1. What is backgammon?
Backgammon is one of the oldest games known to mankind, developed some 5000 years ago, probably by the ancient Egyptians. Many tend to believe it is a game of luck, but that's not so ? it is a pure game of strategy. It might not seem as strategic as chess, since there is the random element of luck involved due to the dice, but a skilled player can definitely use planning, imagination and psychology to win.
Backgammon is played on a special game board. Two players play opposite each other with two sets of 15 checkers (light color and dark) which are set up in a mirror pattern.
2. What exactly is the object of the game?
Backgammon is a very simple game to learn and to play. The basic object of the game is to be the first to move your 15 checkers around the board and into your "home", and then to take them off the board. The first player to get all his men off the board wins the game.
3. What happens if I throw a double?
If the same number appears on the dice, for example, 3-3 or 5-5 it is known as a doublet. The player who threw the double is entitled to four moves instead of two. Therefore, if you threw 3-3 you get to move your men 3 spaces, four times, according to your discretion, IE ? one man can be moved a total of 12 places, or four men can beadvanced 3 spaces each, and so on.
4. What is "closed board"?
A player who has at least 2 pieces on all six points of his home board, is said to have a "closed board". That means if you have a man on the bar, you can't even roll the dice because you have nowhere to land. Since bringing a man back into the game is a priority, you basically have nothing to do but sit back and watch your opponent play until his home table opens up.
5. What does "Cocked" mean?
When you throw the dice, they both have to come to rest flat on the board. Some say it is customary to throw the dice only in the right hand side of the board. But wherever you are throwing, they must land flat. If one lands on the bar or lands leaning against a piece, the dice is called "cocked" and you must throw again.
6. All my men are home. What should I do now?
When all your men are in your home table and you want to take them out, it is called "Bearing off". Bearing off from any point, can be done by throwing dice corresponding to that point, IE ? a 1 corresponds to the first point from the edge of your home table, 2 is the second and so on.
Needless to say you cannot bear off if you don't have all your men in your home table. If you are knocked off during bearing off, you must first re-enter your piece and bring him around the board and into your home table before any further bearing off is done. If you threw high numbers on the dice but have no men on corresponding points, you automatically bear off men from lower points.
The best way to bear off is to begin with the higher numbers, farthest from the edge, folding inwards the lower numbers as you go along. This leaves only the points closest to the edge, where any number can bear them off.
7. What is money play?
As in any sort of competition game, playing backgammon for money is the one of the standard forms of play. You play one game at a time against your opponent for an arranged stake per point. When using the doubling cube, the stakes may increase as the game progresses.
8. I picked up a piece and then regretted the move. Do I have to move a piece if I touch it?
Although "touch-move" is not a basic feature of the formal rules of backgammon, many players frown upon touching or moving and then regretting. A player is free to change his move for any number of times until he has made up his mind, but in some countries (especially in the Middle East, you might get the board thrown at you if you start picking up your pieces and then rethinking your moves.
9. What is the use of doubling cubes ?
say that the introduction of the doubling cube is the main reason modern backgammon has become so popular.
The doubling cube is a large dice with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 & 64 on its sides. When you start playing, the doubling cube is placed on the bar down or on the side. At any time during the game when you feel you are leading, you may propose to double the stakes by turning the doubling cube to 2 before you throw your dice. Your opponent can accept or decline. If he declines, he loses the game. If he accepts, the game continues with the stake at 2 units. Since your opponent accepts, he now "owns" the doubling cube, giving him the option to redouble the stakes at will. If so, you are now faced with the same dilemma you put before him earlier ? forfeit the game or raise the stakes.
10. How do I move my men?
Each player begins his or her turn by throwing the dice. The total amount on both dice makes up the amount of "places" one can move forward.A player can move one piece the entire amount, or can move two pieces separately, according to the number shown on one of the dice.lets say you cast 4 and 2. You can decide to move one man 6 places or move one man 2 places and another man 4 places. You can move one man 2 plus 4, stopping in the middle long enough to knock your opponent off to the board and onto the bar. But we'll explain that later on.
11. Can I double if I am on the bar or "closed out"?
Yes, you can double at the start of your turn, regardless of your position. This might not be such a smart move if you are on the bar, but a skilled player with an insight to the intricacies of the game might still double in this situation if he calculates right.
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