Backgammon board game how to play. Eating and introducing checkers into the game. Is there a difference between long and short backgammon

The device of the board for playing backgammon, checkers and dice

Long backgammon, according to the rules of the game, is played on a board consisting of 24 points (holes). The board is conditionally divided into two equal parts by a special board (bar), with six holes for checkers on each short side.

Fig 1. Initial arrangement of checkers in board game long backgammon

According to the rules of the game of long backgammon, each player has 15 checkers of the same color. Initially, all black checkers are placed in hole number 1 (see Fig. 1), and white checkers are placed in hole 13. Holes 1 and 13 are called respectively - black's head and white's head. The goal of the game of long backgammon is to bring all the checkers to your home before the opponent and remove them from the board before the second player does. Black's home is points numbered 19 to 24 (see Fig. 1), white's home is holes numbered 7 to 12.

Start of the game long backgammon

The game of long backgammon begins with the successive throwing of the dice. Dice or dice are thrown in such a way that they both fall in one half of the game board and lie firmly on the edge. If the cubes are scattered on both halves of the board, if at least one of them falls off the board, or at least one stands obliquely, leaning against the board or checker, then the throw is repeated.

The right of the first move in long backgammon is played as follows: players throw one die each, the player who throws more points will go first. In case of equality of points dropped out, a second attempt is made. If, after the end of the first game, the second game is played, then the player who won the first game starts it.

At the beginning of the game there is a capture of advantageous positions. From the head, for the move, you can remove only one checker(except for the first move 3:3, 4:4 and 6:6). It is better to use every move to capture profitable positions that secure future moves. In case of falling out during the first move of combinations 3:3, 4:4 and 6:6, two checkers must be removed from the head, because. You won’t be able to make the whole move alone - the enemy’s head will interfere.

The purpose of the game of long backgammon

In the game of long backgammon, the player must pass all the checkers a full circle (counterclockwise), enter the house with them and throw them away before the opponent does. The home for each player is considered the last quarter playing field, starting from a cell 18 cells away from the head.

The movement of checkers in the board game long backgammon

In the backgammon board game, the player rolls two dice at the same time. After the throw, the player moves any of his checkers by a number of cells equal to the rolled number of one of the cubes, and then any one checker - by a number of squares equal to the rolled number of the other cube. That is, if "three" fell on one die, and "five" on the other, then, accordingly, you can move one of your checkers by three cells, and the other by five cells. In this case, you can move one checker eight cells. It doesn't matter which move to make first, whether it's a larger number or a smaller one. In this case, only one checker can be taken from the head.

The first roll in the backgammon board game provides players with an exception to the above rule. If one checker, which can only be removed from the head, does not pass, then the second one can be removed. There are only three such throws for the player: six-six, four-four, three-three. In this situation, in the board game long backgammon, it is not possible to play a full move with one checker, as the opponent's checkers standing on their heads interfere. If one of these combinations falls out, then the player can remove two checkers from his head.

In the board game long backgammon, you cannot move two checkers by the number of cells indicated by one die, and then by the number of cells indicated by another die. That is, if five or four fell out, you can’t go first with one checker for two, then the other for three (that is, win back five with two checkers) and then win back the four in the same way. If both dice have the same number of points (double, jackpot), then the number of points is doubled, i.e. the player plays as if he rolled 4 dice and can make 4 moves per the number of cells rolled on one die.

In the board game long backgammon, it is allowed to put an arbitrary number of checkers on one field. A checker cannot be placed on a cell occupied by an opponent's checker. If a checker lands on an occupied cell, it is said that it "does not go". If the opponent's checkers occupy six squares in front of any checker, then it is locked. In the board game long backgammon, it is not forbidden to build blocks of 6 checkers, however, all fifteen checkers of the opponent cannot be locked. There is a variant of the rules: You have the right to build a fence of six checkers only if at least one checker of the opponent entered the house.

Fig 2. In long backgammon, the move by "run" is not considered a mistake, because. it is done during the player's turn and does not interfere with his opponent

In the board game long backgammon, if a player cannot make a single move for the number of points that he rolled on the dice (the checkers "do not go"), then the player's dropped points disappear, and the checkers do not move at all. If a player has the opportunity to make a full move, he does not have the right to shorten it, even if it is in his interest. That is, if it is more profitable for the player to make "three", and "six" fell out and there is an opportunity to go "six", then "six" should go. In long backgammon, if such a stone fell out that allows the player to make only one move, and any of the two, then the player must choose the larger one. The smaller points are gone. Note: the term "stone" in backgammon can refer to a dice, as well as a combination of points that fell on two dice. For example, a stone "four-three".

Throwing checkers in the board game long backgammon

Fig 3. Black rolled 4:2. They throw two checkers

In the board game long backgammon, the term to throw away checkers means to make moves so that the checker is off the board. Conventionally, advice for the release of checkers can be divided into 3 parts: the capture of positions in the fourth quarter, the correct introduction of checkers into the ejection zone and the actual release of checkers. A player can only start discarding checkers when all of his checkers have arrived at home. In the process of removing the checkers from the house, the player has the right to use the points that fell on the dice at his own discretion: he can play the checker in the house or throw it away. Checkers can only be thrown from the fields corresponding to the dropped points on the dice. For example, if the roll is 6:3, the player can remove one checker from the 6th field and one checker from the 3rd field from the board. In the board game long backgammon, in the process of removing checkers from one's own home, it is allowed to remove checkers from the fields of the lowest level if there are no checkers in the fields of the highest level. For example, if 6:5 fell on the dice, and there are no checkers on fields 6 and 5, then the player can withdraw two checkers from the house from the next in order, the fourth field, if there are no checkers there, then from the third, if there are none - from the second, etc.

Results in the board game long backgammon

There is no draw in the game of long backgammon. If one player has thrown away all his checkers, the second player is considered a loser, even if the next throw may also throw away all his checkers. The game of long backgammon is over.

Building and breaking "fences"

"Fence" - these are the checkers of one of the players lined up in a row. If you managed to build a fence of 6 or more chips, then this is already a blank fence because it is impossible to jump over it.

Deficit of moves

At any moment of the game, we have a different number of moves available for each of the 6 digits of the die. There are moments when, with a double 6:6, we have access to, let's say, only two moves and not four (for example, during the first move), and there is a loss of moves. The effective use of the "deficit of moves" of one's own and the opponent's is one of the most difficult in long backgammon and is a sign of the highest skill.

A beginner trying to understand the rules of backgammon often does not realize that this game has two varieties: long and short backgammon. But it will be difficult for a novice player to learn the rules of backgammon at once on the example of both games, because the player will confuse the rules of one game with the rules of another. Therefore, it is better to first learn how to play one game, and then move on to learning another. And it's easier for a beginner to start playing long backgammon, because this game is a bit easier to understand than short backgammon.

To start playing long backgammon, you need to correctly place the checkers. Each player places fifteen checkers. The player who plays white checkers places his checkers in hole number twenty-four. It should be in the upper right corner of the board from the player. The player playing with black checkers places them in hole number twelve. In relation to the second player, hole number twelve is also located in the upper right corner of the board.

The players then take turns throwing dice and move their checkers along the holes of the board counterclockwise. The point of playing long backgammon for a player with white checkers is to bring all his checkers into a field with a range of holes of one to six, and then remove them from the board. And for the black checkers player, the meaning of the game is to do the same, but his checkers must end up in the range of holes numbered thirteen-eighteen before they are removed from the board.

On the first move, it is allowed to walk with two checkers from the initial hole, but even then, under the condition of the complete absence of the possibility of moving a second time with one checker. Such a case happens infrequently. For all subsequent moves, you can use only one checker from the initial hole per move, and make the second move with the same or some other checker. When moving in a circle from the initial hole to the end range of holes, you can place checkers in holes in which there are already own checkers, but you cannot place them where there are checkers or an opponent's checker.

With absence options the player skips a turn. When the checkers have moved into the final range of holes, you need to remove them from the board. That is, throw dice and remove checkers with such numbers of holes. If there are no checkers in the holes with these numbers, you can transfer them to the number of holes that have fallen forward. If there is nowhere to transfer, then checkers are removed from the board from holes with lower ordinal values. The player who first removes all his checkers from the game board wins. Instruction "backgammon game rules for beginners" will be useful to everyone who wants to master this interesting game.

Backgammon exists in two types - long and short. in Western countries, short backgammon is the most popular, which is also played in most tournaments and is the basis for playing backgammon online. The main difference between the game of short and long backgammon is the initial arrangement of game chips on the board and the drawing of beaten chips. To start the game, each player in turn rolls a dice. This roll determines who goes first and with what numbers he makes that move. If the same values ​​fall out on the dice, they are rolled until different meanings. In accordance with what has fallen on the dice, the player moves the chips around the board. Then, in order to make a move, each player rolls both dice. The number dropped in total on two dice determines how many points the player will go forward, we remind you. that chips move from high value pips to lower value pips.

Starting from the home of each player, the points are numbered for each player individually. The home is the last quarter for the player, which begins with the point on which there are 5 chips at the beginning of the game. the farthest point is the twenty-fourth, which is also the first for the enemy. In this type of backgammon, each player has exactly 15 chips. When the game begins, they are arranged in this order: two checkers in point 24, five in point 13, three in point 8 and five in point 6.

The goal of the game in short backgammon, the same as in long backgammon, is to remove all checkers from the board, transferring them alternately between points to the house. Accordingly, the game is won by the one who first removes all the checkers from the game. In order to more clearly distinguish between short and long backgammon, we present the basic rules for playing short backgammon.

1. In the game, a checker can only fill an open point - one that is not occupied by two or more opponent's pieces.

2. The numbers that fell on both dice cause different moves. For example, if a player rolls a 3 and a 5, he can move one chip for three points and another for five, or one chip for eight points at once.

3. During the game of backgammon, the player who has two identical numbers on the dice - double, the numbers are played twice. For example, if we get 4-4, then the player makes four moves of four points, and the chips can be rearranged in a different combination - as the player wishes.

4. The player must move with two numbers rolled or four (if a double rolls). If a condition arises when it is possible to play with one number, the player is forced to choose one and play it. If each of the numbers can be played separately. but not two at once, the player must make the next move. When a player does not have the opportunity to make a move, he misses it. Provided that a double falls out, but it is not possible to beat all four moves at once, everything possible is done.

In short backgammon, a point on which there is only one chip is called a blot. And therefore, when the opponent's chip stops at such a point, the blot is considered closed, or beaten. From this it becomes clear that in order to protect the chips, it is necessary to place them twice, and not singly, of course, if the situation allows it. the opportunity to put two chips on one point is determined by rolling the die. The opponent will not be able to beat the doubled chips, and take this point with his own. If the die allows you to go to a point occupied by more than one opponent's pawn, then the pawn does not move. But when the six squares in front are occupied by several enemy pieces, your piece is closed and can only move when one of the fields is free. You cannot beat the opponent's piece and move it in the same move so that it is placed in the point with its own piece and becomes doubled. But there is an opportunity to beat and block one of your chips with the help of another, to beat and move to a free point, to beat and throw away a chip. When there are chips on the bar, the most important duty of the player whose checks they are is to launch them into the opponent's house. The chip comes into play for a point equal to the value rolled on the die. For example, if a player gets 6 and 4 in the game, he has the right to put a checker in the sixth or fourth point, provided that there are no opponent's chips on them. If the two points that correspond to the numbers on the dice are occupied, the player is forced to skip his turn.

If it is not possible to return all the checkers to the game, the points disappear. As soon as all the checkers are back on the board, you can move in the usual way, moving the checker you see fit. Throwing chips in short backgammon. After all fifteen chips are in the house, the player can start throwing them out of the game. To do this, you need to roll a die and the chips are transferred from those points that fell on it, that is, if 6 and 3 fall out, you can pick up chips from the sixth and third points, respectively. If there are no checkers on the desired point, chips are thrown from the points, the number of which is less than what fell on the die.

The rules are pretty simple and easy to remember. If you play at home, it will be just entertainment for you and your opponent, but you can also play with the help of bets that will be interesting and useful for you.