“Backgammon Essay” by Edmund Hoyl

During the 18^th century the backgammon has gained enough respect in the eyes of the church and now playing the game was considered to be time well spent. This way, during 1743 Edmund Hoyl, famous English board game expert publishes the book “Backgammon Essay” and formulates the rules of the game by disclosing tactics for improving the game, which are acknowledged as useful until today.

People were playing backgammon in Europe and in America. Proof of that are the wins and losses on backgammon, which are shown on Thomas Jefferson’s expenses list during 1776 – almost when he was writing the Declaration of Independence.

Virtual backgammon tournaments in the 21^st century

In this technological era, backgammon tournaments are organized in many websites and in many languages. You can play backgammon for fun but also for money. The game even has its own portal in Facebook and its fans there are more than 50 000 people.