Backgammon tournament

Backgammon: Back to Basics

Backgammon - as some people learn the hard way - is a game that rewards skill more than luck. Like most games of it's kind, it is extremely addictive. Playing backgammon as a beginner may seem daunting at first, what with all the great players out there? But this game is really easy to learn, and once you get started, you may never want to stop.

Backgammon is for all intents and purposes, a racing game. The object of the game is for the player to be the first to remove all their pieces from the board. This is very challenging to accomplish, specially against a seasoned opponent. However challenging it may be, there's no denying that playing backgammon is a fun and enjoyable experience.

The backgammon board consists of 30 checker pieces, half of which are red and the other black. This is divided into two groups of 15, each group having the same colored checkers. One group is assigned to the first player while the other group is assigned to the second player.

Both players move their pieces on the board which functions as a track separated into 24 divisions of alternating color, termed points. These "points" resemble dagger like protrusions originating from the top and bottom edges of the board.

The game starts with a dice roll by each player. The player who throws the higher number is the first to move, and the number of moves is determined by the values of both dice thrown. The dice are rolled again in case of a tie. The players would then alternate turns, each throwing the two dice, until the game ends.

After the dice roll, the player must move pieces that corresponds to the number shown on each die. The player must play each die two times if two similar numbers are rolled. A checker is allowed to land on any vacant point or those containing the player's own pieces. It is also allowed to land on a point with a "blot", which is a single piece owned by the opposing player. The blot is then removed from the point and immediately placed in the center of the board.

Bearing off, which is the process of removing the pieces from the board, may begin as long as all the pieces under the player's control are already inside that player's home board. A checker can only be removed if the the point it occupies corresponds to the value of the die rolled that turn. As an example, a roll of 3 can be used to remove a checker from 3-point, a 4 from 4-point, and so on. Bearing off is a part of the game where useful tactics can be employed, and these could mean the difference between winning and losing.

When a player has successfully removed all his checkers from the board before the opponent, that player is declared the winner. Backgammon has several different variations. As such, variations in the rules may apply from one type to the other.