How to play Backgammon - A beginners guide
Backgammon is a popular board game that focuses on
two people trying to move all of their 15 checkers from one side to
the other. The moves depend upon what two dice roll. The players try
to move their checkers across the board before the other player.
To win, first the players need to get the checkers
onto the home board, and then the checkers are removed according to
the number rolled on the dice. When the checkers are removed from the
board, this is called the bear off. Once all of the checkers are beared
off, the player wins.
When it comes to the supplies needed for the game,
the most basic components are the checkers and the actual board. There
are 30 checkers used in total, 15 white checkers and 15 black checkers.
The bottom right of the board used in Backgammon is called the home-board.
The board of Backgammon has 24 points and these points
include the 24 triangles on the board. These triangles are where the
checkers are moved. The bottom right of the board is numbered 1, and
this would be number 24 for the opponent. The upper right of the board
is called the outer board.
The checkers are moved point to point until they arrive
at the home board. Once here, they are taken off the board.
The two dice used in the game each have sides and
are numbered from one to six. The number rolled by the dice dictates
the movement of the checkers.
To start playing Backgammon, the players first have
to decide who will go first. To do this, the players throw the dice
and whoever rolls the highest number will begin the game. If the two
players roll the same, then they will throw the dice again or until
the numbers are different. This initial number becomes the amount a
player can move his or her first checker.
A player has two choices when it comes to moving their
checkers. He or she can use both dice to move a single checker across
the board or he or she can use one dice for one checker and the other
dice for a different checker. Once the decision has been made and the
checker (or checkers) has been moved, it is the other player’s turn.
If both dice roll the same number (i.e. if there
is a double), then he or she can play that number four different times
with any checker he or she wishes to move. When rolling, if just one
of the dice numbers can be played, then the player will move according
to that number only. If the numbers are both impossible to play, then
it is the other player’s turn.
A player can not move a checker to a point that
already has the other player’s checker on it.
