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| Do you want to find out more about an ancient game having of about a 3000 years’ history? Wouldn’t it be interesting to read about the history of a game which has a special magnetism both for young and old? You should know that although this popular game attracts people with its simplicity, it has a very complex and exciting history .Do you want to get familiarized with the game’s past before playing it? Are you ready? |
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| This article is going to present you the development of the well-known backgammon, following its 3000 years old history. |
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But before getting started, let’s have a few words about the backgammon itself. This table game is about putting your skills to the test, meeting other players from all around the world, and most of the times having fun. It is worth mentioning that besides the famous Roulette, Poker, and wagering, Backgammon is also present at the online gambling scene. Players may choose between playing for money, participating in session games or in tournaments. There are professional players, those who enjoy the backgammon competitions, but also players who play for having a great time, and not for getting money. The charm of the game is that it combines the luck elements of slot machines for instance, and the skills that Poker or sports betting requires. The luck may apply when throwing the dice, while the skill is required for moving the checkers in such a way to have the best results. A successful player is likely to combine both elements, reaching the goal of being the first in removing all the own pieces from the checkerboard.
History has made of backgammon a game of series, so it is not unusual that players go through many matches, until reaching three, five, or more winnings before truly becoming a champion. If one is to compare backgammon with some similar board games, one may jump to a conclusion that compared to checkers backgammon requires a more sophisticated strategy. But if comparing to chess, it seems that backgammon has a more irresistible attraction. In one word, it combines the appealing features of checkers, and of chess, but it also adds some kind of allurement that the former lack.
The lucky combination of fun, enjoyment and challenge has made this game to live through the pitfalls of history. Let’s take a closer look at the backgammon history!
If one examines the ancient Egyptian game called ‘senet’, it becomes obvious that it is very similar to backgammon. Not only the board, but also the moves which are made according to the roll of dice resemble the later backgammon. Nevertheless, scholars consider a royal game popular in ancient Mesopotamia to be the real ancestor of this modern board game. Further investigations have proved that a game from Iran named initially ‘The Burnt City’ and very similar to the backgammon was played around 3000 BC. The game that researches have found contained two dices and 60 checkers, and is at least 100 years older than that of found in one-time Mesopotamia.
To move on, the ancient Romans used to play various similar games to backgammon. The game originally called ‘Ludus duodecim scriptorum’ had a board of three twelve-point rows and checkers were manoeuvred across these rows after the roll of the dice. Are you interested in the proofs of the existence of this game? A short text outlasted which describes the game and its main rules. A further game called ‘Tabula’, is described in Emperor Zeno’s short literary work from Byzantine. This dates to the 5th century AD. The object of the Tabula is pretty much similar to that of the modern backgammon’s, namely to be first in removing all the checkers that belongs to a player. There were three dices and a board of twenty-four points, while checkers should have been moved in opposing direction.
However, the first written mentioning of the backgammon game dates back to the 6th or 7th century AD. The fact that dice is used in backgammon is a proof that it has Indic origins. Why? It is because gambling games and using dice in these games was popular in one-time India. The rules of backgammon, on the other hand, first appeared in a Persian text. This contained a hint about the circumstances of the invention of the game, ascribing it to the Persians.
Throughout history, many different versions of backgammon evolved. One of them called ‘nard’ (today’s Narde) dates back to the 6th century Persia. According to a story, a Persian man presented this game to an Indian player who showed him the chess. Nard was played with a special dice made from teak and ivory, and its modern version is one of the most popular variants of backgammon. Narde has different starting positions and its objectives aren’t similar to backgammon either.
There were famous table games (or ‘Jeux de tables’) in France as well, and these might also be considered as the forerunners of modern backgammon. One of the first games in France appeared in the 11th century and they became so popular, that Louis IX even prohibited the court officials from playing it. In the 12th-13th century these games appeared in Germany and in Iceland as well, and reached Sweden by the end of the 17th century.
As a further proof of the existence of Backgammon, many paintings (primarily made by Dutch and German painters) from the 17th-18th century depict it. The most famous pictures are those of made b Bosch, Caravaggio and Jan Steen.
Because of Queen Elizabeth’s and the church’s prohibitive arrangements, able games could not become famous in the 16th century’s England. However, by the 18th century, backgammon was widely played by the English clergy as well. In 1743 a book appeared as well about the backgammon rules and basic strategies.
And after this short history review, let’s see the origin of the English-word ‘backgammon’. This is very likely to have its roots in ‘back’ and the Middle English word ‘gamen’, which says ‘game’. Believe it or not, but the expression appeared in the Oxford Dictionary as early as in 1650.
Finally, let’s talk about the modern alterations of backgammon! One of the most essential changes was the introduction of the doubling cube. Not surprisingly this was first used in New York City, in the 1920s, although its inventor is unknown even today. And what do you think the essence of this alteration was? The doubling cube requires backgammon players not only to look for the best move from a given position, but also to make predictions. These refer to predicting the chance of winning from that position. So the doubling cube has made from backgammon a thrill-driven game, and this is the case in the 21st century as well!
To make from playing backgammon an even more exciting experience, international championships were introduced in Monte Carlo from 1979. Many other tournaments are held for instance in Las Vegas and the Bahamas. In addition to these, a special tournament was established later on for the top players, namely for the experts. These are held in from Rio de Janeiro, through Dallas, to Venice. It seems like the success of backgammon is eternal!
>To demonstrate this eternal popularity of backgammon, one can think about the spread of its online version. You may ask how an ancient game has become a well-known internet-game. This is easy to answer. The success of backgammon in the traditional casinos made it an obvious game in the online world of casinos. After a notable project was developed, a backgammon-software appeared on the scene. This was capable to play and analyze the games. Online backgammon was first played in 1992, and after 2000 it became widespread. Today a large number of sites and online casinos can provide you with the fun and the excitement of playing backgammon in the internet. The rules are pretty much the same as for the traditional backgammon, but the roll of the dice is made with random number generators, and you are offered a chance to play and practice for free. How could have predicted 3000 years earlier that in-game tutorials, and online books describing backgammon strategies would help one day the fans of this great board game?
To conclude with, this extraordinary game has gained weight popularity throughout its 3000 years old history. And this is not surprising, as backgammon provides it players with fun, entertainment, the memories of the old times, and it can also bring them a lump sum of money! It’s up to you if you seize the opportunity of playing backgammon! Good luck! |
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