Ready To Come Out To Play Boys? (Backgammon)

Member Name: DaisyDuck

Product:	Backgammon
Date:	25/01/02 (632 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A game of both skill and chance

Disadvantages: Very addictive

Backgammon is a board game that has been played in some form for possibly five thousand years, it was definitely played by the Ancient Greeks and the Romans. The game as it is played today is from 17th century England, and that is when it got the name backgammon. It is thought that the doubling cube was not introduced until the 1920's.
More recently it has become the game of playboys and film stars lke Omar Sharif, as well as elderly men sitting outside cafes in the eastern sunshine.

The equipment for the game is very simple, a board, 15 white counters, 15 red/black counters, 2 pairs of dice, 2 dice cups and a doubling cube. the prices of backgammon sets vary considerably ranging from cardboard and plastic sets for a few pounds, to luxury or antique versions costing hundreds.

The game is for two players, play is on a board marked with 24 slim triangles called 'points'. The triangles alternate in colours and are grouped into four sections of 6 triangles each. These sections are referred to as players 'home board' and 'outer board', a ridge down the centre of the board is called the 'bar'. The object of the game is for each player to try and get all his counters into his 'home board' and then remove them or 'bear off' before their opponent.

To start the game each player throws a single die, the player with the highest number starts, and then play is alternate. To move around the board you take turns to throw your pair of dice, a throw of 3 and 4 for example means that you could move one counter 3 and then a further 4, or 2 counters one 3 and the other 4 places. A double means that you get 4 moves. The counters have to move to a 'point' that is empty or is just occupied by a single counter. A single counter or 'blot' if landed on by your opponents counter is placed on the bar, you then have to throw the point number to get back on a free 'point' in your oppon
ents home board. Until you have your counter/counters off the 'bar' you cannot move any others. Once you have all your counters in your home board you can start to ' bear off', by moving counters from points corresponding with the dice. You can also move counters further into your board, eg if you throw a 4 and a 3 but have no counters on those 'points' , but had counters on the 5 or 6 you could move them up to the 2 or 1 'point'.
That basically is the game, much simpler than it sounds, it would be much easier to explain with a diagram than words. The rules can be learnt in a couple of games, but the strategy could take a lifetime.

Risk or Chance... When moving your pieces around the board you have to consider the risk of how likely a 'blot' is to be 'hit' and sent to the 'bar' should you leave one. You also have to consider whether hitting your opponents 'blot' with improve your position. As in chess there are many standard moves that will help you take certain key 'points', and also many types of game, some players will move counters into the home board as quickly as possible not concerned about leaving 'blots' to be hit, others will play a very cautious game , only leaving a 'blot' when they can do nothing else.

The roll of the dice can play a huge part in the game, a series of doubles can build a good set up or save an almost lost game. The game can be played for points or for money, the doubling cube is there to raise the stakes, whatever they may be. Each game starts with a value of one point, if during the game you think you are well ahead you may propose to double the stakes, if your opponent refuses he/she loses the game. You can only offer a double on your turn, before you throw the dice, once someone has accepted the double the cube becomes theirs and only they can offer the next double.

Gammons and Backgammons.... If the losing pl
ayer has borne off at least one counter they only lose the value shown on the doubling cube. Should losing player not have borne off any counters he is gammoned and loses twice the value of the doubling cube. Worst case the losing player has not borne off any counters and still has a counter on the bar or in the winners home board, they are backgammoned and lose three times the value of the cube.

So where do you play backgammon once you have the know how.... Well I always used to play with my friends and family, and there are clubs around the country. I hadn't played for years until just recently when I found an online site to play. You can find an opponent at any time night or day. My favourite site is msn's zone.com , it is free to play and there are usually between 1500 and 6000 people online at anytime every day. There are lots of different rooms, some for casual play some for competitions and tournaments. The casual play rooms are fun to start with, you can chat as you play, I have met lots of people from Australia, America, Canada, Pakistan and of course England, who you find depends on the time of day and the various time zones. Most people enjoy to chat as they play, but you will find some who only use it to chat you up, as long as your careful it can be fun to flirt a little over your game.

So in my opinion backgammon is a challenging and fun game to play, simple to learn but difficult to master, as there is always that element of chance. I expected that only the 'over thirties' would be playing this, but have found it to be popular with teenagers as well. If you wonder why Daisy isn't busy writing and reading at Dooyoo, chances are she is playing online backgammon into the early hours of the morning. My favourite site for online play is www.zone.com , you will need to make a short download, you can play as a guest(no chat) or register and play in any of the rooms. For general information, book reviews etc, I would
recommend www.gammoned.com

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