BACKGAMMON GAME

Maybe not everybody knows but the backgammon game is one of the most ancient games in the world. There are some assumptions but No one can say today exactly, where or when this game was invented. Backgammon boards, aged thousands of years were found by archaeologists; some of them are early versions of the game as we know it but some look exactly the same as the backgammon game's board being used today.

Why is the backgammon game so attractive?

The magic of the backgammon game is in the combination of strategy, skill and luck. When playing a game based only on strategy or skills, the chances of a new player winning a pro, even in one game (and not a complete match) are very low. A good example for a game based on strategy almost exclusively is chess; a beginner will never win a professional player. The same for skills; take Billiard for example, there is not a big chance of winning an experienced player. But the backgammon game when combining all those three things gives the beginners bigger winning chances (although statistically the better and more experienced player will win more backgammon games) and those chances are making the learning much more enjoyable.

Another thing which makes the backgammon game so attractive is the non stop action; there are not any dull moments after the game begun, there is always a danger to your checkers or to the opponents'. In almost every stage of the game, until the very last moment the situation can be reversed.

Backgammon Objective

The objective is to remove (bear off) all of one's own checkers from the board before one's opponent can do the same. The checkers are scattered at first and may be blocked or hit by the opponent. As the playing time for each individual game is short, it is often played in matches, where victory is awarded to the first player to reach a certain number of points.

Setup

Each side of the board has a track of 12 long triangles, called points. The points are considered to be connected across one edge of the board, forming a continuous track in the shape of a horseshoe, and are numbered from 1 to 24. Each player begins with two checkers on his 24-point, three checkers on his 8-point, and five checkers each on his 13-point and his 6-point. The two players move their checkers in opposing directions, each from his own 24-point towards his 1-point.[15]

Points 1 through 6 are called the home board or inner board, and points 7 through 12 are called the outer board. The 7-point is referred to as the bar point, and the 13-point as the mid point.[15][16

Starting to play

To start a game of backgammon, each player throws a single die and the player that rolls the highest number plays first. If equal numbers come up, then both players keep rolling their die until they roll distinct numbers.

Commonly, the first player uses the joint numbers on the already-thrown dice to start, although this rule is not harshly followed today. After the initial turn, the players alternate turns and roll two dice each time.

In some matches, the winner of the last game plays first in the next backgammon game, although this rule is not always put into effect.

Moving the Checkers

The roll of the dice indicates how many points, or pips (a unit of distance on a backgammon board) the player is to move his checkers. Backgammon checkers can by no means move backwards, they only move forward towards their own home boards, meaning the white and black pieces are always moving in opposite directions around the backgammon board, one player moving his checkers clockwise while the other counter-clockwise.

There are few rules when considering the movement of checkers:

• The numbers on the two dice represent separate moves. For instance, if a player rolls 4 and 2, he may move one checker four spaces to an open point and another checker two spaces to an open point, or he may move a single checker a total of six spaces to an open point.
• A checker can be moved to any point that is vacant, to one that is occupied by your own checkers or to a point that has no more then one of your opponent's checkers on it. In other words, two or more checkers that are occupied by your opponent are considered a block for you.
• If you roll the dice and the same number comes up (a double), you can move the pieces twice as many times. For example, with a role of 2-2, you may move 2 points 4 times in any given combination (one piece 8 points, two pieces 4 points each, one piece 6 points and the other 2, two pieces 2 points and a third piece of 4 points, four pieces 2 points each ). Usually, the more doubles a player rolls, the greater his chances of winning the game.

Hitting a blot

A single checker on a point is known as a blot and may be attacked by the opponent. Checkers of different colors may not inhabit the same point. Thus, a blot is removed by landing on it with one of the opponent pieces, which is also named a hit. The blot is taken off the board and moved to the bar, and stays out of play until the checker is entered in your opponent's inner board. You can re-enter your checker from the bar only if one of the numbers appear on the rolled dice match a point which is not occupied by two or more of your opponent's checkers. If none of the points is open, the player loses his roll. If a player is capable of entering several but not all of his checkers, he is obliged to enter as many as he can and then give up the rest of his turn.

Doubling cube

the doubling cube is a dice with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 written on it which is used for raising the stakes at backgammon matches and tournaments.

Using the doubling cube can be done at any stage of the game: A player who feels he has an advantage on his opponent may suggest doubling the stakes. He may do this when it is his turn and he has not yet rolled the dice. To double, the player simply places the doubling cube with the numbers 2 facing up. The opponent may refuse the offer by resigning (and thus losing the game) or may accept it.

The opponent who accepts the offer is now the owner of the doubling cube, meaning he's the only one who can double the stakes again (this time by placing the doubling cube with the number 4 facing up).

Bearing off

Bearing off is the final stage of a backgammon game - removing your pieces from the home board. In order to start this action all of your 15 checkers should be in the home board. The same as with normal moves, you bear off according to the roll of the dice, always from the highest occupied point in your home table. During the bear off process there might be a situation when there is no checker on the point indicated by the roll. In this situation the player must make a legal move by using a checker on a higher point. If there aren't any checkers on higher points, the player is allowed to remove a checker from his highest occupied point. However, you have no obligation of bearing off if you have another legal move to make.

Winning the Game of Backgammon

The winner of the game is the first player to bear off all of his checkers. If your rival has not been able to bear off neither of his checkers you score a gammon, a double victory, which counts twice a normal win. Triple victory or a backgammon, counts three times a normal win and is scored when your opponent hasn't succeeded in bearing off any of his checkers and still has checkers on the bar or in the winner's home board.

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