Backgammon is a very popular board game that is played by two players by moving their respective pieces after rolling dice. A player wins when he is able to remove all of his checkers from the board. There are several varieties of the game with almost all the basic rules remaining the same. In this game it is not only luck that plays a big role but the strategy that you adopt may also make a lot of difference. This is because with each roll of the dice that the player makes, a player has to plan out different moves and also anticipate the moves of his opponent. Scientists have developed a computer version of the game and hence players can now play against a machine.

The game is said to originate in Egypt. Such types of games existed way back around 3000 BC. The ancient Romans in those times used to play several games that resembled backgammon. The Romans used a board that had three rows of 12 checkers and the checkers were moved across the three rows according to the number displayed on the dice. In the 11th century, a poet by the name of Burzoe invented a game which was very similar to backgammon. It was a table game and it was known as nards. Similar games were played in Germany around 12th century and Iceland around 13th century. By 17th century, table games had reached countries such as Sweden.

The earliest use of the word backgammon was found in an English Dictionary that dates back to 1650. Backgammon is actually derived from two words and those are back and gamen which means game. There was one major modification made in the game around 1927 in New York City. The cube was introduced in the game that enabled players to declare the best move that they could make from their position and also be able to estimate the chances of winning from the current position.

Today there are many enthusiasts who have opened backgammon clubs where members can play the game. People also play at local bars or cafes. There are some professional clubs as well that have backgammon software running on computers. Hence you can improve your skills by playing on a computer. The game has become more famous after people realized that it can be played on the computer as well. Today you will find many backgammon sites on the internet where players from anywhere can log in as members and start playing a game with other members connected to the site at the time.

In case of backgammon choutte, three to four players can play against each other for money. One player plays or competes against all the other players and the positions rotate after each game is played. The top international competitive tournament for backgammon was first held in Monte Carlo 1979. The tournament draws thousands of players from all over the world to compete for the big price. Other major tournaments are held in Venice, Rio de Janiero, St.Tropez and Dallas.
February 27, 2008, 9:49 pm

This article has been viewed 3940 time(s).

The most viewed articles in current category:
»» Board Games of Ancient Greece
»» Board Games of Ancient Rome
»» The history and development of chess
»» The History and Development of Role Playing Board games
»» The history and development of draughts/checkers
»» The history and development of Monopoly
»» The history and development of scrabble
»» The history and development of Go
»» The History and Development of Dice
»» The History and Development of Bridge
»» The History and Development of Gambling Games
»» The History and Development of Poker
»» The History and Development of Patience

©Martin Muckle & Jan Hvizdak