The backgammon game has enjoyed an international following for thousands of years. Children all over the world learn how to play backgammon at an early age, and games of backgammon can be found in schools, clubs and cafes across the globe. We may well wonder how a game that originated an estimated five thousand years ago has become such a world conqueror? Certainly the straightforward nature of the game’s objective – to be the first player in a position to remove (bear off) all their checkers from the board, and the easy to understand nature of the other backgammon rules, have been factors in its appeal since they ensure that players can learn to play backgammon faster than board games. Yet a game that is boring, even if it is easy to learn, is not going to become so popular. Therefore, the excitement backgammon generates and the demands for quick thinking it makes on participants are without doubt much more important factors in explaining its spread.
People brought up in the age of the internet and computers might come to the conclusion that Internet backgammon has been the prime factor in making the game into an international favorite. The fact is that backgammon was being taken from country to country thousand of years before backgammon online was ever dreamed about. The Romans played a significant role in carrying the game from the areas of Iran and Iraq where it originated to the many other lands that formed part of the Roman Empire. It is also interesting to note that backgammon gambling was also a very important feature of the game in this early stage of its history. The Roman version of backgammon was called “Tabula” and it was only played for money, with a number of famous Romans, including Emperor Claudius ranking among the enthusiastic players. It was not exactly the same as the game commonly played today. For example, Roman players needed to enter all their checkers to the board from square 1 and they had to be moved in an anti-clockwise direction. In addition, they threw three, instead of the two dice commonly used today, and up to three checkers could be moved according to the results of this throw.
As backgammon traveled from country to country, additional local variations of the game developed. For instance, Tavla, the Turkish version of backgammon shares much in common with the most commonly played backgammon game, but there is no doubling cube nor cup for throwing the dice – the dice are flicked against the wooden side of the Tavla board.
The unique contribution of online backgammon with its free backgammon software downloads has been to give access to broaden access to the game beyond what was possible in pre-Internet days. Although international backgammon competitions have been in existence for a number of years, the regularity and easy access to the tournaments offered online is a new development. Everyone who has a connection to the Internet can now download backgammon software and take part in international competitions.
Related posts:
- High Stakes Backgammon (from the World Champs 05)
- How to Play Backgammon : Setting Up the Board for the Game of Backgammon
- Sapporo Open2007-scene18- Backgammon バックギャモン
- Backgammon – One of the Most Ancient Games Steps Into the Future
- what you don’t want to be doing under pressure. World Series of Backgammon®
4 Sep
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
confused
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
its LOST!!!!!!!!(TV)!!!!!!!!omg
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
I see…… if you get all your checkers off before the opponent gets his checkers off then yo can move your checkers off befolre he moves his checkers off….
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
As clear as mud
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Yeah….I am crystal clear on the fundamentals now….lol! Seriously, I’d like to learn how but it seems fairly complex to someone who knows nothing at all about the game…
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
But that checker will only be hit if his opponent rolls a 4 – which he’ll only do 11/36ths of the time. If he’s not hit (and it’s likely he won’t be) then he’s a massive favourite to make his 5 point on his next roll. I see no problem with the play (it’s a pretty standard play for a 4-1 opening roll).
Using a 4-1 roll to move 13/8 as you suggest I think is a little too defensive. I’d rather take the 33% chance of getting hit and slot my 5 point
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
at 1:30 why would red play like that? That is sooo stupid for him to make that move. He has a open checker on own his home board with his opponents pieces right behind it. If that checker is hit, that checker would have to start all over again. He also has another blot opened. With 4 and 1 he shouldve moved that checker to that other set with 3 checkers so he would be safe. What was the point of him doing that move???
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Why is that every tutorial of this game has someone who is probably real talented at the game but is terrible at introductions to the game?
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
superted2uk…perhaps your just thick!
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Does anyone know what brand of set he’s using in these videos?
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Quality intro to the game.
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Classic example of someone who knows the subject but is completely unable to communication his knowledge.
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Chess and Scrabble are two of my main reasons for living.
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
My favorite board game of all time is Scrabble, a classic. I like it because I like word games, and I enjoy the challenge of Scrabble. However, Mancala is a close second, because it is such an ancient game and is quite intriguing. It has been found in cultures all over the world, is deceptively simple, yet amazingly complex. It is well worth checking out. Also have games such as chess, checkers, monopoly, life, and taboo. Have lots of books, and a DVD player that works on batteries, with a few DVDs.
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
The whole series of games was Atmosfear/Nightmare. They were all video cassette games, but newer versions feature DVDs instead.
Here's a rundown of the known titles at BoardGameGeek.com.
Nightmare/Atmosfear (VHS): http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/5641
Nightmare II/Atmosfear II (VHS): http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/10900
Nightmare III/Atmosfear III (VHS): http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/10901
Nightmare IV/Atmosfear IV (VHS): http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/10902
Atmosfear – the Harbingers (VHS): http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/1881
Atmosfear – The Soul Rangers (VHS): http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/12490
Atmosfear the DVD Board Game (DVD): http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/12453
AtmosFear: Khufu – The Mummy (DVD): http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/27291
Additionally:
Atmosfear The Card Game (trick taking game like Spades based on the characters in the videos… but no video in this game): http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/12458
As for where to get them in the UK, I don't have much advice for you on that one.
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Usually it's a really thick, specifically designed cardboard.
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Yes, board games are still marketable. Hundreds of thousands of board games are still sold every year. There are still numerous publishers of board games out there, however very few are open to submissions from unknown designers so you are probably going to be limited to self-publishing your idea.
The best place to get advice on this subject is amongst a community of like-minded people. There is such a community of board game designers located at the Board Game Designers Forum located here:
http://www.bgdf.com/tiki/tiki-custom_hom...
Go register (it's free) and then jump into the conversation. Subjects such as intellectual property rights, design ideas, marketing, copyrights and patents, and other game design topics are regularly hashed out. It is a friendly place full of well informed people and you will definitely get better answers than what you will find here.
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/4390 is a great game for two people. It can either be played seriously, or can be played as a "light" game just for fun.
It is also fun with 3, 4, or five, but I find it works best with two or three.
I also think Board Game Geek is a great place to find out lots of info on board games.
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Blokus is a great board game
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
Monopoly, Chess, Life, Sorry, Scrabble, Connect Four, Mastermind, Operation, Backgammon, Trivia Pursuit, Yatzee and Memory. I do play a few now like Scrabble, Trivia Pursuit, and Monopoly and Yatzee. If you have kids, or OPKs (other people's kids) like me, I'm an Aunt, it's a great way to spend time with them. It's also fun to play with adults and turn the board games into drinking games! Tequila shot for every yatzee!!!
6:29 am on October 8th, 2009
metal will scar your board game boxes. (If you are worried about keeping them in any kind of decent condition) Get wooden shelves, like you would keep books on, but some what wider. Climate control is important, not to smoke around them and such. Low humidity. This of course again, is if you are planning on keeping them in great condition. If you really dont care, shove in closets and under beds.