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Backgammon Rules - Playing the Backgammon Game

By: Ran Baror Backgammon Rules are the same for the real world and for the internet backgammon.

In order to understand how to play backgammon, you must read all the instructions and understand all the rules as explained.

In Backgammon, there are two players playing against each other. Their Objective is to move their checkers to their territory on board and then take them out.

The first to remove all his checkers off the board wins the backgammon game.

ARRANGING THE BOARD

The game is played between two players on a board with 24 triangles called "Points". The points have two colors which only help you to visualize your moves without any meaning to the colors. The board is divided into 4 smaller boards- "Home boards" and "Outer boards".

The "Bar" separates all the boards and runs in the middle.

Each player has its own 15 checkers (there are two colors – red and white).

Each point on the backgammon board has a different number for each player. Each player starts to number the points from his home. The first point of the white player is located on the lower right side of the board. This is also the twenty four point for the red player. There are 2 regular dice with 6 sides and a "Doubling cube" that has the numbers 2, 4, 8,16,32,64 on it and used only to higher stakes.

STARTING THE GAME

Each player throws a dice. The results of the dice determine who starts first (the player with the higher result) and the first move according to the results of both dice.

If both players have the same result, they need to throw again.

After the first turn, each player throws two dice on alternating turns.

MOVING THE CHECKERS

The movement of the checkers is determined by the result of the dice, the roll show how many points ("Pips") a checker is allowed to move. The movement of the checkers on the backgammon board is anti clockwise.

RULES OF MOVEMENT

1. It is not allowed to move a checker to a point which is not "Free/ Open". A free point means it's not occupied with more than 1 opponent's checker.

2. As explained earlier, the moves are decided according to each separate dice. There many possibilities of movement for the same roll of dice.

For Example, when a player has a roll of 4 and 6 he may move a checker 4 moves and a different checker the other 6, or he can move the same checker 4 moves and then another 6 (or 6 moves and then 4) only if the intermediate point is free.

3. "Double"- When both dice show the same number. If a player throws a double he will play the number on the dice double (in total 4 times).

For example, A roll of 2 and 2 gives the player four two's to use.

4. The player must move the checkers whenever the situation on the board allows him to, and use all the moves determined by the dice (even if it is a double). If only one number can be played, the player must move this number, or if each number can be played but not together, the higher number must then be played. When all the numbers cannot be played, the player loses his turn.

HITTING

"Blot"- a point that is occupied with only one checker.

If a player lands on an opponent's blot, it is a "Hit" and the opponent's checker is moved to the bar.

ENTERING

Whenever a player has checkers on the bar his first move, before he makes any other moves, must be entering the checker on the bar to the opponents' home board.

A checker can enter according to the role of the dice if the point is open.

If both numbers are not open, the player loses his turn. If the player has more than one checker on the bar, and succeeds to enter only one, because the other number is not open- he is not allowed to use the other number- only when all checkers are off the bar, a player can start moving the other checkers around the board.

FINAL STAGE- TAKING OUT THE CHECKERS

When a player gathered all his checkers on his home board he is ready to start "Bearing off". A checker is removed when the number rolled matches the checker's point. For example, when a 2 is rolled, the player can bear off a checker standing at two point.

If there is no checker on the point the dice show- the player must make a move (if legally possible) using a checker situated on a higher point.

If there are no checkers on higher point the player can bear off the checker from the highest point possible.

A player doesn't have to bear off if he can make a legal move.

If the white player started to bear off, and the opponent hits him, the white player must enter his checker from the bar as usual when a checker is hit and move his checker back to his home board before he can start to bear off again.

The first player to bear off all his fifteen checkers is the winner!

This is called Gammon, and when the opponent didn't yet started to bear off his checkers it is called backgammon

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