Backgammon Rules Made Simple

Learning how to play backgammon doesn't have to be an arduous task. In fact, learning any game can be simple and fun and can create exciting opportunities for winning cash and making new friends. The following information will help you to learn the backgammon rules as painlessly as possible in order to start playing this fun and sociable board game. You'll learn the object of the game, how to use the die to move your checkers and how to use the doubling cube if you want to try backgammon gambling.

The first thing you need to familiarize yourself with is the backgammon set up. Each player has 15 checkers which are placed on triangular points on the backgammon board. The board is separated by a bar that runs through its centre. Two die are tossed at the beginning of each player's turn and the pip count they display represent the total number of spaces a player can move one or two of his checkers each turn.

When you play backgammon, your aim should be to move all your checkers around the game board toward your home board and then bear them off before your opponent does. If you successfully do this, you have won the game.

The color of your checkers will dictate in which direction you move them. If you are playing with white checkers, you will move them counter-clockwise in a backgammon game starting from the bottom left of the board and moving to the top left. If you are playing with black checkers, you will move them clockwise from the top left corner to the bottom left. You can move either one checker to represent the total pip count on both die, or one checker for each dice.

In a backgammon board game, checkers can be moved to any point that is empty. You can also place checkers on a point already home to one of your own checkers or on one that is home to one of your opponent's. If you make this second move, you are effectively "hitting" your opponent's checker. A hit checker must be placed on the bar that separates the board and played back into the game using the die. This must be done before your opponent can move any other checkers toward his home board. As your object is to clear the board of all your checkers in the fastest way you can, it is advisable to hit as many of your opponent's checkers as you can.

Bearing off is the name given to the final process in internet backgammon. Once all your checkers are safely in your home board, you need to roll the die to remove them from the board.

If you're interested in trying your hand at online backgammon tournaments, it is worthwhile learning a little about the doubling cube. This helps to raise the stakes by increasing the wager the amount of times shown on one of its six faces. If a player wants to increase the wager, he simply offers it to his opponent.