the Origin of Backgammon

Backgammon as it is played today was not invented in a single day; it is the result of a long evolution.

This site retraces the history of backgammon through time.

The Game of Backgammon is considered one of the oldest games, alongside Go and Chess, and was certainly the most geographically widespread (see Map).

In Antiquity and the Middle Ages, numerous games were played on a board of 24 points and were called 'Games of Tables' (see Bibliography and Gallery). These various games were distinguished in particular by the position of the men at the start of play.

The variant of the game of tables that used the same initial position as backgammon appeared in the Middle Ages under different names depending on the country where it was played: Todas Tablas in Spain, Shuanglu in China, Nard in the Middle East and Golaka-Krida in India. Thus, the initial position of backgammon has been known since the 12th century. 

In the modern era, this variant was the most popular in the British Isles, where it was known as 'Irish'. It was also played in France under the name Toutes Tables and in Italy under the name Totae Tabulae (in Latin).

The name 'Backgammon' appeared in 1635. The only difference between Backgammon and Irish was in playing doublets twice.

The only missing rule was the doubling cube, which was invented in the USA at the end of the 1920s (see Timeline).