Backgammon has its origins in early board games developed in Ur of Mesopotamia 5000 years ago. For centuries, attempts were made to ban it because of its close association with gambling. Yet backgammon never lost its appeal because, like chess, it is easy to play but hard to play well. The Backgammon Pack is a beautifully designed kit that has everything you need to get started-a board (designed with sliding drawers to fold out into a fully-sized playing board), playing pieces and a book, that not only gives you the rules and describes the basic game, but also advice on how to play for money, and win!