Backgammon is one of the world’s oldest known board games, with its origins dating back nearly 5,000 years. Its earliest ancestors include the Mesopotamian “Royal Game of Ur”, a two-player race game belonging to the ancient “tables” family of board games. Similar strategic race games emerged across early civilisations, including Egypt, Greece, and Rome, each adding its refinements.
Over the centuries, these early prototypes gradually evolved into the game we now know as backgammon, often referred to as the “aristocrat of games”. Blending skill, strategy, and luck, backgammon has captivated players across generations and continents. Today, it remains a beloved pastime worldwide, bridging history and modern play with every roll of the dice.
Objective
It is a two-player game where each player has fifteen checkers which move between twenty-four points according to the roll of two dice. The objective of the game is to be first to bear off, i.e. move all fifteen checkers off the board. The rules of backgammon are easy to learn. A beginner can be comfortable playing the game within an hour.
Strategy and luck
Backgammon involves a combination of strategy and luck (from rolling dice). Luck plays a large part in the game, but generally, the better player will win the majority of games over time. With each roll of the dice, players must choose from a number of positions for moving their checkers and consider possible counter-moves by the opponent. The use of the doubling cube allows players to change the stakes during the game.
Backgammon in Europe
It first appeared in Western Europe in the 11th century and became a popular pastime for gamblers. Such was its popularity that more than once it has been banned by Royal decree or religious regulations. The word backgammon first appeared in writing in the 17th century, although no one knows how the name originated. In English, the word “backgammon” is most likely a derivative of “back” and Middle English “gamen”, meaning “game” or “play”.
Although the game remained popular throughout Victorian times, it was starting to lose its appeal and may indeed have died out were it not for the concept of doubling. In the 1920s, an unknown player in New York introduced the doubling cube and reinvigorated the game. The doubling cube introduced the concept of raising the stakes during a game and added an entirely new strategic element to backgammon.
In recent times, with the invention of the internet, backgammon has again risen in popularity with the advent of online and mobile play.
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Backgammon in the 20th Century.
Amazing, I didn’t realise backgammon went so far back in history. I thought it began in the early 20th century because it was introduced to me by my elderly grandparents who passed on the old family backgammon set. Great game and a very useful website. Thanks, Marcos.