The only ones that I don’t particularly like are the original inserts that came with the VOID board, which I agree don’t have enough contrast for my liking.
Hello, just getting into backgammon and I'm 52 years old and I absolutely am falling in love with it. By chance are you considering selling any of your fm boards
Hey there, thanks for the comment! Coincidentally, I offered to sell my FMGammon Earth board to a friend in the Bay Area, but he passed. I’m open to selling a board, but in terms of FM boards specifically, I only have the Hera board, and the Earth board. My Talat board is so nice, I can’t imagine selling it. What did you have in mind? Thank you for watching my videos!
Love your collection of boards. Just out of curiosity. Couldn't you just get the Monte Carlo inserts instead and put them in your Earth Board? I am still thinking about getting the VOID board but seeing if I can get the Monte Carlo and Neptune inserts instead of the VOID inserts. I honestly hate the VOID inserts. Marc Olsen uses Jupiter orange and Nebula purple. Which helps but I just can't get over the lack of contrast. As you can tell from my FTH custom board. I really love sharp contrasting colors. So when are you going to get you a set of Bakelite checkers and make a board for those checkers? That's the only thing missing from your collection my friend. 😂🤣
Chris, Interesting idea to get the Monte Carlo inserts on the Earth board. I hadn’t thought of that, but I have to assume it’s possible. Thankfully, unlike you, I haven’t been bitten by the ‘Bakelite Bug,’ so I’m happy with whatever checkers come with these boards. Thanks, friend! 💫🎲🎲✨
I was wanting to know tournament rules as far as boards go. I see some tournaments are sponsored and in the Open division the players don't use their own boards. Do you bring your own board if you play in let's say the Texas Open intermediate division. If so, how do you travel flight wise with a tournament board? Thanks
Interesting question! My experience is that many people bring their boards to tournaments, especially if they live in that city. I brought an Earth board to my first tournament in Denver in 2021; it ended up being kind of a pain. Some tournaments supply boards to every table (like the FM tournaments in Turkey). Usually, if the Open division is streaming on UA-cam, the tournament has a few dedicated boards that they use for streaming matches. Most tournaments have a grab bag of boards available to be used if neither player has their own board. Those boards vary greatly in terms of quality. Since I now know several people at the tournaments I attend, I usually ask if I can borrow a friend’s board if my opponent doesn’t have their own board. Some big tournaments supply all the boards, but that is rare. Good luck! 🤘🏼🎲🎲✨
The only thing about FM I don’t think they ar3 doing a great job of is the cups are not great. They work, but could be better. Great stuff Justin, see ya soon
@@jjmckenna they do sound good. The hour glass shaped ones I like best. The straight wall ones are a hair small and light. The trip lip in them is fantastic. Dice don’t hang up and they come out great. They are above average dice cups for sure. Just not my favorite. Best Eric 😃
Hello Justin I am working on a sound library (dice, cups, etc) for XG GNUBG and so I plan to share this library with the community once it's finished. and I was wondering if I could use some parts of the audio from your videos to make the library richer Beforehand thank you very much
Hi Justin, I saw a video by Vin R. He said that the fmgammon boards chipped easy. I’m in the marked for the talat board, what are your thoughts about it’s durability?
Hi, this is a good question about certain FM boards. I will say that the Talat has more of a shiny, lacquered finish than other boards (such as the Mete and Onur boards made of beech). I wouldn’t say that the Talat board chips ‘easily,’ but I will say that there are some marks where checkers tend to congregate, like on the bar, and in a couple places where checkers land regularly, near the bar. If marking is something that will bother you over time, assuming regular use, the Talat may not be the board for you. I personally don’t have any problem with the marking on the Talat, but that’s me. Feel free to friend me on FB, and I can forward some detailed pictures of my Talat, if you want more details. Thanks for the comment, and cheers! 🤘🏼🎲🎲✨
Guess what's missing from your collection? A Bob Zavoral board. They are second to none with exquisite craftsmanship, and they are very reasonably priced compared to similar quality boards from other masters. For example, they are much cheaper but much better than FM Gammon boards. BTW, I'd never buy an FM Gammon board due to an ethical issue of how they started their business. They bought a Taki board, and then ripped off its construction and design. Their current prices are also almost double of what they used to charge 8 years ago.
Igor - You definitely have some strong opinions, which I respect. I, however, don’t have any facts or evidence regarding FM ‘ripping off’ a backgammon board design. I have doubts about your claim. Moreover, FM has continued to innovate and forward new and compelling designs, fabrics, woods, checkers, etc. over the years that I’ve been following them. As for prices, it’s a free market, and eight years ago seems like a lengthy enough time that a lot of things have gone up significantly in price since then, of course. Thank you for being respectful and not crass with your comment. I appreciate your input and viewpoint. Cheers! ✌🏼🎲🎲✨
@Justin McKenna Fair enough, Justin. I was somewhat active in the tournament scene around the time FM Gammon came around, and this was a well-known fact in the backgammon circle. Still, some players saw no issue in what they did, and this is certainly a matter of personal preference. I do sincerely wish that you get Bob Zavoral to make a board for you. Phil Simborg gave me his direct email, and that's how I got hold of him.
Net, I need to check this, but I believe the surfaces can be switched between the VOID board, Talat board and Hera board. The Earth board has a unique surface size, due to its compact dimensions.
@@jjmckenna agreed. I thought on the websites they made very slight changes to dimensions on the BGG boards, and even the thickness of the checkers - I assume it was to keep them mutually exclusive to one another. If that is the case, it’s a shame, as I have a good collection of FM inlays and checkers, and wouldn’t mind adding a BGG board to the mix. Let us know if they are interchangeable! 😄
@@netlawman2001 My checkers all seem to be interchangeable with each other! The blue/white, and the brown/white fit into the various boards, from Earth to VOID, Hera and Talat. Very cool feature; most all the checkers are the same width, with very slight variations in thickness.
@@jjmckenna did you mean your inlays? If so , one more question. Do the fm fit in the BGG void board? I ask because I want to add a second board, I am considering BGG, but only if FM surface inlays fit.
Fantastic video Justin! 🤩😍
Thank you very much, Marc! Yours are also excellent across the board!
Thank you for adding the height of the rim.
You are very welcome, sir! I try to provide as much relevant information as possible. Cheers! 🙌🏼🎲🎲💯🫶🏼
The whole collection is amazing and the black cat is so lovely❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you so much! The little black and white cat, Doodle Bug, is a sweet cuddler! We love him very much!
Thanks for your comment, cheers! 🙌🏼🎲🎲👏🏼
I think you should make a video on what to expect at your first major tournament. Hotel booking tips, current tournament rules or changes, budget, etc..
That’s a very good idea! I’ll have to plan something like that. Cheers!
One of the best collections ever! I would love to have that collection. I have the fm gammon Yaldiz model in blue and it is a prized possession. Watching your videos convinced me to go with them. Hey, just fyi, it is pronounced tamber not timber. Even though it is spelled timbre. I am a classical musician and we use that term all the time so…
Wow, Adam, thank you so much for that pronunciation tidbit! I have the utmost respect for classical musicians. I’ve personally been a bit obsessed with Glenn Gould since I was in my early 20’s! 🎹🔉🎵🎶
The Yaldiz board seems quite nice for the price! Cheers and good dice in 2023! ✨🙌🏼🎲🎲
Good luck and good games in 2023 ! Thx for your beautiful videos and BG collection.
Thank you very much for the kind words of encouragement! Cheers! 💫🎲🎲💡🙌🏼🎈
Such a beautiful collection, Justin! The sound of the wood frame never gets old. I'd love to see a box opening of the Monte Carlo board if you end up getting one. I really like that one.
Out of curiosity, of all the FM/Galaxy checkers, which ones are your favorite?
Blunder, Thanks for your comment and interesting question. That is a tough question to answer because I like almost all the checkers I’ve received from FMGammon. I definitely like them very well marbled, which is typical. I do like the matte finish checkers of the VOID board, but I’d have to say my favorites are either the green marbled checkers with the Earth board, or the marbled brown that came with my Talat board.
Cheers and good luck! 💫🙌🏼✨🎲🎲
@@jjmckenna Thanks for the quick reply and the input on the checkers! I agree those brown marbled ones are super cool as are the matte ones. The matte in particular seem really intriguing.
Cheers to you as well and happy new year!
Thanks for the video Justin that is a great collection! Happy new year 2023!
Thank you for the kind words, Rami! Happy New Year to you and your family! ♥️🎲🎲✨
Cheers Justin!
Thank you, Chad! Good dice in 2023! 🎲🎲💫
Justin, quite tempting me!
You are correct! If you are a backgammon player and/or fan, these boards are wonderful to play on. ✨🎲🎲✨
Hi Justin. Can you please make a "wear and tear" video?
I am trying to decide between a wooden fmgammon or black painted galaxy board.
Thank you for all the videos 👍🎲
E.T., Better yet, if you give me your email I’ll send you a detailed email with photos of the wear and tear on a few of my boards, so you can get an idea of how they hold up. Cheers! 🙌🏼🎲🎲
Wow !!
Thank you! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🎲✨💫
Great vid. Would be great to have a quick vid on checkers. I noticed in a few of the videos for FM, you used other checkers you already had (not the ones sent with the board you were reviewing). Given the number of boards you have and the number of different checker types FM has, can you showcase them? I now have both Premium and VIP lines, and they are great - but different from one another.
Net, I’ll definitely take your suggestion under consideration! I have a handful of very interesting checkers that would benefit by being shared with the world! 🙌🏼🎲🎲⚫️⚪️🔵
@@jjmckenna great. Would be awesome to head thoughts on size, weight, shape, materials, interchangeability between board makers, how they effect the experience. Also, things to look out for or avoid
Hi Justin, I'm done transcribing our match, not spectacular on both ends but you did our PR me, 9 to 8. Never got an email from you.
Vinny, I finally saw your comment and tried sending you an email but it appears to have bounced back.
My email is jjmckennajr @ gmail dot com.
Thanks for sending me the file! ✨🎲🎲🙌🏼
I'm having a Casa de Gamao board made for me (with 2" checkers) and am wondering if you've had experience with that set. I know Marc Olsen loves his. Thanks!
Brent - I have not yet owned a Casa de Gamao board, but I’m pretty sure I have played on one before at a tournament. The same is true of Aries boards from Mexico.
I hope you enjoy your new board! It sounds lovely! 👏🏼💭🎲🎲
Thanks for the video! I enjoy all of your videos! Lately, I have been vocal about my dislike of the FM gammon boards. Thanks for letting vent in your comments. I used to like them and even wanted to buy one, but then decided against it because the more I saw it being played on through streaming and video views, I no longer like them that much. I especially dislike the backgammon galaxy inserts because they are poorly designed. The colors are hard to distinguish from one another. For such a hefty price, they should have designed it better. The checkers are nice! But the inserts are not pretty because of their poorly designed color scheme. I think that’s my only problem with it. I wish backgammon galaxy would change it. But hey, if you like it and if others like it, then what can I say. I’m just saying that I think they can do better for that price.
Lilit, I respect your opinion, and I hope you enjoy playing over the board with whatever setup strikes your fancy! Cheers! 💫🙌🏼🎲🎲
It sounds like you dislike the back gammon galaxy playing surfaces that happen to be made by FM gammon. Fair enough, as it was their artistic choice and they are different colors of the same style. The FM Gammon surfaces (all 39 of them) are quite diverse. I suspect there are several you would like. I have 4 of their surfaces with a few more on the way. They are very very nice, with me preferring some over others, but non that I dislike. I wish I could post pics in replies here in YT.
@@jjmckenna have you tried swapping non BG FM inserts into the earth board? How did they fit and look?
@@bold2013 I have not tried any inserts other than those produced by FM/Backgammon Galaxy because I’m not aware of any on the market.
Moreover, I have no issues with the inserts that came with the board. The only ones that I don’t particularly like are the original inserts that came with the VOID board, which I agree don’t have enough contrast for my liking.
Hello, just getting into backgammon and I'm 52 years old and I absolutely am falling in love with it. By chance are you considering selling any of your fm boards
Hey there, thanks for the comment!
Coincidentally, I offered to sell my FMGammon Earth board to a friend in the Bay Area, but he passed. I’m open to selling a board, but in terms of FM boards specifically, I only have the Hera board, and the Earth board. My Talat board is so nice, I can’t imagine selling it.
What did you have in mind? Thank you for watching my videos!
Love your collection of boards. Just out of curiosity. Couldn't you just get the Monte Carlo inserts instead and put them in your Earth Board? I am still thinking about getting the VOID board but seeing if I can get the Monte Carlo and Neptune inserts instead of the VOID inserts. I honestly hate the VOID inserts. Marc Olsen uses Jupiter orange and Nebula purple. Which helps but I just can't get over the lack of contrast. As you can tell from my FTH custom board. I really love sharp contrasting colors. So when are you going to get you a set of Bakelite checkers and make a board for those checkers? That's the only thing missing from your collection my friend. 😂🤣
Chris, Interesting idea to get the Monte Carlo inserts on the Earth board. I hadn’t thought of that, but I have to assume it’s possible.
Thankfully, unlike you, I haven’t been bitten by the ‘Bakelite Bug,’ so I’m happy with whatever checkers come with these boards. Thanks, friend! 💫🎲🎲✨
@@jjmckenna 😂🤣
I was wanting to know tournament rules as far as boards go. I see some tournaments are sponsored and in the Open division the players don't use their own boards. Do you bring your own board if you play in let's say the Texas Open intermediate division. If so, how do you travel flight wise with a tournament board? Thanks
Interesting question! My experience is that many people bring their boards to tournaments, especially if they live in that city.
I brought an Earth board to my first tournament in Denver in 2021; it ended up being kind of a pain.
Some tournaments supply boards to every table (like the FM tournaments in Turkey). Usually, if the Open division is streaming on UA-cam, the tournament has a few dedicated boards that they use for streaming matches.
Most tournaments have a grab bag of boards available to be used if neither player has their own board. Those boards vary greatly in terms of quality.
Since I now know several people at the tournaments I attend, I usually ask if I can borrow a friend’s board if my opponent doesn’t have their own board.
Some big tournaments supply all the boards, but that is rare.
Good luck! 🤘🏼🎲🎲✨
See you in Texas ;)
The only thing about FM I don’t think they ar3 doing a great job of is the cups are not great. They work, but could be better.
Great stuff Justin, see ya soon
Eric, That’s interesting, I actually like the FM cups, mostly for the sound! ✨🎲🎲🎶✨
@@jjmckenna they do sound good. The hour glass shaped ones I like best. The straight wall ones are a hair small and light.
The trip lip in them is fantastic. Dice don’t hang up and they come out great.
They are above average dice cups for sure. Just not my favorite.
Best
Eric 😃
Hello Justin
I am working on a sound library (dice, cups, etc) for XG GNUBG and so
I plan to share this library with the community once it's finished.
and I was wondering if I could use some parts of the audio from your videos to make the library richer
Beforehand thank you very much
Diego, that sounds very interesting! I’m more than happy for you to use audio from my videos for your project. Thank you for asking! ✨🎲🔉🎲✨
Hi Justin, I saw a video by Vin R.
He said that the fmgammon boards chipped easy.
I’m in the marked for the talat board, what are your thoughts about it’s durability?
Hi, this is a good question about certain FM boards.
I will say that the Talat has more of a shiny, lacquered finish than other boards (such as the Mete and Onur boards made of beech).
I wouldn’t say that the Talat board chips ‘easily,’ but I will say that there are some marks where checkers tend to congregate, like on the bar, and in a couple places where checkers land regularly, near the bar.
If marking is something that will bother you over time, assuming regular use, the Talat may not be the board for you. I personally don’t have any problem with the marking on the Talat, but that’s me.
Feel free to friend me on FB, and I can forward some detailed pictures of my Talat, if you want more details. Thanks for the comment, and cheers! 🤘🏼🎲🎲✨
Guess what's missing from your collection? A Bob Zavoral board. They are second to none with exquisite craftsmanship, and they are very reasonably priced compared to similar quality boards from other masters. For example, they are much cheaper but much better than FM Gammon boards. BTW, I'd never buy an FM Gammon board due to an ethical issue of how they started their business. They bought a Taki board, and then ripped off its construction and design. Their current prices are also almost double of what they used to charge 8 years ago.
Igor - You definitely have some strong opinions, which I respect. I, however, don’t have any facts or evidence regarding FM ‘ripping off’ a backgammon board design. I have doubts about your claim. Moreover, FM has continued to innovate and forward new and compelling designs, fabrics, woods, checkers, etc. over the years that I’ve been following them.
As for prices, it’s a free market, and eight years ago seems like a lengthy enough time that a lot of things have gone up significantly in price since then, of course.
Thank you for being respectful and not crass with your comment. I appreciate your input and viewpoint. Cheers! ✌🏼🎲🎲✨
@Justin McKenna Fair enough, Justin. I was somewhat active in the tournament scene around the time FM Gammon came around, and this was a well-known fact in the backgammon circle. Still, some players saw no issue in what they did, and this is certainly a matter of personal preference.
I do sincerely wish that you get Bob Zavoral to make a board for you. Phil Simborg gave me his direct email, and that's how I got hold of him.
@@igorerovenko I think I’m friends with Bob Z. on Facebook, so perhaps I’ll reach out to him. Thanks for the tip, and the comments. 👏🏼✨🎲🎲
Can you swap playing surfaces between the VOID board and the FM boards (Talat etc.)?
Net, I need to check this, but I believe the surfaces can be switched between the VOID board, Talat board and Hera board. The Earth board has a unique surface size, due to its compact dimensions.
@@jjmckenna agreed. I thought on the websites they made very slight changes to dimensions on the BGG boards, and even the thickness of the checkers - I assume it was to keep them mutually exclusive to one another. If that is the case, it’s a shame, as I have a good collection of FM inlays and checkers, and wouldn’t mind adding a BGG board to the mix. Let us know if they are interchangeable! 😄
@justinmckenna - did you have any luck testing interchangeability?
@@netlawman2001 My checkers all seem to be interchangeable with each other! The blue/white, and the brown/white fit into the various boards, from Earth to VOID, Hera and Talat. Very cool feature; most all the checkers are the same width, with very slight variations in thickness.
@@jjmckenna did you mean your inlays? If so , one more question. Do the fm fit in the BGG void board? I ask because I want to add a second board, I am considering BGG, but only if FM surface inlays fit.
ever in la? lets run some gammon
Sam, I did visit a backgammon friend in Sherman Oaks last year. If I visit again, let’s roll some dice! ✌🏼🎲🎲✨
@@jjmckenna that'd be fun! I've got a hector saxe board you can check out.
If only the videographer were more professional ..
Unfortunately, I can’t afford a professional videographer, but thanks for your comment anyways. 🤨
Just transcribed our match, send me your email man!
Vinny, it’s jjmckennajr @ gmail dot com.