The Backgammon Game Crosses All International Boundaries – an article by Gene Marshall

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.




The Author:

Internet backgammon professional Gene Marshall writes for several top backgammon web sites. The author contributes articles about online backgammon and recommended backgammon playing strategies. More works by Gene Marshall related to backgammon can be obtained on the net.

What Do We Mean by Free Backgammon? – an article by Gene Marshall

The expression “free backgammon” is heard a great deal these days and people way well wonder what do we mean by free backgammon? Backgammon has been with us for thousands of years and for much of its long history it is possible to say it has been a free game. The original backgammon set required nothing more elaborate than a flat piece of wood for the backgammon board, small stones for the counters and a dice made out of a discarded bone. Therefore, the ancient world backgammon players could easily get their backgammon set up without having to spend any money. With the commercialization of backgammon set production from the 1800’s onwards, more people were buying their backgammon sets from retail outlets but the option of making your own backgammon set remained and it is still available today for those who don’t wish to buy a set or maybe just prefer to make something themselves.

So, free backgammon might well be applied to the lack of expense involved in procuring the basic items required to conduct the game. It could also just as easily be applied to learning how to play backgammon. The traditional way of learning the backgammon rules has been through observing the games of experienced players. Certainly, today a person may choose to acquire their backgammon instructions from one of the many books that have been published describing the game in detail, but there is no need to pay for a book if they live near a public library. The game’s popularity insures that many backgammon books are usually in stock. Although the most enthusiastic players often opt to join backgammon clubs, membership is frequently available free of charge and the possibility of learning to play without having to pay anything remains available to anyone who is interested. .

The rapid development of Internet backgammon over the past fifteen years has certainly enhanced the possibilities of finding free backgammon. Today, when a person uses this expression they are more likely than not referring to online backgammon. For anyone who has a connection to the Internet, there is no longer any need to even make the minimal investment in buying a backgammon set from the shop but all they need to do is log onto a site and make a backgammon game download from the Internet. The sophisticated backgammon software now available does an excellent job in presenting an attractive 3-D version of the game, its boards, counters and dice. Also freely available are practice games against challenging backgammon computers or against players of various skill levels from around the world.

To participate in backgammon gambling usually involves some small fee paid to the site, and depending on the player’s skills at the game, they may find their winnings at the game exceed by many times the cost of participating and this can be seen as another aspect of free backgammon. If you’re interested in improving your skills then playing online is a great way to do it for free.

The Author:

Gene Marshall, proficient online backgammon buff, works for several renowned internet backgammon publications. He contributes articles about backgammon and free backgammon. Extra readings and writings written by Gene Marshall related to backgammon can be accessed on the internet.

The Story of the Backgammon Set – an article by Gene Marshall

The story of the backgammon set begins in the Near East thousands of years ago. According to recent research the backgammon game was first played in the areas now occupied by modern day Iraq and Iran. The basic elements of the backgammon board game were constructed of the materials widely used in the ancient world to create a variety of vessels. For example, at the most simple level the backgammon board may have been first scratched in the earth or on a flat piece of wood. Stones would have been used for checkers and the dice may have been carved out of bone. Although the materials used to construct the ancient backgammon set are no longer in use, the division of the backgammon board into twenty-four triangular-shaped sections (or points as they are officially called in the backgammon game) and the allocation of fifteen checkers to each player appear to have been features of the backgammon set from the beginning. Similarly, the backgammon rules that are followed today can claim the same ancient antecedence.

As people soon discovered that how to play backgammon was easy to learn and the game was fun to play the backgammon set became a common sight in homes or meeting places where gaming took place. In the course of time, wood became the dominant material in the construction of backgammon boards and checkers, though porcelain and a variety of other materials were also employed. At the upper end of the market, the wealthiest members of society that liked to play backgammon, had backgammon sets made of materials that reflected their social standing. Highly decorative boards could be produced and precious metals used to make the checkers and dice. .

Up until the end of the nineteenth century backgammon sets were produced for personal usage by whoever wanted to play backgammon, or a set may have been ordered from a local craftsman. With the introduction of modern mass production, backgammon sets made their appearance on the shop shelves. Today these cheap sets are within the pocket money range of most children in the western world.

The growth of online backgammon has also recently provided a new alternative to the traditional backgammon set. Stimulated by the popularity of backgammon gambling, the amazing development of backgammon software has made available highly realistic looking Internet backgammon sets that look so real you almost feel as if you can reach out into the screen and throw the dice or move a checker. However, the growing following of the online game does not seem to have dented the market for the traditional backgammon boards, checkers and dice but rather it has provided new ways of buying these. There is no longer any need to go to the nearest toy store. A search on the Internet produces many attractive backgammon sets for sale online at prices to suit all pockets.

In short, if you’ve ever thought about playing backgammon for fun or competitively playing on the internet can be a great way to start and practice and even to get involved in competitive play.

The Author:

Gene Marshall, proficient online backgammon buff, works for several renowned internet backgammon publications. He contributes articles about backgammon and free backgammon. Extra readings and writings written by Gene Marshall related to backgammon can be accessed on the internet.

The Long and Interesting History of Backgammon – an article by Gene Marshall

The long and interesting history of backgammon covers stretches back to the beginning of written records, perhaps as many as 5,000 years ago. Researchers are sure that the backgammon game first appeared in the area today occupied back Iraq or Iran. The earliest backgammon board so far discovered in ancient Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq) dates back some 4,600 years! There is no other game that can compete with the claim that to play backgammon was the original pastime. It is interesting to note that the appearance of the backgammon set, and the backgammon board have not significantly changed from the times when the game was enjoyed by the ancient Egyptians, Persians and the Romans.

It is hard to know for sure that the backgammon rules known today do not differ substantially from the backgammon instructions that might have been printed inside the package of some ancient backgammon sets, if the ancients would have got round to commercially producing the game. Since no ancient printed sets of backgammon rules have yet been discovered, it is very much a matter of conjecture if the moving of pieces and the backgammon strategy followed thousands of years ago corresponds with the strategy that players follow today.

The spread of backgammon around the world can be traced. Records have been found of the popularity of a Roman version of backgammon called Tabula (from the Latin for board) with the Roman Emperor Claudius included amongst its most famous players. Like the game we know today Tabula had 15 checkers. It seems that the game was played with checkers entering the board from square one and being move anti-clockwise. Tabula used three dice and according to the results shown on the dice, three checkers could be moved. In common with much of today’s Internet backgammon Tabula was played as a type of backgammon gambling rather than for the fun of the game alone.

Following on the breakup of the Roman Empire, backgammon type of games continued to spread through both the Middle East and Europe. The origins of the term “Backgammon” has been traced back to the Anglo-Saxon expression for a game. The name seems to have first come into use in 1600’s England. In 1743 an Englishman called Edmond Hoyle wrote a Treatise on Backgammon, which provided the first written work setting out in a systematic fashion the rules determining the backgammon set up and the movement of pieces.

Over the last hundred years backgammon has continued to develop. The introducing of the doubling cube in America of the 1920’s provided a boost for the backgammon gambling industry. Over the last few decades, the development of backgammon software has resulted in a new, exciting phase of the game that has brought it into high profile as online backgammon attracts an increasing number of fans, and spreads interest in the game beyond its traditional group of players. Try out a free game of backgammon on the net and see what all the hype is about.

The Author:

More information and articles by Gene Marshall on the issue of backgammon can be obtained online. The author focuses on editorials about backgammon set up and backgammon rules. Gene Marshall is a popular backgammon professional that writes for several renowned backgammon websites.

Here’s a taster;

 We used to have lunch together and play backgammon in the nearby park. No really! It was fun – and we had a blast together….

Read more here

List of World Backgammon Champions

The following is a List of World Backgammon Champions from 1967 to present:

1967 Tim Holland, United States

1968 Tim Holland, United States

1969 no championships held

1970 no championships held

1971 Tim Holland, United States

1972 Oswald Jacoby, United States

1973 Carol Crawford, United States (first female champion)

1974 Claude Beer, United States

1975 Billy Eisenberg, United States

1976 Baron Vernon Ball, United States

1977 Ken Goodman, United States

1978 Paul "X-22" Magriel, United States

1979 Luigi Villa, Italy

1980 Walter Coratella, Mexico

1981 Lee Genud, United States

1982 Jacques Michel,Switzerland

1983 Bill Robertie, United States

1984 Mike Svobodny, United States

1985 Charles-Henri Sabet, Italy

1986 Clement Palacci, Italy

1987 Bill Robertie, United States

1988 Phillip Marmorstein, Germany

1989 Joe Russell, United States

1990 Hal Heinrich, Canada

1991 Michael Meyburg, Germany

1992 Ion Ressu, Romania

1993 Peter Jes Thomsen, Denmar

1994 Frank Frigo, United States

1995 David Ben-Zion, Israel

1996 David Nahmad, Monaco

1997 Jerry Grandell, Sweden

1998 Michael Meyburg, Germany

1999 J n Granstedt, Sweden

2000 Katie Scalamandre, United States

2001 J n Granstedt, Sweden

2002 Mads Andersen, Denmark

2003 Jon Kristian R t, Norway

2004 Peter Hallberg, Denmark

2005 Dennis Carlsten, United States

2006 Philip Vischjager, Netherlands

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material adapted from the Wikipedia article "Backgammon".
[tags] Backgammon, Backgammon tournaments, Backgammon Champions[/tags]
 

It is a story about First Internet Backgammon Server

First Internet Backgammon Server (FIBS) is the earliest Backgammon server on the internet, operating since July 19, 1992. FIBS allows internet users to play Backgammon in real-time against other people and tracks player performance using a modified version of the ELO rating system. It was created by Andreas "Marvin" Schneider, and has been maintained since 1996 by Patti Beadles. Anyone with access to the internet can create a username and play for free. FIBS caters to a strong international community of Backgammon players.

Backgammon Game play

Early users connected to FIBS via a command line interface through telnet similar to a MUD, with the standard Backgammon board drawn in ASCII text. Dice rolls are represented numerically and moves are performed by entering starting and ending point numbers, similar to standard Backgammon notation. Other game related commands are available by typing the appropriate command. The first graphical user interfaces for FIBS were developed in 1994; FIBS/W for Windows and MacFIBS for Mac OS. Graphical interfaces continue to be developed for most major computing platforms, however telnet remains to be the underlying protocol for FIBS. This allows anyone with access to the internet to log into FIBS regardless of platform.

Bots have been developed, some based on neural net programs like gnubg, Jellyfish, TD-Gammon, and Snowie, to allow human players to compete with these computer programs on FIBS and to analyze these programs’ performance in real-world play. Gerry Tesauro of IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center wrote TD-Gammon, noted in Scientific American as the first expert-strength Backgammon program. This is one way FIBS has served as an experimental platform for the advancement of computer science and continues to do so.

Backgammon players Community

FIBS supports communication between players via text messages using the "shout" command which broadcasts to all players, in-game using the "kibitz" or "whisper" commands, and privately using the "tell" command. FIBS is largely unmoderated; its sysop typically tends to technical issues with the server. The "shout" command was initially implemented as a way for a player to find an opponent but has developed into a method of communicating with the general FIBS population. Profanity is tolerated but usually frowned upon by regular community members. Behavior on the server is largely unpoliced, however users usually follow the fundamental rule of all social spaces. On occasion, the sysop has stepped in and blocked or banned extremely disruptive users. All users have a range of options to filter the amount of text messaging they receive from ignoring troublesome users (with the "gag" command) to fully blocking receipt of all "shout" messages (using the "toggle silent" command).

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material adapted from the Wikipedia article "Backgammon".
[tags] Backgammon, Internet Backgammon, Backgammon game, play Backgammon, backgammon board [/tags]
 

What Backgammon Game is and a bit of Backgammon history. 

Backgammon is a board game for two players in which pieces are moved according to the roll of dice and the winner is the first to remove all his pieces from the board. Many variants have developed throughout the world, but most share the same common elements. It is a member of the tables family of games.

The game is essentially a race, and luck plays a measurable role, but Backgammon offers a significant scope for strategy. With each roll of the dice, a player must choose between numerous options for moving the checkers, and plan for possible counter-moves by his opponent. Opportunities for raising the stakes of the game introduce more strategic intricacies. Players have developed a vocabulary for common tactics and occurrences.

Like chess, Backgammon has been studied considerably by computer scientists. Research has resulted in Backgammon software that is capable of beating world-class human players.

Backgammon games hstory, sunk in 1628

The ancient Egyptians played a game called senet, which resembled Backgammon,Hayes, William C. "Egyptian Tomb Reliefs of the Old Kingdom", The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series 4:7. March 1946. pp 170-178. with moves controlled by the roll of dice. The Royal Game of Ur, played in ancient Mesopotamia, is a more likely ancestor of modern tables games. Recent excavations at the "Burnt City" in Iran showed that a similar game existed there around 3000 BC. The artifacts include two dice and 60 pieces, and the set is believed to be 100 to 200 years older than the sets found in Ur. "Iran’s Burnt City Throws up World?s Oldest Backgammon." Persian Journal. December 4, 2004. Retrieved on August 5, 2006.

The ancient Romans played a number of games with remarkable similarities to Backgammon. Ludus duodecim scriptorum ("game of twelve lines") used a board with three rows of 12 points each, and the pieces were moved across all three rows according to the roll of dice. Not much specific text about the gameplay has survived.Austin, Roland G. "Roman Board Games. I", Greece & Rome 4:10, October 1934. pp. 24-34. Tabula, meaning "table" or "board", was a game mentioned in an epigram of Byzantine Emperor Zeno (AD 476?481). It was similar to modern Backgammon in that a board with 24 points was used, and the object of the game was to be the first to bear off all of one’s checkers. Three dice were used instead of two, and opposing checkers moved in opposite directions.Austin, Roland G. "Roman Board Games. II", Greece & Rome 4:11, February 1935. pp 76-82.Austin, Roland G. "Zeno’s Game of , The Journal of Hellenic Studies 54:2, 1934. pp 202-205.

In the 11th century Shahnameh, the Persian poet Ferdowsi credits Burzoe with the invention of the tables game nard in the 6th century. He describes an encounter between Burzoe and a Raja visiting from India. The Raja introduces the game of chess, and Burzoe demonstrates nard, played with dice made from ivory and teak.Wilkinson, Charles K. "Chessmen and Chess", The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. New Series 1:9, May 1943. pp. 271-279

The jeux de tables, predecessors of modern Backgammon, first appeared in France during the 11th century and became a frequent pastime for gamblers. In 1254, Louis IX issued a decree prohibiting his court officials and subjects from playing the games.Lillich, Meredith Parsons. "The Tric-Trac Window of Le Mans", The Art Bulletin 65:1, March 1983. pp. 23-33. Tables games were played in Germany in the 12th century, and had reached Iceland by the 13th century. While it is mostly known for its extensive discussion of chess, the Alfonso X manuscript Libro de los juegos, completed in 1283, describes rules for a number of dice and tables games.Wollesen, Jens T. "Sub specie ludi…: Text and Images in Alfonso El Sabio’s Libro de Acedrex, Dados e Tablas", Zeitschrift f?unstgeschichte 53:3, 1990. pp. 277-308. By the 17th century, tables games had spread to Sweden. A wooden board and checkers were recovered from the wreck of the Vasa among the belongings of the ship’s officers."Vasamuseet — The Swedish-Tables Association", The Vasa Museum. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.

In the 16th century, Elizabethan laws and church regulations had prohibited playing tables, but by the 18th century Backgammon was popular among the English clergy. Edmund Hoyle published A Short Treatise on the Game of Backgammon in 1743; this book described the rules of the game and was bound together with a similar text on whist.Allee, Sheila. "A Foregone Conclusion: Fore-Edge Books Are Unique Additions to Ransom Collection". Retrieved on August 8, 2006. The game described by Hoyle is, in most respects, the same as the game played today.

Backgammon Name

*In English, the word "Backgammon" is most likely derived from "back" and Middle English "gamen", meaning "game" or "play". The earliest use documented by the Oxford English Dictionary was in 1650."Backgammon", ”TheOxford English Dictionary”. Second Edition, 1989. Retrieved on August 5, 2006.

*In Arabic, the game is called tawilat el-nard or tawilat el-zahr meaning "board of dice".

*In Chinese, the game is called shuang lu meaning "double sixes".

*In Greek, it is referred to as portes and is played as one of the three games in a tavli match.

*In Hebrew, it is called shesh besh , derived from the Persian and Turkish for "six" and "five"Stahl, Avraham. Bilingual Etymological Dictionary of Spoken Israeli Arabic and Hebrew. 1995. Cited in "shesh", Balashon — Hebrew Language Detective. May 8, 2006. Retrieved on September 15, 2006.

*In Japanese, sugoroku refers to Backgammon as well as other racing games.

*In Persian, Backgammon is called takhte nard, meaning "battle on a wooden board".

*In Portuguese, Backgammon is called gam.

*In Turkish, the game is called tavla”.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material adapted from the Wikipedia article "Backgammon".
[tags] Backgammon, Backgammon game, Backgammon strategy, play Backgammon [/tags]