Trictrac Backgammon Variant

Trictrac is a Backgammon variant that hails from 1500 France. Over time, many adjustments have been made to the game, which eventually became known as le Petit Trictrac and le Grand Trictrac. This Backgammon variant was well-loved in France up to the mid 19th century.

As in regular Backgammon, each player has 15 checkers to move across the board in accordance with the dice rolls. But the major difference from Backgammon is that the race is not a big part of Trictrac.

The goal of Trictrac is to gain points for various plays or arrangements of checkers. 12 points are equivalent to 1 hole and 12 holes make up a match in this Backgammon variant.

In order to begin play, every player rolls a single die and the one with the higher roll gets to go first. The same player also rolls both dice once more in order to start his initial turn.

Checker movement is very much like the regular Backgammon game. The main differences are that the doubles are only played one time and no hitting exists in Trictrac. In addition, if you touch one of your men, your opponent can make you play that checker.

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 Trictrac:

1. A checker can only be placed on a point that isn't held by any of the opponent's checkers.
2. There are 2 dice in Trictrac and the numbers on each of them signify 2 independent moves.
3. In the case that you can move only 1 of the rolled numbers, you have to move the higher one.
4. You can't move 1 checker to an empty coin (12th point), but rather you have to move 2 checkers with a roll. In the case that you have 2 checkers in your coin (12th point), you can't move either of them without moving its pair.
5. You can't move your checkers to your opponent's coin (12th point), but you can brush past it on the way to a different point.
6. If the dice roll indicates 2 numbers that could take up your opponent's coin (12th point), yet your own coin (12th point) is empty, you can shift the checkers to your coin (12th point), occupying it par puissance. However, if you can choose between making your coin (12th point) directly or par puissance, you have to make it directly.

Although hitting does not take place in Trictrac, the capacity to hit one of your opponent's checkers does earn points.

In this Backgammon variant, if you have more than 2 checkers on every one of the 6 points in your petit jan (1-6), grand jan (7-12), or jan de retour (your opponent's 1-6), it means that you have filled that table. If you can fill a table with your roll, then you have to do so and maintain the table for as much time as you can.

No checker can hold a point in the opponent's grand jan (opponent's 7-12) or petit jan (opponent's 1-6) if the opponent still has the chance to fill it.

When every one of your checkers has made it into your jan de retour (opponent's 1-6), you can start to bear off. Bearing off is done by rolling a number that matches the point where the checker stands and then taking that checker off the board.

In the case that the point shown on the roll is empty, you have to make a move with a checker on a point with a higher number. If there aren't any checkers on such points, you have to take a checker off of the highest point occupied by a checker.

On every turn, you give the dice a roll and think how you can use that roll to your advantage. The following are the different ways to gain points in Trictrac:

1. Gain 4 points in a move called Jan de trois coups, if the 3rd roll enables you to wind up with 1 checker on points 2-7.
2. Gain 4 points, or 6 points if you do this move, called Jan de deux tables, via doubles. You can score these points if just 2 checkers have been played off of your 1st point and your throw would allow you to shift 1 checker to your coin (12th point) and your opponent's coin (opponent's 12th point).
3. Gain 4 points, or 6 points for every way that you make this move, dubbed Petit jan (points 1-6), grand jan (points 7-12), and jan de retour (opponent's 1-6). For each move that maintains the jan, the player gains more points, including a case where the place is retained just because a certain roll couldn't be played.
4. Gain 4 points, or 6 points for making a move called Jan de mezeas, via doubles, if you roll 1 or 1-1 when you've played just 2 checkers off your talon (1st point) and they're on your coin (12th point).
5. Gain 4 points for every time that you have the capacity to hit in a petit jan (points 1-6) and score 2 points for every time you have the capacity to hit in a grand jan (points 7-12), as well as 2 additional points for doubles.
6. A false hit can be defined as the capacity for an indirect hit that is blocked by points that are held. Your opponent will gain 4 points for a false hit in the petit jan (points 1-6) and score 2 points for a false hit in the grand jan (points 7-12), as well as 2 additional points for doubles.
7. Gain 4 points, or 6 points if you make a move called Battre le coin, via doubles, if you've made your coin (12th point), while your opponent's coin (12th point) is vacant, and you roll numbers that would make his coin (12th point).
8. Your opponent scores 2 points for each number you roll, but can't play.
9. Gain 4 points, or 6 points via doubles if you are the first player to bear off all of your checkers.
10. In this Backgammon variant, you are required to signify your score prior to making your next move. If you fail to do so, your opponent wins those points in what is dubbed an ecole.

There are 12 holes on each side of the Backgammon board used for scoring in Trictrac. Whenever you make 12 points, you move a peg on your side of the board and once the peg reaches the coin (12th point) hole, the game is over.

3 tokens, which begin between the talons (1st points) to show that points haven't been scored yet, are utilized in order to keep track of the points. When you gain points, you shift a token to the angle of a triangle. The 2nd triangle stands for 2 points, the 4th triangle stands for 4 points, the 6th triangle stands for 6 points, the 7th triangle stands for 8 points, and the 12th stands for 10 points.

Once you gain 12 points, the token returns to the talon (1st point) and you score a trou, meaning that you get to move your peg to the next hole.

In the case that you gain a trou with a roll of your own, you must choose 1 of 2 options:

1. Keep playing – bring your opponent's token back to the talon (1st point) and then it's his turn.
2. Set the Trictrac game anew – tokens of both participants return to the talons, checkers take their initial positions and you roll once more.

If you gain a trou without your opponent's scoring since the first time you removed your token from the talon (1st point), you gain 2 trous (holes). That's exactly the point of having the 3rd token in this Backgammon variant. If you are the first one to score and move your token up, then your opponent scores, your opponent is still in the running for a trou bredouille. Thus, he utilizes 2 tokens to signify his score. If you score once more, you have to bring one of your opponent's tokens back to the talon (1st point) to symbolize that trou bredouille is unattainable.

David Carnegy - Managing Editor