How to Play Backgammon

Backgammon is a game that has been played for thousands of years and this is actually a variation of the old game, or more the game transformed in to what we know today as backgammon. All over the world backgammon is making a comeback, but in the Middle East it never lost ground.

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to move all of your checkers or men into your own side and then remove them from the board. The first player to remove all of their checkers wins the game.

Setup

Backgammon is a two player game, played on a board that consists of twenty four narrow triangles called points with 12 points on each side of the board. The triangles alternate colors and are grouped into four quadrants with six triangles each.

Each point has a number, and you begin by trying to move your pieces from the opponents home to your home and vice versa. The outermost point for you is the twenty fourth point, which is also the opponents one point. Each player begins with fifteen checkers of his own color. The initial arrangement of the checkers is: two on each players twenty fourth point, five on each players thirteenth point, three on each players eighth point, and five on each players sixth point.

How to Play

Both players use their own pair of dice and a cup is used for shaking the dice. Both player roll one die and the highest number starts. Rolling doubles offers you four moves instead of 2. You cannot land on an opponents point if it is occupied by more than two pieces. You can take a man by landing on him alone sending him to the middle of the board to try to come back out in your home. It is beneficial to make as many small buildings, two or more pieces together on one point, to obstruct your opponent from moving. The first player to remove all of his or her pieces from the board is the winner.

A doubling cube, with the numerals 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 on its faces, can be used to keep track of the current stake of the game.