Dazadi.com Blog

The ancient game of backgammon has been enjoyed by millions worldwide since as early as 3000 BC. The history and evolution of this classic board game is partially unclear, but older, similar variations of the game have been found in countries such as Rome, India, Persia and France.

Backgammon is a game that involves moving your set of checkers into your ”home board,” so that you may eventually remove all of the checkers from your board and win. The object may seem simple, but tons of strategy is involved in keeping your opponent from moving his or her checkers. Since players may only move their game pieces to an open point (triangle), it can be a strategic move to block any potentially open spaces, for example. Game play is usually pretty quick, so players will often set stakes or play to a certain number of wins.

One ancient variation of the game was believed to have been played in Egypt, and it goes by the name of Senet. While the exact rules of the game are obviously unclear, it is believed players moved a set of pawns across the 30 squares contained on the game board. Another variation is the ”Ancient Game of Ur,” which is believed to have been played in Mesopotamia.

In Rome, evidence of a game called ”Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum” has been found. This game involved a game board with two rows of 12 squares, 15 ebony markers, and 15 ivory markers. The game was also referred to as ”Tabula,” and it became extremely popular. It was even partially responsible for a gambling craze that swept throughout Rome. Due to this gambling frenzy, eventually the game was declared illegal despite its extreme popularity amongst average citizens. A similar history has been noted in France and England.

While multiple variations of the game have been found, such as the game of Nard in Asia, the modern style of play as we know it in America has developed in the US and in England. For example, in the 1920’s the doubling cube was created in New York. This increased the stakes of the game, which made it more popular, but it was mostly limited to the upper class. In the 1960’s, the game saw a huge rise in popularity thanks to the promotion of popular tournaments and titles associated with the game. Currently, backgammon is a popular computer game that can be played with worldwide opponents thanks to the internet.

Today, backgammon has certainly secured its place as one of the oldest and most well-known board games to date. Just about every game box set you find includes backgammon. Beautiful and often elaborate game boards have been created to match everybody’s individual taste and sophistication. For example, the Brown and Black Wood Attache Backgammon with Drawer or the Tournament Burgandy Backgammon sets are attractive, high-quality sets designed to add a touch of beauty to any game room. Functional boards like the GLD Backgammon Set or the Sheesham Wood Folding Magnetic Backgammon Set feature a magnetic board and pieces to ensure clean, organized game play every time!

Whether you’re playing for the first time, or an experienced, skilled backgammon player, it’s interesting to know you are partaking in a pastime enjoyed by millions worldwide throughout time! At Dazadi, we want more than anything for you to have fun. If backgammon is the game for you, we are happy to provide you with a selection boards from the affordable, to the most lavish of boards in addition to our large collection of toys and games. So, get out your dice, grab a friend, and see what people have been talking about since 3000 B.C.!

Since it’s widely-contested beginnings, Beer Pong or Beirut, has become a favorite pastime among college students, tailgaters and partygoers all across North America. Beer Pong began with the use of paddles and developed into a game of pitching skill. A drinking game inspired loosely by ping pong and played as early as the 1950’s, Beer Pong has evolved over the decades, prompting various sets of rules, racking formations and “shooting” techniques. House rules usually vary according to geographical region or institution but the basic concept is always the same:

• Players throw ping pong balls across a table toward 6-12 specially arranged or “racked” cups of beer. Cups are usually racked in a triangle formation on each side of the table.
• If a player “sinks” his ball in a cup, the defending team must consume all the beer in that cup. The cup is then removed from the playing field. Beer is often substituted for another type of alcohol or on some occasions, water.
• Each player on a team usually gets one turn per round to sink an opposing team’s cups. The first team to remove all of their cups loses.

Of course, accuracy and precision become more challenging as a player consumes more alcohol. The option of “redemption”, “sudden death rounds” and interference techniques such as “swatting” and “blowing” are dictated by the house (party host, fraternity, tournament etc.).

Arguably America’s favorite drinking game, Beer Pong is so popular and so widely played that there now exist Beer Pong Tournaments such as the World Series of Beer Pong. The World Series tournament is held in Las Vegas, Nevada and offers a grand prize of $50,000! Smaller local leagues hold tournaments with their own prizes and rankings. Official tournament size beer pong tables are now a must-have for tournaments, parties and bars! Dazadi.com is proud to offer a variety of beer pong tables with assorted features so you can enjoy this beloved pastime at your next party!

ProPong manufactures tables for true lovers of the sport. Their tables are strong and built to last. These tables feature a protective coating that is conveniently scratch and spill-resistant! The tough surface makes for easy clean up of liquid (and chunkier liquid) spills! ProPong offers cool design themes and features to fit different interests, personalities and decors. The Classic Beer Pong Table features a simple and clean white design for those who are looking for some serious good clean fun. The Big Bang Table includes an interesting galactic design that is sure to take your party to a whole new dimension. Create your own fun design with the Blank Table, or use it to capture quotes, silly drawings, or signatures from each of your parties. Of course there is a table for the ladies as well. The Pink Table features a pretty floral design that appeals to the feminine side in all of us.

ProPong tables are also collapsible for ultimate portability. Carry them from party to party or store them when not in use. These durable tables will stand up to your most intense games…and wildest parties! So spice up your hang outs, partake in a national pastime and pay tribute to the trusty, time-honored cultural emblem of unabashed good times- the red plastic cup.

How could the chilly, long-standing hostility between the US and the Soviet Union spark decades of entertainment, friendly competition and good times? Well, it was the Cold War tension between these two superpowers that actually spawned an arcade game which spread in popularity around the world. In an historic Olympic hockey game in 1980, when the US and the Soviets took to the ice, the seeds of what would be known as bubble hockey (or dome hockey, as it is also called) were sown. With the US being considered the underdog in this epic match,  the unexpected win over their Soviet rivals brought a swelling patriotism across America. As the flag flying fueled a renewed enthusiasm for hockey and the good old U S of A, a company known as ICE (Innovative Concepts in Entertainment) saw a window of opportunity.

By 1982 ICE had produced their original Super Chexx dome hockey table, the first table hockey game enclosed within a dome. A high tech upgrade to the traditional manual table hockey game, bubble hockey took table hockey to a whole new level. Bubble hockey provided electronic scoring, sound effects and auto puck return all within the confines of a dome enclosure. Riding the wave of fervor created by the celebrated 1980 Olympic win, the first Super Chexx models gave a nod to history and featured opposing teams in their respective US and Soviet uniforms. Read the rest of this entry »

Table tennis originated in England as an after dinner amusement for aristocrats in the 1880s. Like most sports in their infant stages, table tennis originally had no equipment made specifically for the sport, and instead used everyday equipment such as Champagne corks and cigar box lids. Players developed names for the sport such as “whiff whaff” and “ping pong,” based upon the sound of the ball hitting the paddle. English sporting goods manufacturers J. Jaques & Son Ltd registered the name “ping pong” in 1901, and as a result the name ping pong came to be used for the game when it was played with the Jaques equipment, while other manufacturers called their versions the more generic “table tennis.” A similar situation came to exist in the United States, where Jaques sold the rights to the Ping-Pong name to Parker Bros. Escalade Sports is the current owner of the rights to the name. Read the rest of this entry »

Games played with a wheel are believed to be as old as the wheel itself, but the game of roulette didn’t appear until the 17th century. Details about the birth of roulette (French for “little wheel”) are sketchy, but one theory holds that pioneering mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the mechanism in 1657 while attempting to develop a perpetual motion device. Read the rest of this entry »

American inventor Thomas Edison successfully recorded himself singing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on the very first phonograph in 1877, and established a company to exhibit it the following year. The invention was initially successful as a novelty, despite the fact the tin foil on which recordings were made could only be played a couple of times and it was very difficult to operate, but the fad soon wore off. After Edison abandoned the machine to work on other projects, telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell worked on improvements, eventually receiving patents for his innovations.

On 23rd November, 1889, Louis Glass demonstrated the very first coin operated phonograph at the Palais Royal restaurant in San Francisco. Glass, general manager of the Pacific Phonograph Company two blocks away, and his business partner William S. Arnold been permitted by the proprietor, Fred Mergenthaler, to demonstrate the machine in the restaurant. Patrons listened to the music by holding a listening tube to their ear, as recording amplification had not yet been developed. Despite this, the machine was massively popular, grossing over $1000 in its first six months of service.

John Gabel invented the first important jukebox to offer multiple selections in the early 20th century. Read the rest of this entry »

There are many different stories on the origination of foosball. The general thought is that table soccer was created simultaneously by inventors from France and Germany in the 1920’s and 30’s.

One such story takes place during the Spanish Civil War when the poet and editor Alejandro Finisterre found himself in a hospital bed. During his recuperation, Alejandro became saddened by the bed ridden children he saw around him who were unable to play their beloved pastime of football (soccer as it is known in the U.S.). With the help of his friend Francisco Javier Altuna, a Basque carpenter, they constructed their first foosball table. Read the rest of this entry »

Darts originated in Medieval England, when archery instructors shortened arrows and had their students throw them at the bottom of empty wine barrels as a means of indoor practice. When the wine barrels proved to be inconvenient or in short supply, sometimes a cross section of a tree was used. Many early players discovered that the rings on the tree helped measure the accuracy of a throw. It evolved into the modern game, with many of the rules and regulations that we use today, around in the late 1800’s. Read the rest of this entry »

Dice are the oldest gambling tools, dating back to the Roman Empire when they were made of marked animal teeth. Craps‘ oldest ancestor, however, was a game called “hazard,” which didn’t appear until the 12th century. Hazard’s origins are uncertain. Some claim that the fact that “al zar” is Arabic for dice is evidence that the game is Arabic in origin. Read the rest of this entry »

Spotty historical records have made the origins of Chess a matter of theory and speculation rather than absolute proof. The most commonly held belief is that Chess originated in India, where it was called Chaturanga, which is believed to have been invented in the 6th century AD. Chess quickly found its way to Persia, where its name changed to Shatran. Read the rest of this entry »