Backgammon History

Backgammon has been around for many years, and many different people have been playing the game.  Backgammon history is not known by many people, however it is an interesting piece of information to look into.  If you are a big player of the game, backgammon history may be a story you want to hear about. Here we go. 

Backgammon is the oldest game ever played.  It is said to come from the Greek. It is said to be originated in what is known to us today as Kuwait and Iraq.  This was between the times of 2900 and 1800 BC.  So as I said, it is a very old game. 

Back in this time a group of people called the Sumerians lived in this area and they were known for some cultural creations like the wheel and math system.  They also were thought to be the inventors of the first written language.  
 
They made their own version of the board used for the game and came up with their own pieces to play with.  Scientists found proof of this many, many years later and figured out they were playing backgammon. 

Backgammon was found to be played by nobles and the royal party.  However now and maybe even then, all cultures and all classes of society play game.

The Egyptians and the Romans played the game, however, they had different names for it.  One was the “Senet” or the Tabula.  They were played with the same intentions, only different names and tables. 

In the early societies, the game of backgammon was banned.  In Japan, it was illegal.  It is interesting to think about today, that a board game was once outlawed in a society. 

In the late 60’s, the game of backgammon became very popular.  Everyone seemed to take an interest in the game and they were playing in living rooms across the globe. 

Now with all the technology of the world, you do not have to rely on a board game and getting out all the pieces.  If you have access to the Internet, then you can play backgammon with the click of a mouse.  There are many versions of the game offered online and you can play alone in the privacy of your own home or at the office while taking lunch. 

With the availability of Internet backgammon, you can practice up without anyone knowing.  You can have the advantage over the other players when it comes time to compete with friends or family and some day you may even be ready for a tournament. Tournament play sounds like great fun. 

 Backgammon Game Rules

Backgammon is a great challenge between two players.  It is a fun and exciting way to pass the time, whether it is at home or on the go.  No matter where you play, backgammon rules stay the same.  There are directions included with any game that describe how to play and a complete guide with backgammon game rules.

The first thing is backgammon is to set up the board.  You sit opposite of your opponent on both sides of the board.  You both will roll the dice to determine who goes first.  The player who rolls the higher number will go first and move their game pieces in accordance to that number. You both may even decide that the lowest number goes first.  

In the game of backgammon, you move in a counterclockwise position.  You can only move your game pieces to open spaces on the board.  You are not allowed to move onto points (or spaces) with two or more of the opponent’s checkers.  You can only move your pieces or checkers in pairs. 

The player with all of their games pieces off the home board is declared the winner. 

There are some things to remember when you play backgammon.  Rolls of the dice do not count if they land on a checker or if they fall off the board or on their side.  If both of the dice land with the same number facing up on any roll after the first, the player gets doubles and gets to move two times the roll.  If you are lucky enough to get two sixes, that means that you will get four moves of six. Wouldn't that be great? 

You are allowed to move any of the checkers or game pieces that you want to.  However, remember that the object of the game is to get all of the pieces into the home board. 

This game is easy to learn and fun to play.  There are a lot of rules to the game, so it may be a wise idea to keep the directions and rules for the game nearby so that if you get stuck, you can get the answers you are looking for. Getting the proper answers makes for a rewarding and fun game.

There are certain rules that do change for backgammon tournaments and challenges.  These rules are set by and agreed upon by the people and player in charge of the tournament. 

Playing online is the same as playing at home with the board.  The rules and strategies are generally the same.  The only real difference here is that online you may be playing for money.