Chess, Go, and Backgammon are some of the oldest board games in the world. What’s even more fascinating is that they are still being played in many different regions across the globe. Today backgammon is played even online and it is still an enjoyable game favored by many people.
Still, there are many people who enjoy playing board games and playing games online who don’t know anything about backgammon. This is why we’ve decided to give you a couple of interesting facts and tell you a bit about it.
Never heard of it? Here is a short overview
Nobody knows how the game really came about but it is known that backgammon is over 5000 years old. It spread through Asia onto Europe and from there, throughout the rest of the world. Backgammon is a game for two players, both of which have 15 checkers.
The goal of the game is to bear off all of the checkers by getting them into the home board and then getting the right number to bear them off successfully. A single game can last from 10 minutes and up to an hour, and around the world, the game is called different names.
You say I can play it online?
Yes, you can find various websites where you can play backgammon online and for free. Our suggestion is to check out backgammon live on come2play, as there are a lot of players for you to compete against and learn from them. A lot of people are playing the game online because they can’t find many people near them to play against.
There are no issues with this online but at the same time, players can match against different people. No matter what game you might be playing, when you are constantly going against the same opponent, you both learn each other’s moves and it stops being interesting.
Why is Backgammon so popular around the world?
There are many reasons for this. First of all, many countries and regions have historically been playing Backgammon for a long time and there is simply a culture and tradition that brings this game to younger generations. On the other hand, the game is very addictive and fun to play.
It looks weird to first-time players but once they’ve tried it and got all the rules, they simply can’t stop playing it. Furthermore, many large civilizations in the past have played the game and they’ve spread it around the world along with their influence.
Where does the game come from?
The backgammon game comes from ancient Mesopotamia, a country which was once located in the area of modern Iraq. The first example of this board game was found there, but there’s a lot of proof to support the claim that it was, in fact, invented there. Backgammon, the oldest board game, is over 5000 years old and archeologists also found dice made of human bones used for playing the game.
The first evidence of backgammon dates back to 3000 BS. In these parts of the world, it is still common to see many people play backgammon. In many areas, it is thought that you can see how wise someone is by watching them play the game.
History, mystery, and variations
Apart from Mesopotamia, Persia, and Armenia, backgammon was also played in the Greek Empire, Ancient Egypt, and the Roman Empire. With so many large cultures adopting it, the game was subjected to various changes, some of which still exist while some not. At the same time, depending on the region it was played in, the game was also called differently.
For example, in the Roman Empire, it was called Table, on the other hand, in Armenia, it’s called Nardi and they have two different rule sets for playing it. In the 16th century, backgammon was banned by the Catholic Church and they order all of the boards to be destroyed. However, people started making folded boards that looked like books and kept playing the game.
Conclusion
Since 1964, backgammon even has international tournaments where players from across the world compete for their respective countries. Now that you’ve learned a bit about the game, try learning the rules and play it online. See why backgammon has stood the test of time for so long and why so many people still play it.
