The backgammon game has been a favorite pastime for most of recorded human history. The fifteen checkers allotted to each player, and the backgammon board with its alternately colored triangular shaped divisions, are well known all around the world. The rules of the game are quite easy to learn. The basic objective is to become the first player to get all their checkers into the area of the board designated as “Home” and from here they “Bear off”, or remove the checkers from the board. Today there is hardly a toyshop worthy of the name without its backgammon set on sale, and the backgammon board game is a popular present for the birthday boy or girl. Generations of children have learned how to play the game and have continued to play the game into their older years.

The ancient antecedents of backgammon might have led to it being rejected by today’s younger generation of players but the opposite has been the case. The development of the Internet has provided a major boost in popularity to the game. Internet backgammon has developed over the past fifteen years in a well-patronized source of home entertainment. The refinement of computer technology allows the online backgammon sites to present a backgammon setup with a realistic 3-D appearance, and to play backgammon online offers players the same excitement as the traditional game on the backgammon board.

Among the attractions of the online backgammon sites for new players are the provision of clear backgammon instructions and the chance to play free demo games to develop playing skills. Internet backgammon is a particularly valuable additional to the range of available leisure activities for people living in remote locations, and those whose are housebound due to ill health or advanced years. Until the introduction of online backgammon, there possibilities for participating in backgammon matches were severely limited at best. The introduction of online backgammon provides a rich range of new playing opportunities. Backgammon players can find games online whenever it suits them and at the level of play they are looking for.

Internet backgammon sites bring together players from a wide variety of countries and different playing abilities. In addition, Internet backgammon lets players take on a sophisticated backgammon computer that can also be adjusted to give them a beginning or an advanced game, and various playing levels in between.

As players perfect their skills, they often are attracted by the challenges of backgammon gambling. The opportunities for competitive gaming and the generous prizes provided on backgammon gaming sites serve as strong incentives for players to keep coming back to these sites. Certainly with sufficient practice and the development of a sound backgammon strategy, substantial prizes are available for the taking, though there will always remain those players who prefer to play for the fun only and they are also well looked after by a variety of suitable online backgammon sites. We recommend you read up on how to play and where the best sites are to play on the net before you start.

The backgammon board game has been a feature of human leisure activities from the earliest times of recorded history. Although today’s backgammon rules may differ from those known to the Romans and other ancient peoples, the familiar backgammon set with its board divided into twenty-four triangular segments and the fifteen checkers assigned to each player, as well as the dice and the throwing cup we know today, would not have looked strange to our ancestors. Backgammon has been such a favorite of all generations, from schoolchildren enthusiastically learning how to play backgammon from their friends, to experienced players in an international tournament, it is no wonder that it has taken off as a leading Internet game.

Prior to the 1990’s the Internet was a subject that the average personal in the street was unfamiliar with, but the spread of personal computers and Internet connections has made it a feature of so many homes in the western world and in many developing countries. Internet gaming has become big business and backgammon software ranks high on the list of the most popular games. The backgammon game download can be found on any number of sites and the free backgammon slogan has proved to be a highly successful way of attracting new players to that extent that it seems appropriate to write of the online backgammon explosion.

A number of factors have come together to account for the success of Internet backgammon. The high qualify of the software now provides an excellent level of visual reproduction of the backgammon set look with 3-D used to good effect. New players are made particularly welcome with sites furnishing full backgammon instructions so that they can easily learn acquire the information they need to understand the rules and objectives of the game. In additional, new players are assisted in developing their skills by the opportunities of playing practice game against a sophisticated backgammon computer. They can begin by playing at a beginners level and increase the level of skill of their computerized opponent as their own competence at the game improves.

The social element of Internet backgammon also pulls in many people. The game brings together a much broader range of players than can be found in the typical backgammon club, not to mention the local café. It is also an interesting experience to take on an opponent from the other side of the world and perhaps start to notice that players from certain countries favor one backgammon strategy over another, perhaps their play will emphasis hitting the opponent’s pieces or trying to block their opponent’s checkers.

Backgammon gambling has become the other key factor accounting for the growth of Internet backgammon. The costs of participating in matches are very moderate and the returns for experienced players are generous. Although not every player can be a winner, most players think they are in with a fair chance and are encouraged to log on. Try a game of online backgammon and get in on the action.

With all the amazing social and technological changes over the last five thousands years of human history, the way the backgammon board game has stood the test of time is quite amazing. Researchers have discovered that the origins of the familiar backgammon setup – the board divided into its twenty-four alternately colored, narrow triangular divisions, the fifteen counters per player, the dice and the dice shaker, all have a story to tell going back to the earliest recorded times. The exact inventor of the game of backgammon has been lost in the mists of time. All the evidence points to him or her having lived in the area now absorbed by the modern states of Iraq and Iran but no personal details have survived.

So, it must be left to the imagination to picture the first backgammon set up in the market place of a mud brick village after the hard day’s labor in the fields has come to a close and the workers seek to relax. We may wonder who was the first one to carve out the divisions of the backgammon board, to shake the dice and probably place the smooth stones that might have served for counters in their positions? Although it is unlikely the identity of the game’s inventor is ever going to be revealed in some archaeological dig, millions of people from all around the world can feel a sense of gratitude to this unknown figure for creating one of their favorite games.

The Romans soon caught on to the potential of the backgammon for gambling and enthusiasm for the game reached the throne of Caesar himself. Certainly, we can say it contributed to Roman civilization far more than the more bloodthirsty pastimes the Romans beloved. Wherever the Roman Empire reached, its soldiers and merchants brought the game of backgammon. The game became very popular in Europe and from here it was taken to the Americas. By the eighteenth century the backgammon instructions were brought to the printing house by an English player and game continued to go from strength to strength. The development of mass manufacturing and the retail trade made cheap, mass-produced backgammon sets readily available and through presents to children, many more new players were introduced to the game.

The last fifteen years or so have witnessed a dramatic explosion in interest in backgammon. For the most part this has been the consequence of the successful development of backgammon software. Many Internet sites offer a backgammon download that brings a brilliant 3-D virtual version of backgammon to the computer screen. By providing clear instructions on how to play backgammon, and offering free backgammon online, the gaming site developers have attracted a whole new audience. The people playing backgammon online range from the experienced players who are well versed in backgammon strategy and convinced they can win significant cash with their playing and gambling skills, to the novice players who enjoy the chance to build up their skills by playing against a sophisticated backgammon computer. When grouped together they represent a major advancement of an ancient game into an ultra-modern setting