What Is Backgammon? History, Setup & How to Start Playing
Two players sit across a board of narrow wooden triangles. Dice clatter against a leather cup, checkers shift from point to point, and within minutes a game that is roughly 5,000 years old is underway again.
Backgammon is among the oldest board games we can trace, according to the British Museum, yet it remains one of the quickest to learn. A beginner can grasp the aim in a single sitting and still spend a lifetime improving.
This guide explains what the game is, where it came from, and how to start playing. If you are choosing a board to learn on, it is worth knowing that games made for children in our collection are tested to UKCA and CE safety standards, so a first set is sound as well as handsome.
What Is Backgammon and Where Did It Come From?
Backgammon is a game for two players, each racing fifteen checkers around and off a board. Luck decides the roll of the dice; skill decides what you do with it. That balance is why the game has held attention across so many centuries.
Its history stretches back around 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest known board games. The British Museum traces this lineage through a family of ancient race games played with dice and counters across the Near East and Mediterranean.
The clearest ancestor is the Royal Game of Ur, excavated by Sir Leonard Woolley from the Royal Cemetery at Ur, in modern-day Iraq, during the 1920s. It dates to around 2500 BCE and now sits in the British Museum. Players moved pieces along a track according to the throw of dice, a mechanism any backgammon player would recognise at once.
From those roots grew the countless regional versions that eventually settled into the game we know. The same basic idea, racing counters home before your opponent, survived through empires, languages and centuries of changing fashion.
That endurance is part of the appeal. When you play, you join a very long line of players. You can see the full range in our backgammon collection, and the wider story continues across our traditional games, where several of these ancient pastimes still live on in modern form.
Understanding this background makes the first game feel less like a hobby and more like picking up a thread.
How Did Backgammon Travel from the Ancient World to the British Drawing Room?
The journey from the ancient Near East to the English drawing room took thousands of years and many intermediate forms. Race games travelled with traders, soldiers and settlers, each culture adapting the rules to its own taste.
By the medieval period, versions of the game were well established across Europe, often played under local names. What they shared was the essential structure: two sides, dice, and a race to bear off.
The modern form settled in England in the 17th century. The rules we play by today were largely standardised then, and the word 'backgammon' itself first appears in print in 1645, as recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary.
From that point the game became a fixture of English social life. It suited the drawing room perfectly: quick to set up, companionable, and capable of real depth once the basics were mastered.
It sat naturally alongside the other household games of the period. The same rooms that held a backgammon board often held a chess board too, and you can see that pairing reflected in our chess sets and across our wider board games.
The British craft tradition kept the game alive through the following centuries, and the folding wooden board became its classic shape. Our folding backgammon set follows that same practical design, closing into a case that travels and stores with ease.
So the backgammon you play now carries two histories at once: an ancient one reaching back to Ur, and an English one shaped in the 1600s.
What Are the Basic Rules of Backgammon and How Does the Board Work?
The board itself is the place to start. A standard backgammon board has 24 narrow triangles called points, arranged in four quadrants of six points each. The points alternate in colour, which helps you count moves at a glance.
Each player has fifteen checkers, two dice and one dice cup. The checkers begin in a fixed starting position, split across the board, and move in opposite directions around the track.
The aim is simple to state. You move your checkers around to your own home quadrant, then bear them off the board entirely. The first player to remove all fifteen checkers wins.
Movement follows the dice. You roll two dice and move your checkers that many points, either as two separate moves or combined onto one checker. Roll a double and you play each number twice, giving four moves in that turn.
A point held by two or more of your opponent's checkers is blocked to you. A point with a single enemy checker, a blot, can be hit, sending that checker back to the start to re-enter the race.
That interplay of racing and blocking is the whole game in miniature. It rewards both forward planning and a willingness to take a calculated risk on the dice.
Good physical equipment makes learning easier, because clear points and well-weighted checkers help you read the board. Our mahogany backgammon set gives you that clarity, and the backgammon board buying guide walks through what to look for in a first board.
How Do You Actually Start a Game of Backgammon as a Complete Beginner?
Begin by setting up the board correctly, since almost everything depends on it. Each player's fifteen checkers go to their fixed starting points across the four quadrants, mirroring the opponent's layout. Most sets, including a good folding board, make this easy to copy.
To decide who goes first, each player rolls a single die. The higher number starts and plays the two dice just rolled as their opening move. If both roll the same, you roll again.
On your turn, roll both dice and move your checkers forward toward your home quadrant. You may move one checker by the total or split the roll between two checkers, provided each landing point is open to you.
Keep your checkers safe by trying to land on points you already hold, or pairing them up. A lone checker left exposed can be sent back, and early games are often decided by these small moments of risk.
Once all fifteen of your checkers reach your home quadrant, you begin bearing off, removing them according to the dice. The first to clear the board wins, and you will likely finish your first game within half an hour.
The best way to learn is simply to play a few rounds without worrying about strategy. A straightforward board such as our folding backgammon set is ideal for this, and it slips easily into a bag for practice away from home, as the travel backgammon guide explains.
After a handful of games the rhythm becomes second nature, and the deeper decisions start to reveal themselves.
Why Do People Still Play Backgammon Today and Is It Worth Learning?
Backgammon survives because it answers a lasting need: a game that two people can play together, fairly quickly, with just enough depth to keep it interesting for years. Few games strike that balance so neatly.
The mix of dice and decisions is central to this. Luck keeps a weaker player in the contest and a stronger player honest, so matches stay close and the outcome is rarely certain until the end.
It also suits almost any age. A child can learn the moves in an afternoon, while an adult can study the odds for a lifetime, which makes it a natural choice for shared play across generations.
That versatility makes it a fine addition to a household's games. It sits comfortably alongside the others in our board games and our traditional games, giving family evenings a quieter, more thoughtful option. The family game night guide offers ideas for building that habit.
If you are learning now and want a board to grow into, our backgammon collection ranges from practical travel sets to heirloom pieces. The best backgammon sets roundup compares them, and there are suggestions in our gifts for backgammon players for anyone buying for an enthusiast.
So yes, it is worth learning. You gain a game that is easy to begin, difficult to exhaust, and connected to a history stretching back thousands of years.
Set up the board, roll the dice, and you are playing something humans have enjoyed since the age of Ur.
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Frequently Asked Questions About What Is Backgammon Game
What is backgammon game and how do you play it?
Backgammon is one of the world's oldest board games, played by two players on a board of 24 narrow triangles called points. Each player has 15 checkers and moves them around the board according to dice rolls, with the aim of moving all checkers into their home board and then bearing them off. The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins. Checkers can be blocked or hit by the opponent, adding tactical depth to what is fundamentally a race game.
Who invented backgammon?
No single inventor of backgammon is known. The game evolved over thousands of years from ancient race games played across the Middle East and Mediterranean. Its modern rules are widely credited with being standardised in England during the 17th century, with the word 'backgammon' first appearing in print in 1645 according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Precursor games, including those played in ancient Mesopotamia, contributed to the form we recognise today.
How old is backgammon?
Backgammon has a history spanning approximately 5,000 years, according to the British Museum. Precursor race games, such as the Royal Game of Ur dating to around 2500 BCE, share the same essential concept of racing pieces around a board using dice. The modern standardised form of backgammon emerged in 17th-century England, but its roots reach deep into ancient civilisations across Mesopotamia, Persia, and Rome.
Where did backgammon originate?
Backgammon's origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia, in the region of modern-day Iraq. The Royal Game of Ur, excavated by Sir Leonard Woolley from the Royal Cemetery at Ur in the 1920s and now held at the British Museum, dates to around 2500 BCE and is considered a precursor race game. Similar games spread through Persia, ancient Rome, and across Europe over millennia, eventually being codified into the modern game in 17th-century England.
Is backgammon a British game?
Backgammon is not originally British, but Britain played a significant role in shaping the modern game. Its roots are ancient and Middle Eastern, with precursor games dating back some 5,000 years. However, the modern rules of backgammon are widely credited with having been standardised in England during the 17th century, and the word 'backgammon' itself first appears in English print in 1645, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, giving Britain a firm place in the game's history.
Why is backgammon called backgammon?
The precise etymology of 'backgammon' is debated, but it is generally believed to derive from the Middle English or Welsh words meaning 'back game', possibly referring to checkers being sent back to the start after being hit. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word 'backgammon' first appears in print in 1645, making it a relatively modern name for a game with ancient roots. Earlier versions of the game were known by different names across various cultures.
How many pieces do you need to play backgammon?
Each player uses 15 checkers in a standard game of backgammon, giving 30 checkers in total across the board. In addition, each player uses two dice and a dice cup for rolling. The checkers are typically in two contrasting colours, one set per player. According to the World Backgammon Federation's official rules, the objective is to move all 15 of your checkers around the board and bear them off before your opponent does the same.
Is backgammon hard to learn for beginners?
Backgammon is straightforward to learn at a basic level. The core rules — rolling dice, moving checkers in one direction, hitting opponent pieces, and bearing off — can be grasped in a single session. The board has 24 points arranged in four quadrants of six, which becomes intuitive quickly. However, playing well takes considerably longer to master, as strategy, probability, and reading the position all deepen with experience. Beginners can enjoy competitive games almost immediately, making it an accessible and rewarding game from the outset.
What is the doubling cube in backgammon?
The doubling cube is a numbered cube marked with the values 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64, used to raise the stakes of a backgammon game. At the start, the game is worth one point. Either player may offer to double the value before rolling; the opponent must accept or concede the current stake. Once accepted, the offering player retains the right to redouble later. The doubling cube adds a significant strategic and psychological dimension to backgammon beyond the movement of checkers.
How long does a game of backgammon take?
A single game of backgammon typically lasts between 10 and 30 minutes, depending on the players' experience and the flow of the dice. Shorter games can occur when one player's position collapses quickly; longer games arise from closely contested positions. In competitive play, matches are usually played to a set number of points rather than as a single game, which can extend a session considerably. For casual play at home, backgammon offers a satisfying game length that suits both quick sessions and longer evenings.
Explore more from our workshop: our backgammon, our board games, our traditional games, our chess sets, backgammon board buying guide uk 2026, best backgammon sets uk 2026, best christmas gifts for backgammon players jaques of lond, best travel backgammon sets uk 2026 and board games family game night uk — every piece made to the same standard Jaques has held since 1795.