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Gameplay Essentials
Different backgammon rules dictate different kinds of gameplay. We will now examine the standard backgammon gameplay rules.
In order to determine who goes first each player rolls a single die. The player with the higher roll gets to start the game. Should both players roll the same number then each player will roll again until one roll is higher then the other.
Each player rolls and plays alternately throughout the game, unless a position occurs where one player cannot make a legal move. In this event that player must forfeit his turn. This usually happens towards the end of the game.
Each players turn consists of a two dice roll. Once rolled each player moves one or more of his men according to the numbers of the die. For example if a player has rolled a 6 and a 4. He can either move one man 10 points or spaces or he may choose to move two men, one 6 space and one 4 spaces. Regardless if you move one or two men the roll still counts as one move. There is no order to playing the dice. A checker (man) may only land on any an empty triangle, point occupied by no more then one enemy checkers or by friendly checkers. Backgammon rules are very clear as to what happens in the even of an illegal roll. If a player rolls the dice improperly and both dice do not roll completely face flat against the board, then the roll is cooked. For example if a player rolls and a die come to rest on a checker or a die falls off the board then the roll must be retaken.
According to Backgammon rules, rolling doubles
or doublets means a player has rolled 2 of the same number. Should
this occur the player is entitled to four moves instead of two. For
example, I rolled a 5-5. This means I can to move 1 or more checkers
5 spaces 4 times, but each move must consist of five spaces.
Players
make points by positioning two or more checkers on a single space.
If a player has made a point the opponents men may not come to rest
on that point or touch
down on it during a move.
Primes This is a situation where a player
has 6 consecutive points. This means that if the other player is trapped
behind a prime he can
not move past it since the highest roll on a single die is 6.
Now
we are going to discuss a different aspect of backgammon rules and
strategy. Players may have to move into a position where they only
have one man in a point on the bored. This is called a blot.
If you touch down or move your man onto an opponents blot, then that
blot has been hit. The opponents
checker is then placed on the bar
in the middle of the board. A player that has been hit, must re-start
the hit checker from the opponents home
board. That player may not make any moves with other checkers
while his man is on the bar.
Re-entry to the board correlates to a
single die roll. Each die is equivalent to a point on the board. For
example a roll such as 2-5 means you can only return your man to those
points on the board. Players may not move a man from the bar onto
another players point (2 or more checkers on a triangle). If a player
rolls while his man is on the bar and the roll is equivalent to the
opponents points then the player must forfeit his turn. A closed
board occurs when a player has made a prime on his home board.
If the opponent has a man on the bar he automatically forfeits his
turn, since he is unable to re-enter the board. Compulsory moves occur
when both parts of the roll can be played legally.
Bearing Off
Backgammon rules dictate that once all your men are your home board (points 1-6) only then, you may begin to bear off your men. Once a man has been borne off the board he may not re-enter the game. The player who bears off all his men first, wins. Players bear off their men from the corresponding face of a die roll. For example, if the player rolls 4-5 and he has men on those points, he may remove one man from the fourth and fifth points on the board. A player may not bear off his own men if he has one or more men outside his home board, or if he has a man on the bar. A player is not obligated to bear off if he can move the man to a point corresponding die. Should a player roll a higher number then the highest occupied point, he may remove a man from the next highest point. For example if the roll is 6-1 and the 6-point is already been emptied, but there are men on the 5-point, the 6 can then be used to remove a man from the 5-point.
Match Play
Matches are series of games played between two opponents. Backgammon rules are a bit different during match play. Matches are usually played for a pre-determined stakes and agreed upon backgammon rule sets. A match ends when a player reaches a predetermined number of points. Each game counts as 1 point depending on the outcome. Here are 3 possible point outcomes which can occur during match play.
Gammon A gammon occurs when a player has borne off all his 15 checkers before his opponent has borne off a single man. This means the player has won a double game or 2 points in match play.
Backgammon Backgammon is when a player has borne off all his 15 checkers while his opponent has 1 or more checkers in the players home or on the bar. Should a player win by backgammon he would win a triple game or 3 points in match play.
A single game victory means that a player has removed all 15 of his checkers and his opponent has managed to bear off 1 or more of his men.
Pips & Pip Counts A pip is a term used in backgammon rules to describe the difference in point numbers matching the distance on the board. For example the pip count between 15-point and the 5-point is 10 pips. This can be equated to 15-5=10. A pip count determines the point count of the game. At the start of each game each players pip count is 167. This is the required pip count for a player to bring all his men to his side of the board or home and bear them off. We will examine the use of pip counts and how they play into the strategic elements of online backgammon rules. These can be utilized effectively with a Doubling Cube.
Rules for beginners
| Advanced Backgammon rules
| Money rules | Strategy
& Variations | Glossary
Backgammon Resources
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