Backgammon is Back!

Ancient game gains new traction with the Chicago Backgammon League founder, 86-year-old Jack Schacht.

It’s only checkers and dice on a board with 24 narrow triangles, but that’s just the start.

Backgammon, a game that combines luck and strategy with a rollicking good time, was The Thing in 1970s Chicago, with clubs all over the city and suburbs. Fifty years later, it’s enjoying a resurgence in popularity generated by the new Chicago Backgammon League (CBL).

Starting Wednesday, February 25, the CBL will launch its first weekly backgammon event. Every Wednesday night will be Backgammon Night starting February 25 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Parched Pug Gastropub and Gamery, 1590 S. Milwaukee Ave. in Libertyville.

New to the game? No worries., CBL founder Jack Schacht said, “This is a three-week lesson series. The first lesson is free, then it’s $10.

“We’ll have a meet-and-greet with new members, founding members and club directors. If you’re a novice, we’ll have practice games at beginner levels; if you’re an expert who wants to teach, we’ll have that, too.”

The Chicago Backgammon League is partnering with other trendy bars and restaurants as it rolls out more weekly clubs in March and April.

Scheduled backgammon nights include:

• Feb. 25, The Parched Pug, Libertyville, 6:30-9:30
  March 2, Georgio's Chicago Pizzeria & Pub, South Barrington, 5:30-8:30 March 9, Firehouse Grill, Evanston, 6:30-9:30 March 19, GoodTimes Brewery & Kitchen, Chicago, 6:30-9:30 March 25-The Nest Bar & Eatery, 6:30-9:30 March 25, Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Warrenville, 6:30-9:30

More location announcements are coming soon. Visit the Chicago Backgammon League website for updates and to RSVP.

Mark Carlson, who owns the Parched Pug with his wife Heather, said hosting the Chicago Backgammon League fits seamlessly into their business. “Two areas we focus on are elevated bar food and having fun,” he said. There’s a library of over 200 games, “including classics like backgammon,” he said.

The Parched Pug will be offering half-price appetizers and 25% off draft beers from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on backgammon nights. “We have a self-pour beer wall, all local craft beers,” he said.

A casual player, Carlson said, “I am brushing up on the game.”

He’s not the only one.

Why backgammon all of a sudden?

Precursors of today’s backgammon were played as early as the 14th century, and Shakespeare is thought to have played it. The game has ebbed and flowed in popularity over the centuries, but it’s catching on now, especially among younger players, because of its social aspects as much as the game itself.

“What we’re seeing with the Chicago Backgammon League is part of a real resurgence of backgammon in the United States: clubs forming, weekly meetups filling up, and new players discovering the joy of live play,” says Ben Friesen, president of the U.S. Backgammon Federation (USBGF), which oversees tournaments and is a clearinghouse for backgammon events around the country.

Clubs are exploding in popularity in Los Angeles, New York and Miami. A New York City backgammon club, 7 Spring (for its address in Soho), is a posh affair with selective membership and annual fees of $2,500 per person.

That’s the opposite vibe from what the founder of the Chicago Backgammon League is aiming for: Informal, social and fun events that are accessible to everyone, from teens to seniors.

“Once you play one game, you’ve got it,” Schacht said. “And then you can go further with strategies and be as serious, or not serious, as you want to be as a player.”

Working with Schacht of Warrenville is Jill Murphy of Evanston who was involved in the first wave of backgammon clubs some 50 years ago.

Murphy’s mother collaborated with Schacht in the ’70s on establishing and operating the original backgammon league. Murphy, who played the game with her mom and loved it, ran her own teen club. Now, she is managing CBL-sponsored tournaments and keeping track of master points in compliance with the USBGF.

As for Schacht, he’s not so much a backgammon expert as a serial entrepreneur who looks for opportunity. He figures he’s found it with backgammon.

“I’m a casual player,” he said. “But I love the idea of getting people together. The power of backgammon is in bringing people together: old, young, different cultures.”

And that answers the “why now”? question.

The analog connection

A new generation of 20- and 30-year-olds is flocking to the board as a stylish antidote to “screen fatigue.” The game’s fast pace and intimate two-player format naturally encourage conversation, flirting and networking.

Clubs are increasingly hosting designated singles nights, successfully rebranding backgammon as a fashionable way to meet new people in a low-pressure environment. The CBL is planning similar events, along with a backgammon cruise for next year.

For older players, researchers have found that board-game players not only experience better brain health, they also get a serotonin boost from the social aspects of playing.

Younger children can easily learn the basics and get a confidence boost from playing. And CBL will have teen clubs because the critical thinking and social skills used in backgammon can help a student prepare for college.

“This game is for everyone,” Schacht said.