backgammon

Board game for two players, often used in gambling. It was known in Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and in medieval England.

The board is marked out in 24 triangular points of alternating colours, 12 to each side. Throwing two dice, the players move their 15 pieces around the board to the 6 points that form their own ‘inner table’; the first player to move all his or her pieces off the board is the winner.