Russian Backgammon Variant

How does Russian Backgammon differ from Backgammon?

• Checkers begin outside of the board.
• The player that wins the opening roll gets an extra roll for the initial turn.
• Each participant brings his checkers to the same beginning table and bears them off from the same board.
• Doubling does not exist in Russian Backgammon.
• A doubles roll is utilized 2 times, initially with the numbers on the face of the dice, later with the numbers on the underside of the dice, and finally the player is allowed to reroll. However, this rule is irrelevant to the first time you bring in the checkers.

Russian Backgammon can be described as a rush to bear off. The starting point for both of the player's checkers is outside of the Backgammon board. Each participant brings his 15 checkers to the same beginning table and then they both make the same course across the board to bear off from the same ending table.

As with all Backgammon variants, the object of the game is to get every one of your checkers to move all the way around the Backgammon board and bear the checkers off.

To begin playing Russian Backgammon, every player rolls a single die and the player with the bigger number gets to play first. He then gets to roll the dice once more in order to start his initial turn.

A checker can be brought into the board when you put it on the point of the number you rolled. In this Backgammon variant, when you have brought in at least 1 of your checkers, you can use the following rolls in order to continue to move the checkers and/or bring in more checkers. A checker can only be moved when the rest of your checkers have been brought in.

Players need to move their checkers in accordance with the points that correspond to the numbers that come up when they roll the dice. These are the rules of checker movement in Russian Backgammon:

1. A checker can only be placed on a point that isn't held by at least 2 of the opponent's checkers.
2. The numbers on each of the dice in Russian Backgammon signify 2 independent moves.
3. You have to play all of your roll whenever you can. In the case where you can only play 1 number, you have to play the bigger one.

Doubles rolls are particularly beneficial. Initially, you play every number 2 times. Afterwards, you get to play the difference of the number you rolled from 7, or what is known in the game of Backgammon as the complement. Next, you must reroll and in the case that you rolled doubles once more, then you get to play it just like the previous one and gain another roll.

If you can't take advantage of part of your doubles roll, you relinquish the rest of the numbers and you won't be able to reroll.

In the case that you get doubles when you bring in your checkers, you bring in 4 checkers for a single side of your dice. The other side of your dice isn't used as long as you have more checkers to bring in. Nevertheless, in Russian Backgammon, if the number of checkers you need to bring in is 4 or less and you can bring them all in with a doubles roll, in that case you can proceed with your turn by using the other side of the dice and rerolling.

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 method for doing this is identical to the method of bringing checkers in at the beginning of the game.

When every one of your checkers is in your home board, you can start to bear off. In order to bear off, you need to roll a number that matches the point that checker stands on and then take that checker off the Backgammon board. In the case that no checker stands on the point signified by the roll, you must make a move with a checker on a higher point. If the same goes for the higher points, then you have to take a checker off of the highest point with a checker.

In addition, when all players must bear off from the same table, it is only natural that every once in a while 1 of them will get hit. Once a checker has been hit, it needs to be brought in again and then taken across the board 1 more time prior to the player's completion of his bear off.

Furthermore, if you bear off every one of your checkers before your opponent, you win the Russian Backgammon game and earn 1 point. If you manage to do so before your opponent has been able to bear off any of his checkers, then you gain 3 points.

David Carnegy - Managing Editor