The backgammon setup in its traditional and modern versions

admin · Site Admin Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 860

The backgammon setup we know today goes back thousands of years to the origins of the game in the area of modern Iran and Iraq. Although the materials used have certainly changed from clay and bone to polished wood and plastic, ancient texts and illustrations show a backgammon setup that today’s players would easily recognize. The board divided into twenty-four narrow triangular divisions know as points, the fifteen round checkers allocated to each player and the dice used to determine the movement of the checkers, are all present in the ancient and modern game. True, there is a new addition in the form of the doubling cube that was introduced about 80 years ago but it should be considered as an enhancement of the game for raising the excitement rather than any radical change in the backgammon setup. There also seems to be a good case for claiming that the traditional position of the checkers at the start of the game is also of ancient origin.

What qualifies for the most significant change in backgammon setup in thousands of years is the onset of online backgammon. The Internet developers have transferred backgammon play from the physical to the virtual. The online player is spared the trouble of setting out the checkers, and whatever minimum effort is involved in throwing the dice and moving the checkers accordingly. Online backgammon seamlessly accomplishes all these actions with the click of the mouse or the press of a key. This is a backgammon arrangement that seems to be ideal for people with limited leisure time who value the speed with which Internet backgammon games can be setup and played.