The Modern History of Backgammon

1920-1960

In the 1920's, the doubling cube, which improved the element of skill in the game, was presented in New York by an anonymous gambler who wanted to promote the game and to secure its position as a prevalent leisure activity. The game was generally played by the aristocracy in privileged organizations, though a number of preliminary backgammon instruction books were published.

In 1931, The backgammon rules were altered in the U.S. and became similar to the rules as we more or less know today. At the time of the Depression, the game lost some of its attractiveness, but in the 1940's there was a slight revival. During that decade, a small number of additional manuscripts were printed, nonetheless no real progress in proficiency was made. In WWII the game once again lost its glamour.

1960-1990

Backgammon became more trendy in the 1960's owing to Prince Alexis Obelensky's endeavors. He was responsible for arranging and upholding competitions, and for initiating the authorized honorable World Championships in the Bahamas, which have persisted till this very day. At that time, various books about backgammon were published, the first of which was "Backgammon: The Action Game" , written by Obelensky (Oby) himself. The 1970's were often portrayed as backgammon's glory days, since it became progressively more popular, in terms of competitions and written material such as books, magazines, and newspaper columns. It was no longer considered an upper class game, but rather a game suitable for people of all ages in both the upper and middle class.

During competitions, people gambled for millions of dollars, and it became an all-embracing game in the United States and in Europe. Quite a few significant preliminary manuscripts emerged, such as "The Backgammon Book" by Jacoby & Crawford, "Backgammon: The Cruelest Game" by Cooke & Bradshaw, which were the basis for more sophisticated pieces such as "Backgammon for Profit" by Dwek and the timeless "Backgammon" by Magriel, considered the "bible of backgammon" by numerous people. Nevertheless, in the 1980's, backgammon's popularity weakened once more, especially among younger people, owing to the introduction of video games and the enthusiasm that they offered to youth. People that continued playing backgammon despite this trend were still extremely interested in discovering the ins and outs of the game. Their enthusiasm was reinforced by the creation of computer backgammon which offered both a proper adversary and position rollouts, thus enabling a more profound insight into the game.