Backgammon

Backgammon - Object of the Game

Backgammon is a popular board game for two players where the pieces are moved around the board according to the roll of a dice. The object of the game is to remove all of ones pieces from the board by first moving them past their opponents. The first player to clear all his checkers off the board is the winner.

Playing the Game

Backgammon is played on a board of twenty-four narrow triangles called points. Each player has fifteen stones of one colour (light or dark) that are placed along the boards 24 points. These points alternate in colour and are grouped into four quadrants of six points each. Quadrants are referred to as a player's home board and outer board. The board is divided in half by a centre partition called the bar. All points on a backgammon board are distinguished by numbers. A player's outermost point is the twenty-four point, which is also his opponent's one point. A doubling cube, with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64, is used to keep track of the current stake of the game.

Hitting and Entering

A point occupied by a single stone of either colour is called a blot. If an opposing stone lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar. Anytime a player has one or more stones on the bar, his first obligation is to enter that stone(s) into the opposing home board. This is done by moving it to an open point that corresponds to one of the numbers shown on the dice. After the last of a player's stones has been entered, any unused numbers on the dice must be played.

Bearing Off

After a player has moved all of their pieces onto their home board, they are able to start bearing them off the board. To do this a player rolls a number that corresponds to point at which the stone resides. Then the stone can be removed from the board. If this cant be done, then a player must make a move using a piece on a higher numbered point. A player is under no obligation to bear off if he can make an otherwise legal move. In order to bear off, a player's pieces must all be in their home board.

The Doubling Cube

Backgammon is played for a set wager that is agreed upon. During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a sufficient advantage may propose doubling his stakes. When offered a double a player may refuse. In this event the player then concedes the game and pays the original wager. Or he accepts the double, and then plays on for the new stakes. If they accept a double they are then in possession of the cube and only they may make the next double. Subsequent doubles in the same game are referred to as redoubles. If a player refuses a redouble, they then must pay the wager previous to the redouble offer. Otherwise, he becomes the new owner of the cube and the game continues at twice the previous stakes.

Playing with beavers

This is a an optional rule in Single Game Mode which states that when a player is doubled, he may immediately redouble (beaver) while retaining possession of the doubling cube. As with a normal double the original doubler has the option of accepting or refusing the double up.

Jacoby Rule

The Jacoby Rule makes gammons and backgammons count for their respective double and triple points only if there has been at least one use of the doubling cube in the game. This encourages a player with a large lead in a game to double, and thus likely end the game, rather than see the game out to its conclusion in hopes of a gammon or backgammon. The Jacoby Rule is widely used in money play, but is not used in match play.

Crawford Rule

The Crawford rule is used to make match play more even-handed for the player in the lead. The Crawford rule requires that when a player first makes a score that is one short of winning, neither player may use the doubling cube for the following game.

Automatic doubles

When automatic doubles are in effect, any rerolls that are made at the start of a a game have the side effect of causing a double. Eg a 4,4 roll followed by a 3,3 reroll will cause the game to be started with 4 times the stakes. The cube still stays in the centre with both players having access to it.

When automatic doubles are used, any re-rolls that players must make at the very start of a game (when each player rolls one die) have the side-effect of causing a double. Automatic doubles are common in money games (upon agreement). They are never used in match play.

Gammons and Backgammons

Come the end of the game, if the losing player has borne off at least one piece, then they lose only the value displayed on the doubling cube. If they have not borne off any of their pieces they are gammoned and lose twice the value. If they still have a piece sitting in their opponent's home board or in the bar, they are then backgammoned and lose three times the value.

For more Backgammon information, see Wikipedia.