Backgammon is one of the oldest board games in man's history. It is believed that the game was originally played in Mesopotamia in the Persian Empire times. In those times, backgammon was played on wooden boards, stones were used as the checkers and they used dice made from bones, wood, stones and clay. It is said that it was a game played only by royals and nobles.

In Ancient Persia, the game was called “Takhteh Nard”, what in Persian stands for “Battle on Wood". After the Persians invaded Egypt, they changed the name to “Tau” and it’s believed that this game was the ancestor of the game “Senat”, which later became known as "Tabula", a game played by the Romans.

Later, the Romans conquered Britain and introduced that game, which was known as “Tables”. A book published in the 11th century is the first official reference of “Tables”. It is believed that the term “Backgammon” derives from the Old English words “Bac gamen”, standing for “Back Game”, whether referring to the reentering of the stones (checkers) to the board or the advanced style of “Tables” game called “Back Game”.

Edmond Hoyle, an Englishman, documented the rules of the game (1743). Then, Backgammon became very popular in England, but also in other countries in Europe. Its rules were updated for the first time in 1931 in America. They are still the rules used to play backgammon today.