Backgammon Game Basic Requirements
Players
Backgammon rules are very simple, and online backgammon is just as well.
It is a game for two players. Both players have an equal opportunity to make the first move,
regardless of the color of the checkers or the side of the board.
The Backgammon Board
There are many kinds of boards, and they range in materials and in sizes.
Boards that are used for travel are usually cheap, while customized boards that are professionally
manufactured may reach a sum of $1000 or more. Most boards can be folded in half, with the checkers,
dice, and cups inside. This feature not only saves space, but it also protects the surface of the board.
The Checkers
There are 30 checkers which are usually round,
15 of each color. Other names by which the checkers might be called are men,
pieces, stones, or counters.
The Checkers
Each player gets a pair of 6-sided dice. Players and tournament directors today prefer precision dice
(dice that are uniform in weight and balance).
The Dice Cups
There are two dice cups, which frequently have a rim around the inside edge,
designed to enable the rolling of the dice onto the board. A baffle box may also be used for rolling dice.
In this case, the dice are placed on the top of the box, after which they roll down an incline onto the board.
In order to prevent dice manipulation, both types of containers have been standardized.
The Doubling Cube
The cube is a large die which has the numbers 2,4,8,16,32, and 64 on its 6 sides.
This die is needed for monitoring the number of points or units at risk in the game,
but it also intensifies the pleasure of backgammon. Later on in this section, further details will be given as to the cube's usage.
Assembling the Board
The board is divided into 4 quadrants, each of which has 6 points, totaling 24 points.
These are black and white triangles which alternate accordingly. The raised section of the board,
called the bar, divides each player's home (inner) board and outer board. A checker must be put on the bar whenever it is hit.
This means that it cannot re-enter the opponent's inner board until the next roll. The preliminary arrangement of the checkers
on the board is the starting position. Each player has two checkers on the 24pt., five on the 13pt., three on the 8pt., and five on the 6pt.
The direction of play is from one player's home board to the other's, through the two outer boards.
The Winner
The players move their men as indicated by the numbers on their dice.
They move the checkers forward on the board until they reach their home boards.
Players can begin the bear off only when all of the checkers are within the home board. The first player to bear off all
the checkers from the home board is the winner.
Now that we are ready to play, lets move on to the backgammon game process or you can
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