I have always had this thing about games of imperfect information; games were chance plays a significant role but is not the sole arbiter of who eventually wins the gaming contention. Backgammon is one such game.
My fascination with backgammon began when I was a young boy snooping around a now out-of-business games shop that stood along the Sliema promenade. Back then I think it must have been the curious pattern of triangular designs, spread out evenly on either end of the cardboard playing surface, or perhaps that mysterious dice that had multiples of two printed on each of its six faces. Not knowing the rules, my young mind raced and hypothesized ways in which that cube could be used within the context of that mysterious game.
Some years later, having set aside some pocket money for my first board I actually bought the game, one produced by Spears’s games, a company that was eventually bought out by Mattel in 1994. It was a good set, the cardboard surface very well made and folded into three. The dice were all strictly of wood and the “Doubling cube” (that mysterious dice featuring multiples of two on each of its six surfaces) was slightly larger, with red ciphers clearly painted on each face. The rules inside were also quite clear, even though they failed to address any strategic element that truly epitomizes the game’s strengths.
I recall playing my first games with my sister but we never quite got over the idea of knocking blots off the board and onto the bar. For those not so familiar with backgammon, blots are single checkers you might have occupying any one of the 24 points on the backgammon surface. As singletons, these checkers are very vulnerable and can be knocked off the board if your opponent lands one of his pieces on that same point. The only way to avoid having your checkers knocked off is to make sure you leave as few blots as possible by doubling up on any point with a single checker.
Yet back then, as kids we never quite got over the idea of having our pieces knocked off, so more often than not we argued. To stymie the arguments, we adopted an unwritten rule, whereby you could not knock blots off the board, because it wasn’t nice to do so! That rule did not help at all with my appreciation of the game as it reduced it squarely to a race.
Backgammon matches have a way of developing into three distinct types, or perhaps combinations of these same types. For instance you could have a game were hitting blots for advantage is frequently facilitated by favourable rolls of the dice, others that favour a quick race around the board with the first to bear-off all checkers winning the game. Yet still a further third type, would see you making point after point, reducing the match into a positional blocking game. Obviously you will have combinations from the aforementioned types, but you never really know how a game will proceed until you roll the first few rounds.
I will not delve to deeply on strategy over here, though I will spare some time on the history of this incredible game. You see backgammon is considered one of the oldest games ever invented by man. Excavations in Iran have revealed that the game was in existence over there as from 3000 BC. Obviously there were no Doubling cubes in those games, that had to wait till the 1920’s.
The ancient Romans too had games remarkably similar to Backgammon; one in particular called “Ludus duodecim scriptorium” which translates to “The game of twelve lines” was particularly popular. Another game called Tabula meaning “table” was a game mentioned by Emperor Zeno of Byzantium and which very closely resembles what backgammon looks like today. Players however rolled three dice and not two as is the custom nowadays.
The “Jeux des tables” or “Game of tables” which can be considered as the true direct precursor of modern backgammon, was first played in France during the 11th century where it became very popular among gamblers. As a result its popularity suffered following a royal decree issued by Louis IX which made it illegal to play the game. Funnily enough, or predictably perhaps, prohibition did little to curb the spread and popularity of the game. By the 18th century backgammon had become significantly established in countries such as England, where Edmund Hoyle wrote a reputable book called “A short treatise on the game of Backgammon” in 1743.
Modern Backgammon puts a lot of emphasis on the skill factor of the game while also conceding that there will always be a luck element epitomised by the rolling of the dice. It is also quite normal these days to see dice cups introduced into games in order to reduce the chances of cheating. Basically players cannot roll dice with their hands but must resort to rolling the dice in the cup and onto the gaming surface.
While Backgammon is played competitively in a number of tournaments held around the world, it never moved away from its gambling roots. You will still find players immersed in games of backgammon where the winner will win an agreed amount of money wagered before the start. If then the game is tied to the number of points scored, then the wagers will fluctuate depending on whether or not the doubling cube is used during the game or not.
Yet whether played for fun or financial gain, playing backgammon is a rewarding experience for all those who play it. Which is why I strongly recommend this game to anyone who loves a challenge and would like to try something new and yet so old!
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