The backgammon board game has stood the test of time

With all the amazing social and technological changes over the last five thousands years of human history, the way the backgammon board game has stood the test of time is quite amazing. Researchers have discovered that the origins of the familiar backgammon setup – the board divided into its twenty-four alternately colored, narrow triangular divisions, the fifteen counters per player, the dice and the dice shaker, all have a story to tell going back to the earliest recorded times. The exact inventor of the game of backgammon has been lost in the mists of time. All the evidence points to him or her having lived in the area now absorbed by the modern states of Iraq and Iran but no personal details have survived.

So, it must be left to the imagination to picture the first backgammon set up in the market place of a mud brick village after the hard day’s labor in the fields has come to a close and the workers seek to relax. We may wonder who was the first one to carve out the divisions of the backgammon board, to shake the dice and probably place the smooth stones that might have served for counters in their positions? Although it is unlikely the identity of the game’s inventor is ever going to be revealed in some archaeological dig, millions of people from all around the world can feel a sense of gratitude to this unknown figure for creating one of their favorite games.

The Romans soon caught on to the potential of the backgammon for gambling and enthusiasm for the game reached the throne of Caesar himself. Certainly, we can say it contributed to Roman civilization far more than the more bloodthirsty pastimes the Romans beloved. Wherever the Roman Empire reached, its soldiers and merchants brought the game of backgammon. The game became very popular in Europe and from here it was taken to the Americas. By the eighteenth century the backgammon instructions were brought to the printing house by an English player and game continued to go from strength to strength. The development of mass manufacturing and the retail trade made cheap, mass-produced backgammon sets readily available and through presents to children, many more new players were introduced to the game.

The last fifteen years or so have witnessed a dramatic explosion in interest in backgammon. For the most part this has been the consequence of the successful development of backgammon software. Many Internet sites offer a backgammon download that brings a brilliant 3-D virtual version of backgammon to the computer screen. By providing clear instructions on how to play backgammon, and offering free backgammon online, the gaming site developers have attracted a whole new audience. The people playing backgammon online range from the experienced players who are well versed in backgammon strategy and convinced they can win significant cash with their playing and gambling skills, to the novice players who enjoy the chance to build up their skills by playing against a sophisticated backgammon computer. When grouped together they represent a major advancement of an ancient game into an ultra-modern setting

Gene Marshall, skilled backgammon player, writes for a few different well-known backgammon publications. The writer contributes articles about backgammon online and free backgammon. Further material and articles published by Gene Marshall about backgammon can be accessed on the net.