How to Play Backgammon
Looking on the game from the outside, backgammon rules may seem confusing and difficult. But in fact, the rules are basically easy to learn. The important thing is, however, to practice the game as much as you can. Backgammon is a game of skill, strategy and luck. Therefore, practicing increases the skills and the basic intuition of a player.
We recommend reading the rules below, and then starting to practice them at once - it is by far the best way to understand the rules and play backgammon skillfully.
Backgammon Introduction:
Backgammon is played by two players, with a backgammon board, thirty checkers on the board, fifteen for each of the players. Also, backgammon includes a pair of six-sided dice and a doubling cube. But, if you play online backgammon you do not need anything but your computer, obviously. Everything you need for the game is already provided in a life-like 3D animation.
Backgammon Objective:
The goal of the game is to advance all of your checkers around the board towards your home board - that is, the inner board- and then to take them off the board completely. You win the game if you manage to remove all of your checkers first.
The twenty-four triangles in alternating colors which you can see painted on the backgammon board are called points. You can only advance your checkers to the number of spaces according to the dice rolls. You will soon learn about the dice roll in backgammon, too.
Backgammon Starting Point:
In the starting position of a backgammon game there are two checkers on your twenty-forth point, five checkers on your thirteenth point, three checkers on your eighth point and five checkers on your sixth point. You will notice the same is true for the checkers of your opponent.
To determine if you or your opponent will make the first move, you should rolls a single die. So should your opponent, naturally. If you have the higher die roll - you will make the first move. If the same number appears on both dice, your both should keep tossing your die until one of you have a higher number. Then you use the numbers on the dice you have just rolled to determine the first move.
Afterwards, you both have to use both dice to determine your moves.
In backgammon, checkers can move forward from the home (inner board) to the outer board, in accordance with the numbers on the dice you toss. Each die represents a separate move, although you can also use the sum of the dice number to move a single checker.
Pay attention, though: you can only move checkers to points that are unoccupied, or to points where you already have your own checkers. Still, you can also move a checker to points where your opponent has only a single checker. This move is called blot.
A blot means that the hit checker is removed from the board and placed on the bar, which is the elevated section in the middle of the board. The blotted checker must be placed in the outer board and begin the race again form the start. If you have one or more checkers on the bar, you must re- entered them to the board before you are allowed to move any of your other checkers.
A point with more than one of your checker is called an owned-point. Two or more owned points in a row are called a prime, and a full prime consists of six points. A prime is good news for you, of course, since your opponent's checkers behind this prime are trapped, for as long as your prime remains.
The Doubling Cube in Backgammon:
Backgammon has an option to raise the stake of the game quite rapidly, using the doubling cube. If you are just starting out, we suggest being careful with this cube, or alternatively, do not play for real money until you are more confident about your skills.
The doubling cube has six faces, which are numberd from two to sixty-four. During the course of the game, if you have an advantage over your opponent, you can turn the cube, that is, to double. Your opponent can choose to accept, and double the stakes, or to pass. However, if your opponent passes the double, he/she concedes the game and pays the original stake. Then again, if your opponent accepts the double, he/she becomes the owner of the cube and may make the next double.
You can fell you have an advantage, for instance, when you have a rolling double. A rolling double is when both dice display the same number. When this happens you can consider yourself very lucky, since you can advance your checkers twice as much as the amount shown on the dice. A rolling double means that you can move anywhere from one to four different checkers on the board.
Bearing Off:
Once you have managed to moved all of the checkers into your home board, you can start to remove the checkers from the board altogether. This move is called to bear off.
You are allowed to remove from the game board a checker from the point of the number corresponding to your dice roll. A checker can be removed from a point of a number lower than the dice roll, under the condition that there are no other checkers on any higher points. Obviously, you cannot bear off a checker if you still have another legal move to make.
If your opponent has been able to bear off at least one checker, you gain the number on the doubling cube, if it was used. If you did not use the cube, you gain only one point.
Gammon and Backgammon:
A gammon is when your opponent did not manage to bear off any of his/her checkers. This means that you gain twice the number of the doubling cube.
A backgammon is when at the end of the game your opponent was not only unable to bear off any of his/her checkers, but also still has checkers on the bar or in his/her outer board. backgammon is great for you, since it means that you get three times the value of the doubling cube!
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