The backgammon board looks confusing at first, but it is actually very simple to understand and the rules are pretty standard. It takes skill mixed with an element of luck, which is what makes the game so appealing.
There are 30 pieces, checkers or “men” used in backgammon. There are generally 15 white and 15 black, although some sets have brown. Each player gets 15 of the these pieces and the object is to move them off the board before the opponent using dice rolls and moves.
The backgammon board has 24 “points,” which are the names for the triangles. They are numbered 1-24. The one to the player’s far right is No. 1 – it is his or her opponent’s 24.
A player’s “home” board is the bottom right quadrant. The upper right is the “outer board.” During the course of the game, players move their pieces from point to point based on dice rolls until they reach the home board and take the pieces off the board. The first player to get them all off the board is ruled the winner.
The game works and pieces move around the board based on the roll of two dice. Strategically, a player can use both dice for one piece or divide the dice score for two separate movements.
The second player then takes his or her turn, and the game progresses that way.
There are other rules of the board:
--Players must use both of the dice scores and move the pieces accordingly. If none of the numbers are playable, it moves to the other player.
-- A piece can’t be moved to a point that is occupied by more than one of the opponent’s pieces. So a player has adjust the move of pieces accordingly.
-- If a player rolls a “double:” the same score on both dice, he or she plays that number four separate times with any piece.
This is how players navigate across the backgammon board and strategically place the pieces.
A common backgammon board might have a checker or chess layout on the other side. It usually can be folded into a carrying case that keeps all the pieces, dice, and dice rollers intact as well. It is convenient and easy to carry around for most players.
The online backgammon layout is set up to mirror a real set. It has the same points, and in some cases mock areas to store chips. It is easy to follow and the rules are the same for online as they are a real game.
One big difference is online the white pieces move first. In a real game the players roll for the right.
The points are the key to backgammon. A player can develop different strategies based on how the dice rolls are going for both players, and move his or her pieces accordingly.
In various games of backgammon, players will find different starting points for the pieces. In longgammon, for example, all of the pieces start on the opponent’s No. 1 point. This creates an interesting variation on the game.
Traditional backgammon starts with pieces spread.
The backgammon board layout might seem confusing at first, but the reality is it is very easy and simple. It takes some time to understand the intricacies of the game and intuitively make the best strategic moves, but the basic layout is easy to follow and gives players a chance to learn relatively quickly.
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