| The earliest backgammon board so far discovered in | | | | being move anti-clockwise. Tabula used three dice |
| ancient Mesopotamia (today's Iraq) dates back some | | | | and according to the results shown on the dice, three |
| 4,600 years! There is no other game that can | | | | checkers could be moved. In common with much of |
| compete with the claim that to play backgammon | | | | today's Internet backgammon Tabula was played as |
| was the original pastime. It is interesting to note that | | | | a type of backgammon gambling rather than for the |
| the appearance of the backgammon set, and the | | | | fun of the game alone. |
| backgammon board have not significantly changed | | | | Following on the breakup of the Roman Empire, |
| from the times when the game was enjoyed by the | | | | backgammon type of games continued to spread |
| ancient Egyptians, Persians and the Romans. | | | | through both the Middle East and Europe. The origins |
| It is hard to know for sure that the backgammon | | | | of the term "Backgammon" has been traced back to |
| rules known today do not differ substantially from | | | | the Anglo-Saxon expression for a game. The name |
| the backgammon instructions that might have been | | | | seems to have first come into use in 1600's England. |
| printed inside the package of some ancient | | | | In 1743 an Englishman called Edmond Hoyle wrote a |
| backgammon sets, if the ancients would have got | | | | Treatise on Backgammon, which provided the first |
| round to commercially producing the game. Since no | | | | written work setting out in a systematic fashion the |
| ancient printed sets of backgammon rules have yet | | | | rules determining the backgammon set up and the |
| been discovered, it is very much a matter of | | | | movement of pieces. |
| conjecture if the moving of pieces and the | | | | Over the last hundred years backgammon has |
| backgammon strategy followed thousands of years | | | | continued to develop. The introducing of the doubling |
| ago corresponds with the strategy that players | | | | cube in America of the 1920's provided a boost for |
| follow today. | | | | the backgammon gambling industry. Over the last |
| The spread of backgammon around the world can be | | | | few decades, the development of backgammon |
| traced. Records have been found of the popularity of | | | | software has resulted in a new, exciting phase of the |
| a Roman version of backgammon called Tabula (from | | | | game that has brought it into high profile as online |
| the Latin for board) with the Roman Emperor | | | | backgammon attracts an increasing number of fans, |
| Claudius included amongst its most famous players. | | | | and spreads interest in the game beyond its |
| Like the game we know today Tabula had 15 | | | | traditional group of players. Try out a free game of |
| checkers. It seems that the game was played with | | | | backgammon on the net and see what all the hype is |
| checkers entering the board from square one and | | | | about. |