Easy-to-Play Backgammon

Beginners Introduction to Backgammon

What in the world is Backgammon? If you haven't heard of this game before or are just a beginner and are starting to learn what this game is about let's give you a little heads up to this really exciting one on one game.

It might surprise you to learn that backgammon is a board game. No, it's not a card game like poker, but it is just as exciting and action packed. This board game is not like your run off the mill game. Backgammon, like chess, packs strategy into the game that can test your skills.

So what are the basic things that a beginner ought to know about this game? Like many board games, backgammon is played with dice. You get to move around the board from one end to the other according to the roll of the dice. Instead of moving within squares (like chess for example) you move through narrow triangles that are called points. You will have a bunch of checkers to rally across the board.

That's where the strategy comes in. A player can set up a roadblock by piling his checkers (at least two) onto a point. Doing so prevents your opponent from moving his pieces on certain points. Some players set up traps making their opponent forfeit a turn. Other players hit enemy checkers like crazy. Every time a checker of yours lands on a lone enemy-checker you get to send that piece back to start. Others simply run their pieces like crazy to the end depending completely on luck with the dice.

The two dice add excitement and the element of luck into backgammon. Basically you can move two pieces at a single turn. Getting a double in a roll of dice (like two sixes or a pair of fours) would automatically give you a chance to move four times. For instance a player rolls a three and three. He gets to move through three points whether it is just the same checker or a combination of checkers to move.

Because of the dice a certain mathematical element is added to backgammon. Since there are a lot of checkers to choose from, figuring out which piece to move first can become a challenge when one is a beginner. But you'll get the hang of it pretty soon.

Like chess, backgammon is a thinking game. You just don't go attacking or building traps, or making a run for it to get to the end. Checking out what your opponent is doing is a basic skill. Just remember that this is a head-to-head game. You have a chance to react to what he is doing. This is the kind of game where you can pit your wits and your luck against an opponent.

Remember that on any given roll of the dice you have a variety of tactics to choose from. At times it is not the number that pops up in a roll of dice that counts, the decisions you make when playing backgammon weigh just as much when trying to win.

These basic rules are quite easy to understand. Like any game, if you were just a beginner the best advice would be to practice. It would only take a few games to get the hang of the rules. Once you've mastered the basics then you can move off to skills and strategies.