The Backgammon History

The history of backgammon is fascinating. An ancient and revered game, information on backgammon history is something every serious player should have. This article presents some backgammon historical information and backgammon historical facts for players and other interested persons.

Backgammon is the oldest known game in all of human history. According to the history of backgammon information, archeological excavations have unearthed artifacts that show that a game very much like backgammon dates back to 3000 B.C. In fact, one of the interesting facts about backgammon history is that the term “stone” that refers to the checkers used in modern backgammon has its roots in the fact that ancient backgammon used stones as markers on wooden playing surfaces. It’s likely that citizens of ancient empires like Rome, Egypt and Greece played backgammon with the same enthusiasm as modern players. In fact, the ancient Greeks referred to the game as “bac gamen,” meaning “back game.” The name can be interpreted in two ways. First, it could literally refer to the back game style of play. Second, it could allude to the method of re-entering playing pieces into the game from the bar. A third meaning might come from the Welsh phrase meaning “wee battle.” Although the Welsh meaning in the game of backgammon history isn’t widely accepted, it does seem particularly apt.

According to information on backgammon history, during the time of the Crusades, backgammon was popular in Persia and Arabia and inevitably found its way to Europe via the returning Crusaders. From the 13th to the 16th century, the game remained popular, despite efforts of the Roman Catholic Church to outlaw it. A cardinal in the court of British king Henry VIII ordered all backgammon boards to be burned. The effect of this was to create a cottage industry where boards were produced that could fold up for easy concealment and store the stones and dice conveniently inside. Backgammon history went underground during this period.

In 1743, backgammon game history was documented and the rules codified by Englishman Edmond Hoyle. The game gained widespread popularity in the drawing rooms of Europe and Great Britain throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

Modern backgammon is said to have its roots in the early part of the 20th century in New York City. This is when players began using the doubling cube. At that time, however, the game was played mainly by the upper classes. In the middle of the 20th century, A Russian nobleman named Alexis Obolinskey fled to Turkey during the communist revolution. He learned a backgammon-like game in Turkey called “tavla” and wrote the first-ever book about backgammon. Affectionately known and “Oby,” he also organized the first world championship tournament in 1964.

Backgammon continues to be one of the most popular board games of both the modern and ancient eras and holds a unique place in the history of gaming.