History on Backgammon
Written by Poker Listings
Sat, 2 Jun 2007
Category general
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Backgammon is the oldest known game in the world that we have written records of. Versions of the game are dating back to around 3000 B.C and are believed to have originated in ancient Mesopotamia.
Backgammon was traditionally played on wooden boards, using stones as markers and dice made out of bones. Variations of the game have been played in ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece and Rome.
Backgammon’s Ancestors
The oldest board game similar to backgammon was recently found in the “Burnt City” in Iran, and is dated back to around 3000 B.C. The findings include 60 pieces and two dice.
The Egyptian game of Senet is one of the earliest versions of the game. There are no records of how it was played exactly. But boards have been found with 3x6, 3x10 and 3x12 squares.
Tabula was a form of backgammon played in ancient Rome. The name Tabula means “table” or “board”. The Romans brought the game to Northern Europe when they invaded Brittan. 500 years later, the game got the name Alea and became more like the backgammon of today. Brittan is also where the first backgammon rules that are still in existence were written. It was done by Edmond Hoyle in 1743, when he wrote the “Treatise of Backgammon”.
Backgammon of Today
The modern backgammon game is said to have been born with the introduction of the doubling cube. It was first used in New York in the 1920s. The element of skill in backgammon was increased with the introduction of the cube, which also helped to increase the game’s popularity. The backgammon rules where modified in 1931 and are basically the same to this day.
The man who finally made the game popular on a larger scale was Prince Alexis “Oby” Obolensky. Oby arranged the first international backgammon tournament in the Bahamas in 1964 and is given credit for the rapid increase of popularity for the game during the 1970s. He also published the first backgammon bestseller: “Backgammon: The Action Game”, which is said to have sold over 800,000 copies.
The game lost some ground during the 1980s, but has made a big comeback in the last couple of years. The main reason for this is online backgammon, which gives people the chance to test their skills against other players from all over the world.
