Where Do We Start? - At The End!
(1)
Michael Crane
If I start at the beginning you won't have the faintest idea of what you're trying to
achieve during a game of backgammon. It is much easier to explain how the game ends first - this
way, when you start to play from the beginning you'll know exactly what is required to win -
and how easy it can be to lose!
The winner in backgammon, as in ludo, is the first person to get all their checkers (referred to as
men) around the board and off; essentially a racing game. Look at the diagram below showing your
men in your home board (sometimes called inner). For the moment ignore the rest of the board.
Diagram 1
In backgammon we use two dice and men are moved according to the individual dice around the
board from the 24-point in the direction towards the 1-point (each triangular segment is called a
point). For example if you roll 32 this is not a 5 but one move of 3 and then one move of 2 or, one
move of 2 and then one move of 3; the order in which you may move a dice roll can vary depending
upon which die can be moved first - more later on this subject. In backgammon if you roll a doublet
(e.g. 33, 55 etc.) you can make 4 moves instead of the normal two.
In Diagram 1 above you are 'bearing off', i.e., taking your men off the board at
the very end of the game; each man bearing off in relation to the dice roll. E.G. If you roll 32
you remove one man from the 3-point and one man from the 2-point. If you roll a die higher than the
highest point occupied, men can be removed from that highest point; that means that if your highest
occupied point is your 4-point and you roll 62 you can remove a man from the 4-point (using the 6)
and a man from your 2-point.
Doublets allow you to remove 4 men if possible. If you roll a die for a point that isn't
occupied then you must, if possible, move within your inner board until a die is equal to an
occupied point or is greater than your highest occupied point. If only one die can be moved then
the higher is moved if possible.
Exercise 1: Set up your home board as in Diagram 1 and move the following dice rolls
bearing off a man each time: 61, 32, 42, 62, your board now looks like Diagram 2 (home board
segment):
Diagram 2
You now roll 62 again; taking a man off your 5-point (using the 6) and because you don't
have any men on your 2-point you now have to move within your homeboard. You want to make certain
that you get as many men off each roll as possible and to this end the 2 is moved from the 4-point
to the empty 2-point ensuring that on your next roll you will remove at least 2 men, this tactic is
very important when bearing off without the possibility of being hit by an opponent (more on this
subject later) and is used in the next exercise. Always try to maximise the men off on the next
roll by filling empty points.
