Backgammon Articles
Backgammon History
When someone starts a Backgammon game it is hard to imagine that people in antiquity had the same hobby so long ago. Backgammon might well be the most encient board game around since playing pices where found that date back to antiquity.
Backgammon Rules - How to Play the Game
Getting started with backgammon. Learn about the objectives of backgammon, how to move game pices and how to operate the doubling cube. Playing backgammon is fun and easy once one masteres the basics.
Setting up the Backgammon Board
The authentic game of Backgammon is played for a milenia, and is still enjoyed by millions today. People of all ages can engage in backgammon, for it is easy to learn yet challenging once engaged in. Now, with the rising of the internet, online backgammon has become even more popular.
Backgammon Printed Material
The best way to learn a subject might be to read about it. Up untill a couple of decades ago, people needed to go to libraries and consult encyclopedias, if the wanted to learn something. These days, however, since the explosion of the internet generation, people tend to rely on online searches in order to gain up-to-date information. Books might be absolete before we know it. This however, is not true for classic books. Some of those books, some of them century old, hold data that is not stored on the internet. Backgammon books might well be some of those clasics.
Backgammon Rules for Tournament
Backgammon is a game that has been taking the online world by storm in recent years and as with most online games, tournaments games are available to all. For backgammon players that belive they have the right skill level good enough to participate, then backgammon competitions are a the best way to improuve more. In order to enter a tournament, however, a player should be aware of the specific backgammon tournament rules that apply.
Backgammon - Skill or luck
Recently, with the rising popularity of online backgammon, one should ask whether backgammon is a skill game or a chance game. When comparing backgammon to games that involve pure skill, such as chess or Reversi (a strategic board game, also known as Othello), we can immediately see the difference. Those games are not influenced by luck and the winer should alwais be the better player. Weak player might still win a backgammon game if they get lucky.
Backgammon Tips
Backgammon is game that is played across the board by players at multi-levels – from the amateur to the highly professional. Because of this there are backgammon tips that apply to all skill level. The following article holds some of those universal backgammonn tips.
Opening Backgammon Moves
The backgammon game starts by determining the position of each player, by the roll of the dice. This roll determines which player will take the first move. If the players reach a tie, they roll the dice again. Strategic thinking begins in this stage. Analysis dictates that the opening rolls can yield only 15 possible results. This article presents recommended checker moves, acording to opening rolls and aranged on pips one to 24. For instance, 14/8 means moving a checker from the to the 8th position from the 14th.
Mid Backgammon Game Strategy Moves
Mid-game is the name of the longest period of a backgammon game. It is here that players try to make all the correct moves so that they can stay ahead in the game and eventually win it. Good backgammon mid-game moves are imperative for a successful end. Some of the more common mid-game moves include building primes, doubling the game’s stakes and hitting the opponent. This article takes a deeper look at them.
Backgammon Bear Off
Backgammon bear off stage is when players removes their checkers from the board into the bar. Once all of a player's checkers are in his home board he can start bearing off. Essentially, the player needs to remove the checker from the point that corresponds to the number on the die. (For instance, if the dice shows a four, the checker should be removed from the forth point).
Backgammon Blocking Opponents
A backgammon player will eventually learn the fine balance between racing to finish the game and blocking the opponent, to ensure that obstacles and primes along the way slow the other side down. A player can block the opponent by occupying points and thus slow the opponent’s advancement to his own home board. It's important to distributed one's rows on the board in an even fasion. By playing many online backgammon games, one can practice this tactic, which is crusial to the game success.
Backgammon Priming
From the beginning of the game, players should be considering how they could block the opponent from moving across the board. One of the best ways to do this is to build several consecutive blocking points on the board. "Backgammon priming", as this manuver is sometimes called, prevents your opponent from letting his back checkers escape.
The Backgammon Anchor
Creating an anchor is an important game strategy that can help you gain an upper hand in a backgammon match. Essentially, creating an anchor entails joining two or more of your checkers to occupy a single point on your opponent's home board. The idea behind creating a backgammon anchor point is threefold: You can block your opponent from reaching his position more easily, you have a good attack position and your opponent cannot hit you. If you'll master the dificult art of anchor creation you might win many backgammon games. Anchoring may be the only way to turn the tables and give you a chance to improve your position in the game.
Factors of Hitting in Backgammon
Hitting your opponent in a backgammon game entails landing on his blot (single checker on a point) and sending that checker to the bar. In order for him to go on playing he will need to restore the checker into the backgammon board.
What is a Backgammon Blitz
A blitz is a backgammon attack strategy. Basicly it meens the attack of one or more checkers, while creating rows in your home board. Blitzing is the acto of non-stop hitting until all the rows are formed. The good blitz is one in which the player's manages to completely block his home board and send his opponent to the bar. A closeout will occur when the opponent cannot come back onto the backgammon board unless the player clears a point on his home board.
Winning Gammon at Backgammon
If you have managed to bear off all your checkers in a game of backgammon and your opponent has not managed to bear any of his own checkers off the board, you win a gammon game and are thus eligible for double the amount of stakes that is shown on the doubling cube. A 'backgammon' derives from the gammon. It meens wining three times the value of the doubling cube.
The Points in Backgammon
A backgammon board is divided into four quadrants, each containing six long triangles known as points. Each player has fifteen checkers that are placed on the backgammon board on these points. The points are numbered from one to twenty four, starting in the player's home board. The player's number one is therefore the opponent's number twenty-four.
Pips Counting
A pip count is the total number of points that a player needs to move his checkers before he can bear them off (remove them) from his home board. By counting pipe, players can assess their position and make decisions on future action.
What is Backgammon Doubling
When playing backgammon for money the doubling cube is used to determine the stakes in game end. A typical game of backgammon begins with one stake, however during the course of the game these stakes can be raised (doubled) once or several times, depending on the players. A doubling cube shows 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64. The first time the stakes are doubled, the die is changed to 2. When the stakes are doubled again, it is shown as 4, and so on. Theoretically, there is no limit to the number of times stakes that can be redoubled during a game, although some sites limit it to 64.
Gammon Gambling
Backgammon is a popular gambling game. Playing backgammon for money is played at backgammon clubs, backgammon tournaments. Some backgammon competitions have large monetary prizes. Since the 90's, with the introduction of the internet in general and online gamling in particular, online backgammon has grow too. Players play for large stakes and winning figures can reach very high sums.
Acey Deucey Backgammon Variant
During the long history of backgammon many game variants were developed. A popular variation is the Acey Deucey game. To play Acey Deucey one needs the same playing equipment as in backgammon: the backgammon board, 30 checkers (15 for each player) and two dice. The doubling cube is not used in this variation.
The Backgammon Narde Variation
If you ever visit Russia or any other countries of the former Soviet block and you deside to play backgammon there, Most chances are that it will be the Narde version of the game.. Historical research traces Narde to Persia (Iran) where varieties of the game are still played. The word “Narde” is in Persian, meaning the wooden board on which it is played. Possibly the game had some religious relevance to the Persians since they associated the twenty four points on the board with the hours in a day, and each checker signified a day of the month. Narde arrived in Russia about 1200 years ago.
Tabula - the Roman Backgammon Game
If you were sitting at a Roman taverna near the Coliseum in Rome some two thousand years ago, or whatever was the equivalent of a tavern for this era, you might well have seen Roman citizens engaged in a game called Tabula, or Roman backgammon. It is known that Cladius, the roman Emperor, loved the game. .
Tavla - Backgammon from Turkey
Tavla is the Turkish name for backgammon. Not only the name is diferent, but some game mechanics as well. Backgammon is, by far, more popular than Tavla. Yet Tavla has started to apear in online gaming websites, allowing it to rise in popularity.
Live Backgammon Tournament
Many people that have been playing backgammon for ages had never played in a live backgammon tournament. Most often it is because those players don't have backgammon clubs close by. But many of you can easily get to a live event from time to time.
Backgammon Board Setup
A backgammon board has twenty-four points. The points are those long triangles poking toward the center. Each point is numbered based on it's loction. The first point for the white player is the one in the far right, relevant to his iner board. The black player starts counting from the first point in his far left.
Doubling and Scoring in Backgammon
The doubling cube is used to know who has the cube now and how high it is. In the begining of a turn, a player can used the doubling cube, if he belives he has an advantage over his oponent.
Tips for Backgammon Tournaments
Players who have only recently started to play in backgammon tournaments, should do some of the following, to make it a little easier.
Playing Backgammon for Money at Play65
Real money backgammon is one of the most popular game in the world. If you are a backgammon player, I am sure you have heard of the play65 real money backgammon.
Playing and Betting in Backgammon
The backgammon game is becoming more and more common on the internet. Gambling on online backgammon internet games is very popular among those games. Ever since the creation of online backgammon, the backgammon gambling players are joining by the thousends the backgammon communities.
The Roots of Backgammon
The roots of backgammon run deep. The most ancient ancestry is claimed by a game called "Senet" which came out of Egypt. Senet was played on a 3X10 square board. No one is quite certain now of the rules, but it has been conjectured that it was gambling game of movement and displacement of opponent pieces (usually made of stone) moving in opposite directions. The movement was thought to be controlled by the roll of dice made of bones or ceramic. In archeological discoveries dice have frequently been found with the distinctive playing boards.
Understanding Backgammon Notation
Backgammon notation is used to record backgammon games. It was developed by Paul Magriel. The common way of describing the movement of checkers involves numbering the points around the board from 24 to 1.
Notations in Backgammon
Backgammon notation is a means for recording backgammon games, developed by Paul Magriel in the 1970s. The common way of describing the movement of checkers involves numbering the points around the board from 24 to 1.
Backgammon Software
Backgammon has been studied considerably by computer scientists. Neural networks and other approaches have offered significant advances to software for gameplay and analysis.
Social and competitive play
Backgammon clubs were formed by backgammon players. Many clubs have informal meetings of it's members in bars and coffe bars, to sit, chat and play backgammon. A few clubs offer additional services, maintaining their own facilities or offering computer analysis of troublesome plays. Some club leaders have noticed a recent growth of interest in backgammon, and attribute it to the game's popularity on the internet.
Eisenberg William
William (Billy) Eisenberg (born September 5, 1937) is an American bridge and backgammon professional. He was first in world bridge championships for teams in 1970, 1971, 1976, 1977 and 1979. He is also a world champion in backgammon, wining the world title in 1974. He was inducted into the American Contract Bridge League Hall of Fame in 1998.
Kit Woolsey
Kit Woolsey is a world class bridge player as well as one of the top backgammon players in the world. He was the winner of the Rosenblum Teams, the world bridge team championship. He was also runner-up in the 1989 Bermuda Bowl and won the Senior Teams at the 2000 World Team Olympiad, and another gold at the 2003 Senior Bowl, as well as approximately a dozen ACBL national championships including the Blue Ribbon Pairs, Reisinger Teams, and Vanderbilt Teams. Many of his successes were in partnership with Ed Manfield. In backgammon he was runner-up in the 1996 World Cup, and is (as of 2007) ranked the 5 backgammon player in the world.