| Backgammon is one of the all time favorite board | | | | checkers, while the dice might be made out of a |
| games and its five thousand years of history is | | | | piece of bone. As the range of materials in regular |
| something that few other games can complete | | | | use expanded, pottery checkers and dice replaced |
| with. From its development in the lands of the | | | | their humble predecessors. With the increasing |
| Near East, the Iran and Iraq of our own times, | | | | commercialism in the 1800's backgammon sets |
| the backgammon game made its way across the | | | | produced for retailers began to replace the |
| Roman Empire. In the course of time it has | | | | home-produced sets previously in use. In the |
| reached every corner of the world. The | | | | twentieth century the introduction of plastics |
| backgammon board with its twenty four | | | | came as a great boon for the producers of |
| triangular-shaped, alternately colored divisions, and | | | | backgammon sets and helped insure that cheap |
| the backgammon set of fifteen checkers for | | | | sets have become available to all who want to |
| each player, dice, and a dice shaker are instantly | | | | play backgammon. |
| recognizable to a great proportion of the world's | | | | In many respects the greatest development in |
| inhabitants. It might be thought that with the | | | | the technology of the backgammon set has |
| passage of all these years and the appearance of | | | | occurred only in the last fifteen years with the |
| so many different times of board and other | | | | introduction of Internet backgammon. Spurred on |
| games, backgammon would go out of fashion, but | | | | by the success of backgammon gambling, |
| that has not been the case. The game has | | | | Internet backgammon has introduced the game |
| managed to continue to increase its following and | | | | to a much wider audience by transferring it to a |
| is probably more popular today than at any time | | | | media that has turned out to be particularly suited |
| in its long history. | | | | for hosting the game. The developers of the |
| Without doubt backgammon's unique combination | | | | backgammon online sites have succeed in creating |
| of a game of skill and strategy with a game | | | | attractive 3-D virtual versions of backgammon |
| whose movement's are controlled by the | | | | sets that behave exactly like their traditional |
| outcomes of the dice throw, has been a key | | | | wooden counterparts. The backgammon sites also |
| factor in accounting for its enduring popularity. | | | | boast sophisticated computers that allow players |
| Yet, another contributing factor has been the | | | | to test their skills at a level to suit their |
| way the backgammon set adapts to changing | | | | proficiency at the game, and they provide a clear |
| technologies. | | | | explanation of backgammon rules for those who |
| In the early years of the game, backgammon | | | | lack this information or merely require a reminder. |
| sets were made from whatever materials were | | | | Online backgammon has clearly proven the |
| available locally. For example, a flat piece of wood | | | | endurance of the backgammon set as an ancient |
| could have the divisions of the board carved into | | | | leisure artifact capable of successfully adapting to |
| it, and a set of smooth stones could serve as the | | | | the twenty-first century leisure market. |