Backgammon (1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article)
1911
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Description
Backgammon is a board game for two players, played with men and dice, said to have been invented about the 10th century. Romans knew a like game, the twelve-line game, and Plato alludes to dice thrown with men placed after thought. The name is probably Saxon: baec, back, and gamen, game, a game where players can be sent back.
The board holds four tables of six points each, split by a raised bar, with fifteen white and fifteen black men. Dice decide the moves, men travelling point to point in opposite directions around the tables. The entry then gives the full rules of play, the old names for dice numbers, ace, deuce, trey, and notes the French name trictrac, echoing the dice's rattle.
Catalog record
| YEAR | 1911 |
|---|---|
| COLLECTION | REFERENCE |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 13 KB |
| LICENSE | PUBLIC_DOMAIN |
| RIGHTS | PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| SOURCE | Wikisource — 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica |
Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Backgammon