Ben Nikpour - Week 2: Backgammon

    For as long as I can remember, backgammon has been a key part of my family. If you came to a Nikpour family holiday, you would witness my grandpa and dad sitting and playing backgammon. For hours, you would hear nothing but the occasional grunt or laugh on a good move. For me, backgammon has been a way to connect with my grandpa and my Middle Eastern roots. 

    The game of backgammon originated somewhere in the Middle East upwards of 5,000 years ago. It is a game of luck and strategy. The way you play backgammon is by rolling a set of dice. Both players roll one of the dice and whoever rolls the higher number gets to move first. The players take turns rolling the dice and slowly move their piece closer to their base. In many ways, you can imagine this game as the game Sorry. Once all your pieces are in your base, you continue to take turns rolling, but now you slowly remove your pieces from the board. The winner of the game is the person who removes all their pieces from the board. 

    Backgammon is still a very popular game in the Middle East, but for whatever reason, many people do not know the game in America. My grandpa grew up in Iran where he was introduced to the game. When he came to America, he continued teaching and playing the game with his family and eventually me. I look forward to playing the game with him every visit and holiday. Unfortunately, I have not been able to visit him lately because of the ongoing pandemic, and I have lost some of my game skills and knowledge. I was happy to join the backgammon minimester and refresh my memory of this unique and historic game. 

    Would you be interested in learning to play backgammon?




Comments

  1. AnonymousFeb 8, 2022, 9:01:00 PM

    My dad plays the game really intensely, like the sound of him throwing the dice against the board is deafening. According to many and himself, he's amazing at the game and even knows exactly how to role the dice in order to win. He never taught me how to play though, but it is interesting to watch.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFeb 8, 2022, 9:01:00 PM

    **roll

    ReplyDelete

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