Backgammon is a mental game that relies on planning, method, counting and luck. In this game for two players, the parties move their pieces clockwise or counterclockwise based on the two numbers printed on the dice and finally remove them from the game board. Remove from the playing field. After Go and Checkers, it is the third game in the world that is very common among the people of Eastern Europe and the Middle East, especially the people of Iran. In some regions of Iran, this game is called backgammon or backgammon.
History
Iran
A leaf from Baisangari’s Shahnameh that shows chess players and backgammon players.
Archaeological excavations in the burnt city show that this game existed in Iran in 3000 BC. A set of 30 beads and two dice in one page with a picture of a snake on it and found in Shahr Sokhte is 100 to 200 years older than the one found in Ur.
Iran is known as the motherland of this game among all the people of the world. The first man-made game on this earth, which is actually known as the ancestor of backgammon and perhaps chess, and dates back to about 6 thousand years ago during the Elam civilization in Khuzestan, Izeh and Shush region, is a game board that was built in the burnt city of Sistan and Balochistan was discovered from the ancient grave known as No. 761 along with 60 beads and it is made of ebony wood and in the shape of a snake that has coiled around itself 20 times and held its tail in its mouth. Its beads and dice, which were completely different from today’s dice, were placed in a clay container next to the game board and were made of common stones in the burnt city, i.e. lapis lazuli, agate, and turquoise. Until now, it was believed that the game board found in the royal cemetery of Ur in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) is the oldest game made by humans. Another example of the world’s oldest board and dice games, which was discovered five thousand years ago, in the shape of an eagle and a scorpion, made of soapstone, was discovered on the edge of Halil River in Jiroft, Kerman, following the excavations of Yusuf Majidzadeh, and it has holes (houses) that Beads were placed in it. Other examples of games have been discovered in the Silk Hill of Kashan, the rocks of Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. Researchers have called this type of board and dice games, which have been discovered in Iran and among other ancient nations such as China, Egypt, etc., as the ancestors of today’s backgammon game. In fact, all these early games were in such a way that they moved a number of stones or pieces on a board with different numbers of houses and brought the pieces from a starting point to an ending point.
The origin of modern backgammon: The oldest documents in the world that indicate the existence of the backgammon throne in its modern form are completely authentic and historical Iranian documents that report the creation of this game during the Sassanid era by the hands of Bozorgmehr, a clever minister.
The first document: a Pahlavi writing called Chatrang Namag (Matikan Chatrang or Chess Report) was invented by Bozorgmehr in response to the chess game sent by the King of India to Anushirvan, and after Ardeshir Babakan, the founder of the Sassanid dynasty, he named it “Newardshir” in the meaning Ardeshir is called the brave. According to the text of Chatrang Namag book, Bozormehr draws inspiration from various symbols that are generally related to Zoroastrian beliefs in making Takht Nerd. Like the game board is likened to the earth, the four parts of the playground are likened to the four seasons, the black and white of the dice are likened to day and night, the number of dice is likened to the number of days in a month, the rotation of the dice is likened to the rotation of the stars and the stars, and the dice are likened to the movement of people. Also, arranging the pieces at the beginning of the game has been likened to the creation of the world and the collision and passing of the pieces to the collision and passing of humans in this life and at the end their exit from the game board has been compared to death. The symbolism can even be seen in the description of the dice numbers, which 1 is the sign of Ahura Mazda; 2 emblems of two Mino (Angre Mino and Sepenta Mino); 3 good thoughts, words and deeds; 4 signs of the four elements of creation, i.e. water, wind, earth, fire; 5 signs of the five lights of the sun, moon, stars, fire, lightning and 6 have become like six times. This game is also mentioned in the Talmud, and it is interesting that the sum of the numbers facing each other on the sides of the dice is always seven, which is a number that was dear to Iranians. As they put six against one, five against two and four against three.
The second document is a silver dish from the Sassanid era, which shows Sassanid soldiers playing backgammon and wrestling in the motifs of this dish.
The third document is Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, which deals with the story of making the backgammon board in the form of poetry, this time in the section “Inserting Chess”.
Egypt
Board games have been around for thousands of years in Egypt and Southwest Asia. The ancient game of Sinite and the paintings of the great tombs show this fact.
What do the components of backgammon mean?
The meaning and concept of backgammon components is one of the most important issues in the game of backgammon. Backgammon is one of the ancient games in the world that has a long history. This game has been one of the most important pastimes of people since about 2000 years ago, and the origin of the backgammon game also goes back to India. This game dates back to very old civilizations such as: Roman civilization, Sumerian civilization, Iranian civilization and Egyptian civilization.
It is also worth mentioning that since the oldest backgammon board was found in the city of Sistan and Baluchistan in Iran; This game is also attributed to our country. This game has had its own rules and terms since the past, which are still used today. Also, the meaning and concept of backgammon components are important topics that were discussed in the past. In this article, we intend to fully familiarize you with the components of the backgammon board and the meaning and concept of the components of the backgammon board, so please stay with us.
The meaning and concept of backgammon components are as follows:
1- Backgammon board means the earth
2- Dice means lucky star
3- The rotation of the dice in the game means the rotation of days in life
4-30 pieces in backgammon means 30 days and nights in every month
5-24 house in backgammon means 24 hours in a day and night
4-6 parts of the backgammon field means 4 seasons a year
12-7 houses on each side of the game means 12 months in every year
5-8 hands in the backgammon game means 5 hours in a day and night
9- Game pieces mean people in life
10-Circulation of pieces in the backgammon game means circulation and movement of people in life
11-2 The black and white colors of beads mean night and day
12- The backgammon field means the sky
13- Removing the dice at the end of every backgammon game also means the death of people in life.
Meaning and concept of dice numbers in backgammon game
In addition to the meaning and concept of backgammon components that we mentioned in the previous part, the numbers also have their own meaning and concept in the backgammon game, which we will discuss in this part.
The meaning of each of the dice numbers in the backgammon game:
Number 1: It means the oneness of God and worship of God.
Number 2: means heaven and earth.
Number 3: It means the three principles of good thoughts, good speech and good deeds in Zoroastrianism.
Number 4: means north, south, west and east on earth.
Number 5: means sun, star, moon, fire and thunder.
Number 6: means 6 days of creation.
What is backgammon?
Backgammon is one of the two-person games that has special tactics. The board game is a strategic game that, in addition to the fact that luck affects its outcome, it also has rules and techniques. In this game, the person who gets all his pieces out of the field earlier than the opponent will win.
One of the features that has made this game a popular game is its excitement and unpredictability.
Although game experience has a high impact on winning and losing, in this game the winner will not be determined until the last moment and everything is unpredictable. So that even in some cases, a novice player may win against an experienced player. The backgammon playing field has two sides, which have 24 narrow triangles, which are called houses.
Also, the arrangement of beads can be in two ways: from right to left or from left to right.
What equipment do we need to play backgammon?
As mentioned in the previous parts, backgammon is one of the most popular games among people. And there are many people who play backgammon in their gatherings and parties. In fact, this game is considered one of the healthiest entertainments.
But this game, like other mental games, needs equipment and tools to play. In this section, we will introduce you to these devices.
Backgammon games are as follows:
1- The first and most important playground equipment is the backgammon board, which, as mentioned, has 24 triangular houses.
2- White and black pieces are also one of the most important components of the backgammon game.
3- Another important component in the backgammon game that determines the fate of the winner and loser is the dice. In backgammon we need two dice.
4-Another device used in the backgammon game. It is a double dice. The numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 are written on this dice and it is used when doubling the points. But it should be noted that in our country this device is not usually used for playing backgammon.
5- Another device that is used in some parts of the world to play backgammon is the dice cup or small dice. This tool is rarely used in Iran, just like dice.
All the things mentioned above are components of the backgammon board. Some of these components have their own meaning, so stay tuned to get to know the meaning and concept of backgammon components.
You can also visit the backgammon hut website to buy a backgammon game or any of the devices mentioned above. Or by clicking on this section, you will be taken to the backgammon store.
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