Backgammon is a very exciting and entertaining board game. She enjoys considerable popularity, despite the abundance of all kinds of computer games. The game combines elements of argument, science and art. This game has been around for several millennia. Before you start the game, you need to know how to play backgammon by the rules.
Basic concepts
“Zara” - cubes (classic dice). The material for them can be bone or plastic, depending on the cost of the game set. On the faces are clusters of points, whose number denotes a number - from 1 to 6.
"Head" - the initial location of the checkers at the start of the game.
"Home" - the final part of the journey - a quarter of the board, where you need to bring all the checkers. The player does not have the right to start throwing checkers if there is not one at home.
"Double" - the simultaneous loss of zar (cubes) with an equal numerical value.
“Correct” - this word is used when the player does not intend to make a move, but only corrects the checker in relation to the others in the line.
“Take to the courtyard” - this term denotes such moves by which checkers move beyond the borders of the house, that is, into the courtyard.
What you need to know about the game for beginners
So how to play backgammon? At the very beginning, players need to put checkers on a single line (head) on opposite parts of the playing field. In order to determine who will go first, participants take one dawn and throw it. On whose bone a larger number falls, he will be the first. If two players have similar numbers, the dice are thrown.
Like any other sport, backgammon is subject to the rules that formulate the principle of the game. The whole point of it is to take your checkers to the house and bring them into the yard.
It is important to throw tricks on your side of the board. If one die flies out of bounds of a field, rises edge-on because it hits a checker or the edge of a board, then this throw is not considered, and it is necessary to throw over again.
How to play backgammon: rules for beginners
Backgammon is an intellectual game. It has its own discrepancies with most of these games. The specificity is that here all the steps are due to the position of the checkers and the fact that it will fall on the bones during the throw. For these reasons, the game can be classified as especially democratic in relation to the players. The game set consists of a whiteboard-book, divided into two parts, 30 pieces of black and white and two dice.
Those who do not know how to play backgammon, and only get acquainted with the rules of the game, usually do not know the fact that there are two versions of the game: long backgammon and short. It will be difficult for a beginner to master the rules of both types at the same time; he will be confused between different conditions. In this regard, it is first advisable to master one type of game, and then proceed to the second. As for beginners, it is better for them to take on long backgammon, since they are somewhat easier than short ones.
Long backgammon. How to play?
According to the rules, this type of backgammon begins with the location of the checkers. Participants arrange their 15 checkers in a row. Then they alternately throw a dawn and, depending on the numerical value, move their checkers counterclockwise.
If at the first move there was a value at which it would be impossible to go the same way for the second time, then instead of one piece from the house, two are taken at once. This principle only works when two sixes fall out, but this situation rarely develops. With the remaining moves from the house, it is permissible to withdraw only one checker per move. In this case, make the second move with the same checker or another, which is already standing on the field. It is allowed to place your checkers in free holes and in those holes where your checkers are already standing. It is forbidden to put your checkers in the holes where at least one stranger stands.
If the player has nowhere to go, it’s the turn of the opponent. But if there is a chance to make at least one move, even if it is unprofitable, the participant does not have the right to refuse it and must walk. Checkers that have passed the circle and brought to the end of the route must be removed from the board into the yard. This can be done if you roll the dice and remove the checkers according to the hole number. If the hole with the drawn number is free, it is allowed to forward this number of holes forward. If there is nowhere to translate, then checkers from the hole with the lowest value are taken. The winner is the one who first removes all the pieces from the board.
Short backgammon
The goal of the game is to bring checkers into the house and take them out into the yard before another player.
Now more about how to play short backgammon. Rules and the course of the game has many differences from long backgammon. Checkers go against each other, and it is allowed to knock off the opponent’s checker from the hole (only if there is one checker). It is allowed to cut several checkers per turn. Downed checkers go "to the bar" - the center of the playing field. During one move, you can move 1-2 checkers. When a double falls out, the course doubles (so, a loss of 5-5 means that you need to go 4 times for 5 points each). Until the participant has returned his checkers from the bar back to the field, he is not allowed to move others.
The winner, as in the long backgammon, is the one whose checkers quickly reached home and went out of the field.
Victory Options
It is worth noting that in backgammon, in addition to the options for the game itself, there are three types of victory (they are determined by the superiority of the player over the opponent at the time the game ends):
- "Mars". The defeated player could not drive his checkers into the house, and the winner had already taken his to the yard.
- Home Mars. The defeated enemy brought the checkers home, but failed to enter the courtyard.
- "Coke". The designation of this type of victory is different for short and long backgammon. In long - the opponent did not remove all the checkers from the house, in short - the opponent did not withdraw any checkers.
Distribution of winning points: with a simple victory, 1 point is assigned, Mars gives 2 points, with a home Mars - 3 points and a maximum of 4 points - with a coke victory.
Game pros
Backgammon is not only a good remedy for boredom, but also a way to start an interesting conversation with the enemy. They develop strategic thinking and oral counting, allow you to diversify your leisure and arrange a short break, as well as test your luck. The game itself is quite gambling, but it will become even more fun if you play with bets. It may not necessarily be money. For example, with children you can play for sweets, and with friends you can play for desire. However, how to play backgammon - with or without bets - is everyone's business.