Backgammon
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The History of Doubling (& Beavers)
Some time in the 1920s a lone genius or more likely a group of avid gamblers in New York or Long Island came up with the idea of doubling. Backgammon soon became an exciting game rather than just a good one. Initially matchsticks were used to keep track of the value of the game. The doubling cube itself was a later invention. Despite a lot of research the origin of doubling remains lost in the mists of time. As there is probably no one alive who played in those heady games of the 1920s it may do so for ever. A recent discussion on the backgammon newsgroup on the Internet shed no light on the situation. Similarly the origin of the beaver (your opponent doubles you, you turn the cube to 4 but keep it on your side of the board) is also a mystery. The first reference I can find in a book is Jacoby and Crawford's The Backgammon Book of 1970 where, "beavers have no real part in backgammon, but they give desperate gamblers a chance to turn the cube over faster than otherwise." Of the beaver's cousins, the racoon (to beaver a beaver), the skunk (to beaver a racoon), etc. I can find no mention.
Backgammon bibliography before 1970 is sketchy. If any reader has any old backgammon books, I would like to hear from them.
brayc@globalnet.co.uk or 18, Glendower Road, London SW14 8NY
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments