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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

BackGammon Origins

Most everyone loves the game of backgammon but have you ever wondered about the origin of backgammon? It goes back a very long way, over 5000 years ago. It is believed to be the oldest recorded game in the world and is believed to have started in ancient Mesopotamia, which is present day Iraq. The name backgammon in English is derived from the word "back" plus the Middle English word "gamen" which means game.

Finding Backgammon strategies

When you play backgammon, of course you want to win. However, the backgammon directions do not always provide you with winning strategies. By conducting a search online, you will be able to find backgammon directions to help you develop and fine tune some winning strategies. However, in this article, you will also find several strategies that will help you get along in the game, and perhaps find yourself declared the winner.

Playing Backgammon

Backgammon is a two player game. Each player has a home board and outer board, along with fifteen pieces. The board is very similar to checkers or chess, except it consists of twenty four points. The object of the game is to move your pieces into your own home board and then “bear” the pieces off the board. Whoever bears their pieces first, wins the game! Your pieces can only move in one direction.

This all depends on the color of your pieces. Your white ones will move clockwise, while your black pieces will move in the opposite direction. Before moving pieces, both players roll the dice and whoever scores a higher number will move first. When you start to roll the dice, remember that both dice make up a separate number. For instance, if you rolled a two and a four, you can either move six spaces or take two pieces and move them separately.

Objectives of backgammon

The objective of a Backgammon game is to move your pieces around the game board and bear them off the board faster than your opponent who works harder to do the same but in the opposite direction. Winning a game in Backgammon requires both strategy and luck. How far you can move your pieces is up to the numbers from rolling the dices, and how you move your pieces are determined by your over playing strategies.

CONCLUSION

The backgammon board game would rank high on the list of the world’s most ancient pastimes. From its Middle-Eastern origins some five thousand years ago, the game spread across the Roman Empire and in subsequent centuries it made its way across the world. When the average person walks past a sidewalk café, or goes into a games shop, the backgammon game is instantaneously recognizable.