Backgammon. The 5,000 Year Old Game That Refuses to Die

Where it all began

Long before modern backgammon, people were fascinated by one simple idea, a race. Archaeologists have found boards and pieces for race games that are close relatives of backgammon in the ancient Middle East.

One of the oldest comes from Shahr-e Sukhteh, the Burnt City, in Iran. A board found there, dated to about 3000 BC, came with two dice and sixty playing pieces. Another is the Royal Game of Ur, found in the royal cemetery at Ur in Mesopotamia and dated to about 2600 to 2400 BC. It is a race game too, and scholars see it as a likely ancestor of the tables family.

It is important to be careful here. Nobody played modern backgammon five thousand years ago. The rules changed over time. What survived is the thrill of the race, and the idea of moving pieces home while dice decide what you can do.

Across empires

In Sasanian Persia, between the third and sixth centuries AD, the race game tradition became a game called Nard, also known as Nardshir. The Romans played a related game called Tabula. Medieval traders and travellers carried the idea across Europe, where a whole family of games known as tables kept evolving.

The English word backgammon first appears in the 1640s. By seventeenth century England the game we recognize today had taken shape.

• About 3000 BC. A race game board with dice and pieces in the Burnt City, Iran.
• About 2600 to 2400 BC. The Royal Game of Ur in Mesopotamia.
• 3rd to 6th century AD. Nard in Sasanian Persia, and Tabula in Rome.
• Middle Ages. The tables games spread across Europe.
• 1640s. The word backgammon appears in English.

Five thousand years separate today's players from the earliest race games. The boards changed and the rules evolved, and civilizations came and went. Yet one simple idea endured. Two players, a roll of the dice, and a race to the finish.

Why luck and skill both matter

At first glance backgammon seems simple. You roll the dice and move your checkers, and it can feel as if the dice decide everything. But the dice only tell you which numbers you rolled. They do not tell you which move to make. Should you attack, build a stronger position or play it safe? Every roll creates decisions, and every decision shapes the game.

That is why a beginner can beat an expert in a single game, but over hundreds of games the strongest players win again and again. Luck starts each game. Skill decides what happens next. It is a rare mix, and it is part of the reason the game has outlasted so many others.

You can see this for yourself. Read our backgammon strategy guide for pip counting and blot management, then play a few games and notice how often a good decision beats a bad roll.

A game for everyone, still evolving

Few games fit into so many moments of life. You can play with family at home, challenge a friend in a cafe, pass time while travelling, or compete at the highest level. For some it is a relaxed evening, and for others it is a lifelong pursuit, with international tournaments where players spend years refining their decisions.

Today the game keeps changing. Online platforms connect players across continents, and artificial intelligence helps professionals improve. Yet whether the board is carved from wood or shown on a screen, it feels instantly familiar. Roll the dice, make a choice, and race home.

So why did this game refuse to die? Because every generation discovered the same thing. A roll of the dice can create endless possibilities, and every new game tells a different story.

Watch Backgammon's 5,000 Years in motion

The same story as an animated video, with a short version.

The animated story. About four minutes. Watch on YouTube

The 45 second version. Watch on YouTube

Keep reading after Backgammon's 5,000 Years

More articles on the same ideas

• Bobby FischerThe 13 year old who stunned America, the 1972 world champion, and the title he refused to defend.
• Checkers Was SolvedIn 2007 researchers proved that perfect checkers is a draw. Here is what that means, and why people still play.
• Kasparov vs Deep BlueIn 1997 a computer beat the world chess champion in a match for the first time. The games and why they mattered.

Where this is explained further

• Backgammon strategy guidePip counting, blots, primes and the four game plans.
• Backgammon rulesSetup, dice, hitting, the bar and bearing off, with diagrams.

Sources for Backgammon's 5,000 Years

• Wikipedia, Backgammon
• Wikipedia, Royal Game of Ur
• Wikipedia, Shahr-e Sukhteh
• The modern rules were not played 5,000 years ago. The story follows a family of related race games, and dates are approximate.