Backgammon for Beginners

                                                                                         

A few months ago I bought a new mobile phone, while trying to figure out how to use it I stumbled across the games section and found backgammon. Up until this point I’d never played the game simply because I didn’t know how. After losing dismally the first few times I decided it would probably be a good idea to figure out the rules and strategies. It was extremely easy to pick up on the ins and outs of the game and I now find myself playing it whenever I have an extra minute or two to spare.

Needless to say I was absolutely thrilled when I found out I could play backgammon online!

Early Beginnings
It is hard to pin point the exact time in history that backgammon started being played but artifacts which have been found suggest that the pharos were playing it more than 5000 years ago. Different variations of the game were played in Persia, Greece, Rome, Egypt and the Far East and the game has had many names including Senat, Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum, Tabula, Alea and Nard. The word backgammon is said to have come from either the Old Saxon meaning of “back game” or the Welsh term that means “small battle”. If you’ve ever played it you’ll understand that it is a small yet rather fun and gripping battle.

Playing Backgammon
Backgammon is essentially a two player game which is played on a board consisting of 24 points that look like long thin triangles and 30 checkers. The board is usually made up of two sides with a fold in the middle – so there’s 6 points in each quarter of the board, the quarter on your left is your home board.
Each player gets 15 checkers of a specific color. The colors sometimes differ from game to game but they are usually either black and red or black and white.

Playing alternatively the aim of the game is to move all of your checkers from their various positions across the board at the start of your game to your home board.

Setting up the board
The points each have their own numbers; beginning at the player’s home board, the furthest point from your home board is 24 which correlates to your opponent’s number 1 point. Before start of play you need to set up your board which can be done like this:
2 checkers on each point 24
5 checkers on each point 13
3 checkers on each point 8
5 checkers on each point 6

Each player then receives their own set of dice and the fun is ready to begin.
Choose who goes first by each throwing one die – the player with the highest number goes first. All you need to do is roll your dice and begin moving your checkers from your opponent’s home board and the outer board towards your home board.

Checkers can only be moved to any open point on the board. An open point is classified as any point that is not already occupied by two or more of your opponent’s checkers. As you’re using both dice you can use one die’s number to move one checker and the other’s to move another checker. Of course you could always the summation of both numbers to move just one of your checkers. If you throw a double, like 6, you then get to move 6 places 4 times. If you can not move according to the numbers on your dice you miss a turn.

If a point is occupied by one of your opponents checkers (this is called a blot) you may land on their checker which will then be placed on the side bar. Your opponent will then have to roll again in order to get the checker back into play; the checker will begin moving from the furthest point on the board.
Once you’ve played a few times you’ll learn the subtle ins and out of blotting – be sure to avoid leaving any of your checkers on a point on their own otherwise it will be your checker that goes back to the beginning – which can ultimately lose you the game.
Once you’ve mastered the basics you’ll begin to start thinking about various backgammon strategies and that is where the real fun begins.

Online Backgammon
The most popular board game in the world – backgammon is perfectly suited to online play. The beauty of online backgammon is that you can either play against other online players or against the computer, which suites beginners perfectly. In an age where children don’t want to seem to play the games their parents did online games like backgammon are helping keep traditions alive.

From being played by pharos in Ancient Egypt to being played by web savvy individuals of all ages in the 21st century it’s safe to say that this awesome game is here to stay. Try it out… I can guarantee that you’ll love it!

About the author:
Casino Cash Journey is an online casino directory that gives you the information you need to choose the right online casino for you. It is a great resource for online backgammon, as well as a host of other exciting games, detailing information on the rules, terminology and patterns as well as a host of sites where you can play backgammon online.

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