The History of Backgammon in China

The history of backgammon is long and interesting. It is a known fact that a version of the game was played by the pharaohs in ancient Egypt and by the ancient Romans. However, historians argue that backgammon origins can also be traced to the Eastern part of the world, to ancient China. In fact, it is shown in the history of backgammon that backgammon nard was popular from around the year 700 AD!

The history of backgammon shows that Shan-liu - the local name for backgammon nard - was very similar to the backgammon that we know today. It was also played on a board with thirty checkers and two dice. In fact, the name Shan-liu means 'double six', showing the importance of these numbers in the game.

Of course, you will always have backgammon purists who argue that true backgammon (ie. as we know it today with all the exact rules and regulations) does not incorporate games such as nard or Russian backgammon. However, when we look at the history of backgammon, we see that all these games contributed towards the fun form of entertainment that we find today.