Introduction to Backgammon: A Look in Its History and Rules
Backgammon is a member of the board game family that has its roots
from Senet, an ancient Egyptian game in 3000 BC. This game is played
by tossing dice and moving pieces. Its history can be traced back as
far as the eleventh century when only people from the upper class can
actually play the game. The popularity of this game began in 1960 when
Prince Alexis Obelensky called for a world championship tournament.
Modifications such as the advent of doubling cubes and a list of
modern game rules were introduced somewhere in the late 1920s. During
the 80s, many board games, including backgammon, lost a big portion of
their popularity because people became very much hooked on playing
computer games. Nevertheless, this board game has its own way of
surviving challenges.
The popular game went online in the 1990s, and now, it is one of the
most popular online and downloadable games. Online backgammon became
popular because it challenges the player’s skill and tests their
strategic ability to win by removing the opponent’s checkers off the
board.
Discover the Different Pieces of the Game
The game of backgammon requires a board, two dice, 30 checkers and a
doubling cube. In general, the board is divided in two boards that
have 12 triangles, each with 2 alternating colors that are called
points. These points are numbered from 1 to 24; the 1st point of
Player A is the 24th point of Player B and vice versa. The home board
is from points 1 to 6 while points 7 to 12 are called outer board.
Each player starts with 15 checkers each. Two checkers should be
placed on the 24th point, 5 checkers each on the 13th and 6th point
and 3 checkers on the 8th point. The dice indicates the number of
movements each player should take. At times, the player needs to throw
the two dice by using a dice cup in order to prevent cheating. The
doubling cube is another piece of the game that helps in doubling the
wages. It has a value of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 per side.
How to Play the Challenging Game
The game starts with the player that has the highest point after
rolling the dice. The player can move the checkers by number of each
die. If, for example, the dice shows a 3 and a 2, the player can move
one checker 3 points forward and another checker 2 points forward. In
case of a double, or getting the same number of both dice, the player
gets to move 4 checkers forward. Checkers can be moved only on an
unoccupied point or the point is occupied by the player’s own
checkers. If a point has one of the opponent’s checkers, which is
called blot, it will be hit and be placed in the bar, or the elevated
middle part of the board. A blot can re-enter the game once the home
board of the player has been hit. If all of the player’s checkers are
in their home board, he can then start bearing off or removing the
checkers. The player wins once after bearing off all of his 15
checkers and the opponent has borne off at least one of his
checkers—this is considered as normal loss. But after a player bears
off all his 15 checkers and the losing player has not borne off at
least one checker, it’s a normal double loss or gammoned; if he has
some checkers on the winner’s home board, it’s considered to be a
triple normal loss or backgammoned.
Rules of the Game
Backgammon has certain rules such as the following:
1. The same checkers cannot be moved twice unless the moves are
distinct. If, in case, the player got a double, the player must move
each die, if possible.
2. If only one move is possible, the player shall move the checker
based on the higher die.
3. A checker cannot stay at a point that is occupied by two or more
checkers of the opponent.
4. All checkers that were hit and placed on the bar should be placed
back in the game before moving any other checkers.
5. In bearing off, it’s possible to move the lower die prior to moving
the higher die.
6. In using the doubling cube, the opponent must first accept the new
stakes or quit from the game. After accepting the new stakes, the
player now has the right to redouble.
When the Board Game Goes Online
Due to the popularity of the game, online backgammon was born. It can
be played through the Internet or downloaded so that you may play it
offline. Since the advent of the online version of the game in 1992,
it has become even more popular throughout the world. In 1994, a much
better graphic interface was developed, and it can be accessed by both
MAC and Windows users.
When playing the game online, you can choose an opponent. There’s a
lot of community that embraces this highly intellectual board game,
but if you really want to test your skill, there are also some
programs that you can beat, such as TD-Gammon, Jellyfish, and Snowie,
which is the first program written for the online version. These
computer-generated “opponents” are great challenges and will help a
new backgammon player in knowing the tricks on how to win the game.
With these kinds of programs, players can now keep track of their
performances.
These programs use a rating system, which comes along with statistical
information and analysis of the last game played. With the Internet
connecting people, playing the game online allows social interaction
even when the two players are far from each other. Online backgammon
has adapted the feature of “shout,” which is actually a chat function.
This can expand your social life and make you a part of a community
that shares your interest. There are also forums where people gladly
share what they know about backgammon and where you can find
announcements about coming online tournaments.
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