Backgammon history questioned

Many books on backgammon history have described that, at the beginning of the twentieth century, as backgammon began to be a popular game throughout America, changes were made to the game itself. For example, according to standard backgammon history, the doubling cube was included as part of the game and in many ways poses as a symbol of America’s input to backgammon. However, this fact is questionable. Read on and decide for yourself!

Today, there is evidence that the doubling cube existed in the seventeenth century. “Francis Willughby’s Book of Games” predates many of the older known backgammon books. It is the first publication of an English, seventeenth century, handwritten manuscript of backgammon and it presents evidence that could change the facts of backgammon history.

The manuscript offers lots of general information about backgammon. However, the amazing thing is, that there is a quote in the manuscript that discusses playing Ticktack, (a game played on a backgammon board) with something called a “vie”, which in many ways represents the doubling cube that we know in the modern backgammon of today.

On the other hand, there are vast differences between the vie and the doubling cube. Only the first vie in Ticktack is able to double the stakes, where as the doubling cube in backgammon can always double the stakes. Thus, by accepting a double in Ticktack, the player is taking more of a risk. Although the player has the chance of gaining three stakes, he can also lose one. There are also other added risks with the vie in Ticktack

This is an aspect of backgammon history that opens an interesting debate. Some would argue that the development of the doubling cube may have actually stemmed from this early time period. Others may argue that the concept of a doubling cube died out only to be reborn again in the twentieth century. Others, may just call the whole thing a coincidence since the “vie” was not directly used in backgammon anyway!