Getting across the Board
Table games have a history that can date back as early as the ancient times. Egyptians, as depicted in movies and literature, enjoy playing table games to practice their strategic planning and development. Persians, on the other hand, do the same thing, honing their skills in planning their attacks against the enemies. These two different cultures have something in common and that is the table game they play, backgammon.
Backgammon is not known as it is before during the ancient times. It had other names, varying according to culture but nonetheless, still has the same essence whenever it is played like for the Egyptians, they call it senet. For the ancient Mesopotamia civilization, it's called The Royal Game of Ur, named after the ancient city of Ur where the earliest civilization started. The game was only played by the royalty and the military officers to enhance their planning strategy. Like the present day backgammon, the Royal Game of Ur also used dices.
With the roll of the dice, the move is planned strategically in order to occupy the opponent's place across the board. The game itself refers to the movement of the checkers on the table dependent on the roll of dice. If the dice show 5 and 3, it means the first checker is moved 5 steps forward and another checker is moved 3 steps backward, until it reaches the opponent's side. If the roll of the dice produces a double, the move is made by moving the same number of checkers forward with the spaces according to the dice. The skill of planning your strategy comes in when the player tries to block the opponent's checkers or when trying to avoid the blocks of the opponent to get to the other side.
Playing backgammon started out as a game for gamblers that later carried on to the higher courts like the clergy and royalty. During the reign of Louis IX, he banned backgammon from his court and subjects from being played, for the fear of being associated with gamblers. The decree didn't stop the people from playing backgammon instead it made them more curious on how it is played.
Backgammon, together with chess, was studied by computer scientists to develop software that can defeat human players. The purpose of the study was to provide a deeper understanding on how the game is played and the application of the techniques learnt, making it a game for the mind aside from being a game of skill and luck.
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