Ludus Lumbardorum Backgammon Variant
Ludus Lumbardorum is a Backgammon variant that harks back to the 13th and 14th centuries when it was played alongside the games Swedish Tables and Revertier, both of which limit their participants when it comes to stacking checkers in the table of the opposing player.
In Ludus Lumbardorum, just 50% of the Backgammon board is utilized, with 6 points on either side of it. Every player begins this game with 15 checkers standing on his ace point (in this Backgammon variant, this is actually point 6 of the opponent's board in traditional Backgammon). The numbering in Ludus Lumbardorum is the opposite of the order in regular Backgammon. Checker movement in this game takes place in opposing directions.
As in most Backgammon games, the goal in this Backgammon variant is to get every one of your checkers to encircle the entire board and bear them off.
In order to begin playing Ludus Lumbardorum, each of the participants roll a die and the one with the higher number gets to play first. Next, the winner of the opening roll rolls both of the dice once more to begin his initial turn. Following the first game of Ludus Lumbardorum, the victor of the preceding game plays first.
Players need to move their checkers in accordance with the points that correspond to the numbers that come up when they roll the dice. The following are the rules of checker movement in Ludus Lumbardorum:
- A checker can only be placed on a point that isn't held by any of the opponent's checkers.
- There are 2 dice in Ludus Lumbardorum and the numbers on each of them signify 2 independent moves.
- You can play doubles just once.
A blot is a single checker that occupies a point. If your opponent's checker winds up on your blot, your blot gets hit and is put on the bar. In this Backgammon variant, whenever you have at least 1 checker on the bar, your number 1 priority should be to get those checkers in your opponent's home board. The way to do this includes moving a checker to an available point that matches 1 of the numbers you've rolled. In the case that you succeed in bringing some, but not every one of your checkers, then you have to bring in as many as you possibly can and forsake the rest of your turn.
The following limitations apply only when your checkers are in the opponent's home table, otherwise you can stack checkers wherever you please in your home board:
- In Ludus Lumbardorum you can place only 1 checker on points 3, 4 and 5 of the other player's home table, but you can stack all the checkers you want on points 2 and 6.
- Your point of departure, point 1 is under the same limitations as points 3, 4 and 5. Although you begin with at least 1 checker on it (point 1), you are prohibited from adding more checkers to that point. Adding a checker will be possible when it is vacant.
Since your checkers construct blocks which are added to the closed points the other player has made, these limitations make it harder to enter checkers.
The Backgammon strategy for Ludus Lumbardorum is simple. First, it is imperative to make points 2 and 6 in your opponent's home board, since these are the points that make it easier to enter again in cases where your opponent is blocking your points or they are blocked by your single checkers. If the other player gets hold of both of these points you'll be in trouble - you won't be able to move so he will simply move his checkers into the home board. Correspondingly, in the case that your opponent gets hold of point 6 in your home board, it will cripple your game in the sense that you won't have the power to play 6's from point 1. If you maintain hold of point 2 in the other player's home board and still have checkers on your starting point, then a backgame just might come about. 2 tips that will help you stay ahead of the game:- Playing the 1st number of a dice roll in a manner that the 2nd one can't by played
- Leaving the option open to play the lower number if you can only play 1 of the dice numbers rolled
David Carnegy - Managing Editor
