Backgammon for Beginners
Backgammon is a two-player game using a backgammon board, 30 checkers in two sets of contrasting colors and two dice. More advanced players use a doubling cube. The dice cup that is often included in playing sets is optional.
The backgammon board is divided vertically and horizontally into four equal sections. The vertical division is called the bar. Twenty four triangles called points are equally divided among the quadrants.
The two quadrants closest to a player belong to that player. The right one is called the home board.
A player's 1 point is the one on the rightmost of the home board. Points are numbered in a clockwise direction with the 24 point directly opposite the 1 point. The direction of play, on the other hand, is counterclockwise. The goal of the player is to bring all checkers into the home board and then bear them off from the board. The first one to do so wins the game.
The backgammon board is set up with five checkers on the 6 point, three checkers on the 8 point, five checkers on the 13 point and two checkers on the 24 point.
At the start of the game, each player rolls a die and the winner makes the first move using both numbers rolled. Subsequently,each player rolls two dice for each move.
The numbers may be used separately for two checkers. They may be used for one checker provided that each number is allowable for that checker. A move is allowed only when landing on an empty point or on a single opposing checker. If there are no allowable moves, the player loses that turn.
A single checker or a blot that gets hit by a landing opponent is put on the bar. The owner's next move has to be used to get that checker back into the board through the 24 point.
Once all checkers are in the home board, a player is allowed to bear off or remove a checker from each point that corresponds to the number thrown from each dice.
A gammon or a double win happens when a players bears off completely while the opponent has not yet removed any checker.
A backgammon or a triple win happens when a player bears off completely while the opponent has not yet removed any checker and still has one ormore checkers outside the home board or on the bar.
The basic rules of backgammon can be understood even by children. Strategizing is learned in practice.