The History of Backgammon

Nefertari playing Senet. (1295-1255 BC)

Born in Legend

Backgammon is one of the oldest known games in recorded history. Traditionally, it’s place of origin was a foggy guess between Ancient Egypt, Sumeria, or Mesopotamia in the Persian empire (present-day Iran). More recent conclusive evidence pinpoints the location as the eastern borders of Iran, near Afghanistan.

The histories of chess, backgammon, Iran and India all intertwine in the classical Persian book of Fars-nameh. It tells the story of an Indian emperor who sent a chess set to the Persian king Anushirvan, telling him to explain what it was or be invaded. The Indian emperor felt it was a great game, “because, as in life, wisdom and logic shape one’s course.”

The Persian chancellor and thinker of the Sassanid Empire, Bozorgmehr, realized that it was a game that symbolized war. Not only did he solve the riddle; in return he devised an ancient version of the game backgammon and, in reply, sent it to the Indian emperor with the message that this was a more realistic reflection of life. “In backgammon, logic and fortune determine what becomes of us.”

Egypt’s Offical Game of the Underworld

Although Senet predates the game invented by Bozorgmehr, not enough is known to consider it a direct descendant of backgammon. No records of the original rules have been found on papyrus or tomb walls, most likely because it was taught verbally. The shape and size of the board, use of dice and theorized game play (by R. C. Bell and Timothy Kendall) give it enough similarities to backgammon to warrant its inclusion here.

Jean-Marie Lhôte notes in his book Histoire des jeux de société that the first Egyptian wall paintings show two human players whereas later (New Kingdom, 1567-1085 BC), the human player is depicted alone with an invisible opponent. What began as a simple game later acquired a symbolic, ritual function that made Senet a kind of talisman for the journey of the dead. Due to the element of luck inherent in the game and the Egyptian belief in determinism, it was believed that a successful player was under the protection of the gods. Consequently, Senet boards were often placed in the grave alongside other useful objects for the dangerous journey through the afterlife.

The Egyptians had one bit of equipment we might envy; a mechanical dice box. The dice were put into it, shaken up, and thrown out onto the table. The ancient Egyptians played for money and invented this machine to guard against cheaters. The Greeks and Romans later adopted this device in their versions of the game.

Tabula: A Father to Backgammon

Tabula was a form of backgammon played by the ancient Romans. It was called “Alea,” or “dice” and “Tabulae,” which means “table” or “board;” Its more descriptive name was “ludus duodecim scriptorum;” the twelve-line game, for the twelve points on each side of the board. According to Suetonius, the emperor Claudius was so fond of the game that he had a table mounted on his chariot so he could play while travelling! Tabula’s popularity as a pastime was only rivaled by Circus Maximus. The excavators of Pompeii found a backgammon table carved in the courtyard of almost every villa.

The game of Tabula was similar to modern-day Backgammon in that the same board was used with fifteen pieces allotted to each player with the object of the game being to be the first to bear off all fifteen pieces. It differed in that the game began with no pieces on the board so that these first had to be entered by the roll of the dice. Likewise, three dice were used instead of two. Finally, both players entered the board from the same table and moved around the board in the same counterclockwise direction.

Numerous Comebacks

Backgammon underwent a revival in early seventeenth century Europe which led to a number of geographically defined names for the game. Some of the names include: Gammon (Scottland), Tric-Trac (France and Russia), Puff (Germany), Tablas Reale (Spain), Vrhcàby (Czech) and Sesh Besh (Saudi Arabia and Israel). In English, the word backgammon is believed to be derived from “back” plus the Middle English word “gamen” (game).

Bezique, Bridge, Mahjongg and Backgammon became popular party games in the early twentieth century. Modern backgammon was born when an anonymous player introduced the doubling cube to the game in the United States.

Backgammon made another splash in the late 60s and 70s. Prince Alexis Obolensky launched a massive promotion campaign, backed by a major American distilling company, that whisked Backgammon from the gaming rooms of a few exclusive European spas to Las Vegas. Before long celebrities like Hugh Hefner and the late Don Adams were playing it at Hollywood discos, casinos and restaurants. “Hef” even had his Playboy bunnies trek to veterans’ hospitals, distributing free backgammon sets complete with instructions.

The very first backgammon tournament in the United States was held in 1964, with a modest cash prize of $40. Prince Alexis Belensky took backgammon tournaments to the big-time. He organized and promoted the first “Official World Championships” in the Bahamas which become backgammon’s highest honor, even to this day.

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