Backgammon History

Backgammon History from antiquity to modern until the revolution of online backgammon in the current millenium.

Ancient Backgammon
Modern Backgammon
Backgammon in the 20th Century
Online Backgammon

Backgammon in Ancient Times

Senet (Senate)

The earliest ancestor of backgammon is Senet, sometimes spelled Senet. Senet used to be played in Egypt around 3500 BC on a special board consists of 30 squares. Though the rules of the game are still unknown, it is believed that like modern days backgammon, Senet used to be played with dice.

The Royal Game of Ur

Another evident to the antiquity of backgammon was found in Royal Tombs of UR in the shape of a gaming board, a set of dice and game pieces that dates back to 2700 BC. It is believed that similar to backgammon, The Royal Game of Ur was played by two players whose goal was to clear the board off the game pieces prior to their competitors.

Ludus Duodecim Scriptorium

Archeological evidence shows that primal versions of backgammon existed also in Ancient Rome. Ludus Duodecim Scriptorium (the game of 12 markings) was, a late version of the Egyptian Senet, which was played on a 3-row 12-markings board, a set of 3 six sided dice and 2 sets of 15 checkers each.

Modern Backgammon

Jeux de Tables

Jeux de Tables (game of tables) was a popular gambling game in the 11th France and was later regarded as the father of modern backgammon. By the 17th century, the game had spreaded around to Germany, Sweden, Iceland and England.

Publishing of Backgammon Rules

The first written rules of backgammon appeared at the end of the 13th century at the Libro de los Juegos (book of games), a manuscript by Alfonso X dedicated to table games backgammon and chess among them. At the end of the 18 century, Edmund Hoyle published a short book focuses entirely to backgammon.

Backgammon in the 20th Century

Before the introduction of the doubling cube (around the 1920s) backgammon was played mostly in private, exclusive clubs. The doubling cube made the game more enticing for the crowd of high rollers, so the game enjoyed a relatively wide popularity in the early 20th America, until the depression pushed it back down.

Backgammon in the 1970s

Backgammon popularity reached its peak at the 1970s, not long after the first World Backgammon Championship was inaugurated. Legendary Prince Oby was busy promoting the game by hosting tournaments in luxurious locations in the Bahamas, Monte Carlo and Las Vegas. Backgammon books and magazines were widely distributed and top backgammon players were millionaires. The appeal of the game declined gradually by the end of the decade when young gamers were excited with the entrance of video games.

Online Backgammon

Ironically, the same technology that pushed backgammon off the crown lifted it up to the top within less than two decades. People were playing computerized backgammon in one way or another (including correspondence games) since the most primitive days of the computer games. But since online games had evolved and internet access accessibility improved, online backgammon sites, in which players can compete against each other in real-time and even cash in their winnings, became the most popular gaming sites on the internet.