Backgammon

History of the game
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games that we still know and probably one of the oldest games that we still know. The game probably originated in Iraq and Iran thousands of years ago. It took a long time for this version to emerge. There wasn’t an idea all at once, it moved slowly from person to person and it took thousands of years to get to the backgammon we still know today. Many groups like the Greeks, the Romans and the Egyptians already played this game. Even Plato once mentioned the game and he emphasized the popularity of this game.

A lot less back in time in 1920 more details of the game are known. Then came the doubling die with the values ​​2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64. In 1931 the game was invented even further in the United States. In about forty years, its popularity declined somewhat. However, in the 1970s it was played a lot again. After that, the popularity decreased again and with the advent of the internet a version was introduced that is on the computer and many online versions were also created on the internet itself. In 2008 the popularity increased again very much due to the online version. And now at the end of 2009 this is still the same. Backgammon is back in.

Purpose and rules of the game
It is a game for two players. It’s a race in which all the fifteen stones have to come across in a different direction. By rolling the die you determine how much you can move forward with one of your stones. There is one danger, the loose stones of yours can be beaten by your opponent. Whoever has the fifteen stones on the other side first wins. The game board consists of four quadrants and six triangles. Each ‘point’ is quantified with a number. Both players have fifteen checkers on request, which are divided into four parts. Five men on point six, three men on point eight, five men on point thirteen and two men on point twenty-four. A game direction does not have to be the same throughout the game, this can change during the course of the game.

So the aim is to remove the checkers from the board as quickly and as best as possible. One player moves counterclockwise in the direction with the stones and the other player moves clockwise. The intention is to also win a ‘gammon’. Then you can win twice the stake and earn more checkers and more points. It is even possible to win a ‘backgammon’ of three times the stake. Moving disks is done with the two dice, so double counting. There is a point count and there are three types of points counting. You can earn one point if your opponent was already clearing checkers. You get two points if you have achieved a ‘gammon’, then all your opponent’s checkers are still on the board and all your checkers are off the board. You get three points if you have achieved a ‘backgammon’, then your opponent still has checkers on the bar. A strategic game, a race against the clock, which can be quite difficult.

Have fun playing the board game Backgammon.