Types of Moves

Backgammon is not a game of chance or luck. Many people are of the opinion that the game of backgammon centres around ones luck especially since the game is played with a pair of dice. However, frequent players of backgammon or just about anyone who has played the game or simply knows the rules will be able to tell you that it is all about strategy. Backgammon is rather like chess in that way. It is a mind game – and everything is determined on how you move your men.

The game is played by two players who try their best to get their backgammon checkers off the board. In order to do this the player must first move all his men into his or her home board and then get them off the board.

Backgammon is often described as a sort of obstacle race between two groups of “backgammon men.” The course is divided into 24 divisions which are called “points.”

The backgammon board is halved by what is known as a “bar” and consists of an outer and inner board. The outer board is nearest to the player is called the “outer board” and the other is called the “home board.”

Every player starts off with 15 backgammon men: he has 5 men on his 6-point, 3 men on his 8-point and 5 men on his opponent's 12-point. In addition to this the player also has 2 men marked out as runners. These are backgammon men who will travel the entire length of the course or track whereas the other men will travel much shorter distances.

The game begins with the first roll of the two dice. The player will then move his backgammon men according to the numbers he has thrown. A player has the option of moving either one man for the sum of the numbers he has thrown or to move two separate men in accordance with the numbers he has got.

For instance if a player has thrown 5 – 2. he may move one of his men seven spaces. This counts as two moves with one man. The player may also choose to move two of his men, setting one to move 5 spaces and the other 2.

The players play by alternate throws of dice and only skip a turn if a player has no legal move left to play. If the player throws cocked dice then he will have to retake his throw again. A player may also move his men for 4 moves if he scores a double on his first throw. For instance the player could throw a 3 - 3 or a 6 - 6 and then gets the chance to make four moves. In this case luck comes into play but otherwise it is a game of strategy.

Chester Houndswell