Caring for a Wooden Game Board
A good wooden game board is made to be used. It will be opened on a Friday evening, closed after the last game, carried to the cottage, left on a coffee table, handed down. None of that harms it. What harms a board is quieter: a sunny windowsill, a heating vent, a damp basement, a well-meant spray of kitchen cleaner. Looking after one is mostly a matter of knowing what to avoid.
Wood is still a living material
Long after it has been cut, veneered and finished, wood continues to respond to the air around it. It takes on moisture when the air is humid and gives it up when the air is dry, and it swells and shrinks a little as it does. A well-made board is built to accept that movement. Problems begin only when the change is fast or extreme.
In Canada, that usually means winter. Forced-air heating can make indoor air very dry for months at a time, and a board kept next to a radiator or under a vent feels it first. Summer brings the opposite, especially in basements and cottages. The aim is not a perfect climate, simply a steady one: the ordinary, comfortable conditions of a room people live in.
Cigar smokers will recognise the principle. Anyone who keeps a humidor knows that wood and humidity are old companions, and that stability matters more than any single number. A game board does not need a humidor. It needs a sensible spot in the house, and a little attention.
Where to keep it
- Out of direct sun. Over time, sunlight lightens or darkens wood unevenly. A board left open on a sunny table can end up two-toned.
- Away from heat. Keep boards away from radiators, fireplaces, heating vents and the top of any appliance that runs warm.
- Away from damp. Avoid unheated basements, garages and anywhere condensation forms.
- Closed, and without weight on top. Store a folding board closed, with the checkers and dice inside, lying flat or standing on its edge, and never under a stack of books.
Everyday cleaning
The rule is simple: dry and soft. Dust the board, the case and the pieces with a dry, soft cloth, one that does not shed. For fingerprints, a slightly firmer pass with the same dry cloth is usually enough. Do not use water, and do not use household sprays, glass cleaners or furniture polish. Many of them contain solvents or silicones that can cloud a lacquered finish or leave a film that is hard to remove.
The Mahogany Backgammon Replica in the photograph is a good example of a board built for real use. Its case is finished in mahogany replica veneer, and its playing field — mahogany with black and oak points — is printed and sealed for a smooth, durable surface. That sealed surface is exactly why a dry cloth is all it needs. Anything wetter or stronger has nothing useful to do there.
As for wax or conditioner, use one only occasionally, only if the maker’s guidance calls for it, and only a product suited to the finish. Most boards will never need more than dusting.
Hinges, clasps and pieces
A folding backgammon case lives on its hinges. Open and close it with both hands, supporting the two halves rather than letting one swing, and fasten the clasp before carrying it. Do not use the closed case as a serving tray or a stand; it is built to hold its own pieces, not to bear weight.
Checkers and dice are easy to lose and harder to replace. Count them back into the case at the end of the evening; a backgammon set has fifteen checkers a side and a pair of dice. Keep the dice cups inside too, where the set includes them. Chess pieces with felted bases should be stored so the felt stays clean and flat.
The same gentle approach suits the other materials in the Manopoulos range. Brass chessboards and cast metal chessmen want a dry cloth and no polish, so that the hand patina can age naturally. Cork, vegan leather and suede should be kept dry and dusted rather than wiped with anything wet.
What not to fix
Natural wood cannot be free of imperfections. Uneven grain, differing shades from one panel to the next, a figure in the burl that never repeats: these are not faults. They are the character of the material and a proof of authenticity, and Manopoulos says as much about its own boards. On a marquetry board, where many small pieces of wood meet, those variations are part of the design; the story on marquetry in this journal explains how such boards are made.
Over the years, a well-used board also gains a patina of its own: a slight softening of the edges, a warmth in the finish where hands have rested. That is not wear to be corrected. It is the record of every game played on it.
A short checklist
- A steady room, away from sun, heat and damp.
- A dry, soft cloth, and nothing else for everyday cleaning.
- Wax or conditioner only occasionally, and only as the maker advises.
- Pieces counted back into the case, and the clasp closed before it travels.
El Laguito Cigars carries the Manopoulos backgammon range, including the Mahogany Backgammon Replica, and delivers anywhere in Canada. Kept out of the sun, away from the heater and dusted now and then, a board like this will be ready for the next game for a very long time.