Backgammon is one of the oldest existing board games. Life even 500 years ago is so hard to imagine for us, and the backgammon game first appeared 5000 years ago. Many people love to play backgammon on entertainment purpose. However, gambling on the game is very common. The objective of the game is to get all 15 pieces of your game off the board before the opponent. It is a combination of skill as well as luck. Why? Because your choices in this game are limited to roll of two dice.
There are some backgammon clubs and also societies in different parts of the world. They organize regular tournaments for players of different levels. There is also national and international level of tournaments organized for the more serious players too. Winning these competitions can be prestigious. It is also very lucrative for the prize money too. People can now play backgammon even online these days.
A brief history of the game Backgammon
Backgammon is a direct derivation of a Persian game known as Senat. This game was very famous and was played on a wooden board with 30 squares. The rules of this game are not entirely clear even today, but the game was very famous as it has been spread to Greece, Rome, Persia and the far east.
Even an archaeological team in 2004 found a board with 60 pieces that resemble the checkers. On further investigation, experts have declared that the game was imported from India to Iran.
This game was also very famous in China. In 220 AD the earlier version of this game was introduced to the Chinese people. Japan also had their players of the game until Empress Jito considered this game as illegal gambling and banned it between 690 AD to 697 AD.
Backgammon came to Europe from Asia. It wasn’t known by this name until Irish called it Backgammon in 1645 AD. It was named Tabula until then. The game spread its wings all over Europe as early as in 902 AD. The Spaniards, Italians and the English olds were introduced with the game in 1025 AD.
It wasn’t until 1743 that the official rules of the game were published because until then no one knew the proper rules of the game. It was an upper-class private club game until 1920 when the US contributed to the game with their newly invented doubling cube. It helped in enhancing the game from the gambling perspective.
Setting up the board in Backgammon
Setting up a backgammon board is not that tough. There are a few parts of the backgammon board. These are:
- The board
- The 30 game pieces. Divided into two different colors. Each player gets 15 checkers or game pieces while playing.
- Two pairs of dice and two dice cups.
- Doubling the cube with pips 2,4,8,15,32
Now, when you open the backgammon board, you will see four different sections. Each of these sections is going to be with 24 triangles or points. The players will be facing each other. One player will move the pieces clockwise, and the other player will move them counterclockwise. The checkers will be set up like:
- Five on the sixth point
- Three on the eighth point
- Five on the thirteenth point
- Two on the twenty-fourth point
Each player will get two dices for their game.
How to play Backgammon
What are the points of the point?
It is important to understand the game first before rumbling. So, here are some descriptions of different components of the game you may like to know.
- Point: A point in backgammon is one game space or one move. Let’s assume the player has rolled the dice and four is the number. Then, each of the four pips will convert to one point in the home area of the player. More than one checker from a single-player only can rest at one point. Both the players cannot occupy one game space at the same time.
- Home area: Home area is the area of the game is the final quarter section of the game board for each of the players. It is the last passing section of a checker before getting removed from the board. Your opponent’s home area is the farthest point from your home area. Thus, it is your starting point.
- Bar: the bar is the middle section of the board from where the board f when not in use. If a player has a “hit”, it will temporarily be placed on the bar until it comes back and can be moved back into play again.
- Block: Block is when your opponent has two or more checkers in a point. You cannot move your checker in a blocked location.
- Blot: A blot is a point where only one checker is resting. This is a very vulnerable spot occupied by the player’s checker as it will not block the opponent.
- Hit: Hit takes place when a player has made its move to a blot already occupied by an opponent. The opponent’s checker will be a hit and will be placed on the bar before the owner gets the chance to play again.
- Bearing off: Bearing off is when you will be removing your checker from the board. It is the main objective of playing backgammon. To bear off your checkers from the board before your opponent does.
- Doubles: A player who rolls the same pip value on both the dices at the same time. The player when hitting a double can get four moves, at a row. So, for example, if a player has delivered 4 and 4 in both the dices at the same time, the player will have four moves to move one or more checker four points forward. Regular moves only offer two moves while double offer four.
- Gammon: Gammon is when a player has won the game when their opponent hasn’t even moved all their checkers out of their home area. It normally worth two points in a regular game.
- Backgammon: A backgammon is same as gammon, but this time the opponent has crossed one or more checkers of theirs’ across their home area. This normally worth three points.
So, here are a few things you always wanted to know about the very famous game of backgammon. Get in the casino and start playing today.