Today’s backgammon enthusiasts are presented with a wide variety of opportunities to play backgammon in a way that previous generations could never even have envisaged in their wildest dreams. For the thousands of years people have been playing backgammon, games have been commonly played in family homes, or in popular meeting places. Since most of the world’s population lived in the countryside or small villages, the likelihood was that the same players would compete against each other time after time. For players who were particularly skilled at the game, the lack of players of similar skills levels can only have served to detract from their interest in the game.

The move from the countryside to the cities, and the creation of backgammon clubs widened players’ horizons. Whether attracted by the prospects of winning at backgammon gambling or simply interested in the playing for enjoyment alone, in schools, work places and places of entertainment, people starting coming together much more to learn how to play backgammon and make new friends. This is still very much the case today. For example, it would be interesting to see what percentage of successful backgammon players learn the backgammon game at school.

Although the game has had its ups and downs in popularity in the course of its history, for instance, the introduction of the doubling cube in 1920’s America added to the appeal of backgammon as a casino game, the development of backgammon software over the last fifteen years has propelled backgammon into a new place of prominence on the international gaming scene. It seems that not only have traditional backgammon players been attracted to online backgammon but also a new generation of players are being drawn to the game. Although these players are not exclusively in the under thirty-age group, it seems a fair guess that backgammon online attracts primarily younger players. In part this can be accounted for by their greater familiarity with Internet technology, but there is also a youth culture of which the Internet has become an integral part.

Besides the factor of age, there are a number of other considerations at play in determining whether a person prefers to play with a traditional backgammon set or play with a virtual set online. For some players, there can be no substitute for a face-to-face game. Exchanging typed messages with the other players can never compete with genuine social contact. These players may well belong to a backgammon club they have been patronizing for years and feel content to keep their game at this level.

Many other players are drawn by the prospect of competing with players from around the world brought together by Internet gaming. They also enjoy the chance of testing out their skills against a backgammon computer. If they are primarily interested in gaming opportunities, the ability to play backgammon on the Internet is valued for the substantial prizes they think they have a chance of winning. Certainly the convenience factor must not be underrated, with the Internet offering games at a time and location that players find convenient.

If historians have given the late 1700’s and early 1800’s the title of the “Industrial Revolution”, we can well imagine that future historians are likely to call the late twentieth century and the early twenty-first century as the “Computer” or maybe the “Software Revolution.” The amazingly rapid development of technology has resulted in dramatic changes in the way people work and shop and also in how they enjoy their leisure. Old pastimes that have been known for generations seem as if they are heading for extinction yet one of the oldest recorded games known to man, the backgammon board game, seems to be going from strength to strength. Rather than yielding ground to the deluge of video and other computerized games developed over the last two decades, backgammon has managed to find itself a secure place on the technological bandwagon. At the center of the growing popularity of the game is the role of the many Internet sites offering free backgammon. As backgammon software brings backgammon into the twenty-first century the adaptability of this game to such a radically changes environment stands out in sharp contrast to the fate of many other leisure activities.

For generations backgammon sets have provided people with a welcome means of relaxation, and a way of making some money for those who become well versed in backgammon strategy. Many people have learned how to play backgammon while at school and have went on to become regular players in matches with friends at the local café, or on a more serious level in backgammon clubs. The game has also spawned a rich literature with books tracing the history of the game over five thousands years from its Middle Eastern origins, and other books describing classic games and providing tips on how to win. In this way the game has come to acquire millions of participants around the globe. Now that the game has been successfully adapted to an online format, the scope for growth in the player base and increase in the number of games played by experienced players is far greater than in any previous period.

Internet backgammon has removed the need to go out and look for a game to join. Online backgammon games are available around the clock. Even the time spent on backgammon setup is no longer required since with a click of the computer mouse, a backgammon download brings to your computer a game of backgammon set up and all ready to start. If a player wants to be reminded of any of the backgammon instructions, or maybe want to learn these for the first time, these sites have the required information prominently on display. Learning basic skills and strategy is also greatly facilitated by the chance of taking on a computerized opponent. There is no more need to wait till you can find a suitable game to join. The online backgammon community provides a pool of international players and this makes it easy to find someone to play against at a convenient time.

The backgammon game has been around for thousands of years. Its origins are lost in the mists of time, but it seems that backgammon was played by the ancient Persians and spread through the Roman Empire and from here throughout the world. The fact the how to play backgammon is easily learned has led to the backgammon board game becoming a feature of many private homes, as well as cafes, clubs and places of entertainment. In the course of the thousands of years that the game has been played, a number of variations have developed, for the most part associated with specific regions, for example, Turkish backgammon.

Although a player who is used to playing the backgammon known in the western world may need a little time to familiarize themselves with the game played in a particular locality, there is much in common between the backgammon variations. Although there are differences in the backgammon setup and in backgammon strategy found between particular backgammon varieties, it should not take long for a player who has learned how to play one version of the game to learn how to play another version.

Leaving aside the varied ways in which backgammon is played in different areas of the world, the standard backgammon rules that are followed in international competitions are still what most people consider as providing the backgammon instructions they wish to follow in their games. Also, although online backgammon has become very popular over recent years, it is these international rules that govern the conduct of the majority of today’s backgammon software supports. Therefore, unless you are specifically searching for a regional variety of backgammon, your backgammon game download will give you a game conducted according to these internationally accepted rules.

How to play online backgammon and how to play backgammon on the traditional board both require an understanding of the objective of the game, the setup of the backgammon board, and the rules governing the moving of players. This information is easily acquired by observing experienced players, by playing demonstration Internet backgammon games and by reading the extensive backgammon rules available on online backgammon sites.

The aim of the game is for each player to move all their checkers to the area of the board designated as their home quadrant. From here, they are able to remove checkers from the board and the first one to succeed to remove all their checkers is the winner. The familiar backgammon setup involves each player being allotted fifteen checkers, with one player traditionally using white checkers while their opponent uses black checkers. The movement of checkers is controlled by the throw of a dice and this provides the random element that significantly contributes to the game’s excitement. However, in addition to the dice throw, the devising of a sound backgammon strategy also forms an essential element in a winning player’s performance and this develops as players gain experience. The best way to develop playing strategy is through practice using free backgammon software on the net.