![allanswers.org - Backgammon --- Frequently Asked Questions. [monthly]](/logo.gif "allanswers.org - Backgammon --- Frequently Asked Questions. [monthly]"){kind=logo}
|
|
| Home > Games > games > |
Backgammon --- Frequently Asked Questions. [monthly] |
Section 1 of 9 - Prev - Next
All sections - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
Archive-name: games/backgammon-faq
Posting-frequency: Monthly, around the 13th of each month.
Last-modified: January 1996
Version: 9603
_________________________________________________________________
BACKGAMMON --- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
Last modified: Mon Dec 18 10:51:27 1995
Mark Damish
_________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
SECTION 0: FORE FAQ
Definition , Editor , Purpose , Contributions , Availability,
Disclaimer , Editorial , Changes Gratitude , and News .
SECTION A: ESSENTIALS
* A1. What is backgammon?
* A2. What are the basic rules of the game?
+ Backgammon Equipment
+ The backgammon board
+ Object of the game
+ Starting the game
+ Moving your men
+ Doublets
+ Making points
+ Prime
+ Blots
+ Closed board
+ Compulsory move
+ Bearing off
+ Gammon and Backgammon
+ Cocked dice
* A3. What is the doubling cube for?
* A4. What is the Crawford rule? (Why won't FIBS let me double?)
* A5. What is the Jacoby rule?
* A6. What is the Holland rule?
* A7. What are those critters --- Beavers, raccoons?
* A8. What is a Chouette?
* A9. Basic Strategy for Beginners.
* A10. Opening Rolls
SECTION B: ELECTRONIC BACKGAMMON: VS OTHER HUMANS
* B1. FIBS (First Internet Backgammon Server)
+ FIBS Introduction
+ FIBS Help
+ FIBS Ratings
+ Computer Programs On FIBS
+ FIBS Misc.
* B2. What is the Internet and how do I get onto it?
* B3. Are there any GUI's (Graphical User Interfaces) for FIBS?
+ Tinyfugue
+ xfibs
+ MacFIBS
+ TkFibs
+ FIBS/W
+ xibc
* B4. What is LDB? (Long Distance Backgammon. BG by Email)
* B5. What other ways are there to play people via
nets/modems/e-mail?
+ Netgammon backgammon server
+ GEnie
+ outland
+ PBeM
+ JavaGammon
* B6. Are there any electronic tournaments?
* B7. Do other game servers exist?
+ Backgammon , Bridge , Scrabble-like , Chinese Chess (Xianqi)
, Othello , Chess , Go , Checkers , Other Games Server and
Web Pages
SECTION C: ELECTRONIC BACKGAMMON: VS MACHINE
* C1. Are there any BG programs out there for my computer? Where are
they?
+ Commercial backgammon playing programs
o JellyFish
o TD-Gammon
o Expert Backgammon
+ Shareware and Public Domain backgammon playing programs
o BLOT
o Backgammon, By George!
o bg06
o A PD mac program called ?
o Death by Backgammon
o xgammon
o Misc.
* C2. Which programs are good? How good is good?
* C3. Why is it so hard to write a good backgammon program?
* C4. Backgammon support software and software reviews.
+ Commercial Software
o BOINQ
o Hyper-Backgammon
o Hugh Sconyers Bearoff & Backgame CDs
o Matchqiz (and demo)
o Backgammon Position Anylyzer
o BG-SCRIBE
o The Match Strategist (and demo)
+ Shareware and PD software
o rfibs (fibs recorder & playback)
o LaTeX Style for BG Positions and Games
o BOA/386 Bearoff analyzer
SECTION D: RESOURCES
* D1. I'm looking for a club to play in...
+ Backgammon clubs in North America
+ Playing Backgammon in the Boston area
+ Other Backgammon Clubs
* D2. Where are the tournaments?
* D3. I'm looking for information about newsletters and other
publications.
+ Anchors
+ Backgammon Magazine
+ BLITZ
+ Chicago Point Newsletter
+ European Backgammon News
+ Flint Area Backgammon News
+ GAMMON
+ Hoosier Backgammon Club Newsletter
+ Inside Backgammon
+ Norpunkt
* D4. Backgammon books and book reviews.
+ BG books [summary] by Marty Storer
+ BG books [summary] by John Bazigos
+ How to play tournament BG [book]
+ Backgammon (Robin Clay) [book]
+ In The Game Until The End... [booklet]
+ Learning From the Machine... [booklet]
+ Kit Woolsey's "Tournament Series Backgammon"
+ The Backgammon Book
+ Playboy's Book of Backgammon
+ Other Books
+ Danny Kleinman Books
* D5. A List of Backgammon Articles in Science and Business
* D6. Where does one purchase backgammon supplies and books?
+ The GAMMON PRESS
+ Carol Joy Cole
+ The Backgammon Shop
+ Danny Kleinman
+ Dansk Backgammon Forlag
+ Crisloid
+ Larry Strommen
+ John Rather
* D7. An index of backgammon resources available on the Internet.
SECTION E: MISC.
* E1. What other games can be played on a backgammon board?
+ Hyper-Backgammon
+ Nackgammon
+ Tapa
+ Narde
+ Diceless Backgammon
+ Acey-deucy
+ One Point Matches
+ Feuga
+ Greek/Turkish variation called ?
* E2. How does one become a better player?
* E3. Kent Goulding's International Backgammon Rating List
* E4. Misc.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Section 0: FORE FAQ
DEFINITION
FAQ /F-A-Q/ or /faq/ [USENET] n. 1. A Frequently Asked Question. 2. A
compendium of accumulated lore, posted periodically to high-volume
newsgroups in an attempt to forestall such questions. Some people
prefer the term 'FAQ list' or 'FAQL' /fa'kl/, reserving 'FAQ' for
sense 1.
-- from: The jargon file, Version 2.9.12, 10 May 1993
EDITOR
Mark Damish damish@ll.mit.edu
PURPOSE
The purpose of this FAQ is to answer commonly asked questions which
come up on the rec.games.backgammon news group and to compile a set of
resources which might be useful to backgammon players in general.
CONTRIBUTING
Contributions will be thankfully accepted. Send E-Mail to the editor
of this list for inclusion and credit in future FAQs.
AVAILABILITY
The FAQ will be posted on or around the 13th (13: is such a nice
opening roll) of each month to rec.games.backgammon, rec.answers and
news.answers.
The FAQ is also available for anonymous ftp on:
rtfm.mit.edu /pub/usenet/news.answers/games/backgammon-faq
The ascii FAQ may also be obtained vie E-mail. Just send mail to:
mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu
with
send usenet/news.answers/games/backgammon-faq
in the body of the message.
HTML version:
An HTML (hypertext) version of the faq has been created. It is
currently the `source' document for the ASCII version posted to
rec.games.backgammon, and the rtfm archive. Within the document
there are ``links'' from the table of contents, links within
the document, and several links to ftp sites and other
documents which make getting around the document, and the
backgammon portion of internet quite easy. This version of the
FAQ is called bg-faq.html, and may be downloaded for local
reading with a Web-Browser, or may be read on line at:
http://www.cybercom.net/~damish/backgammon/bg-faq.html or at:
http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~sret1/backgammon/faq.html The
HTML version of the faq is updated at this site when the ascii
version is posted to rec.games.backgammon.
diff file:
A diff file will created and posted to the rec.games.backgammon
news group at the same time the FAQ is posted. This will
contain the differences between successive FAQs. It will not be
posted to the *.answers newsgroups, nor will it be archived at
rtfm.mit.edu. The purpose of the diff file is to show recent
changes without having to browse the entire FAQ. DO NOT use
this file to update previous versions of the FAQ as it will
have been edited!
DISCLAIMER
This posting is provided on an "as is" basis, NO WARRANTY whatsoever
is expressed or implied, especially, NO WARRANTY that the information
contained herein is correct or useful in any way, although both are
intended.
EDITORIAL
CHANGES
Changes may be spotted by examining the `diff' file, which is posted
at the same time as this FAQ. In the diff file, a `<' charactor
preceding a line indicates that the line has been removed. Likewise, a
`>' charactor indicates an addition. The diff file is edited and
should not be used for updating from previous versions.
GRATITUDE
Major and minor contributions and suggestions from the following:
Jeremy Bagai Matchqiz review.
Matthew Clegg The `What is Internet' section.
Paul Ferguson Mac PD BG info. FIBS Client info.
Erik Gravgaard This and that.
Molly Holzschlag GEnie/RSCARDS info
rjohnson Additional info for rules section A2.
Mika Johnsson Original Backgammon article compilation.
Rolf Kleef Nackgammon.
Asger Kring Danish Newsletter, Book supply info. more.
Andy Latto Jacoby, Holland, Beavers, Chouette, Useful advice.
Mel Leifer Many critical pieces of information.
Peter Nickless Acey-Deucy Submission.
Perry R. Ross LDB (Long Distance Backgammon) mail server info.
Mark Rozer Inspired me to play this game.
Gerry Tesauro Backgammon article pointers.
Michael Urban Boston area playing spots.
Kit Woolsey Software reviews. Contributor at large.
Michael J. Zehr Book Review, Holland rule, Combinitorics answer.
More.
Vincent Zweije FIBS description. Narde description. Proof reader
deluxe.
[I apologize if I missed anybody]
Thanks for ALL corrections sent!
PLUS Thanks to all who have submitted material to the
rec.games.backgammon news group, whether or not it has been used here.
Material from rec.games.backgammon is credited where used.
May you roll above average when you need it most.
NEWS
Information that may or may not be included in the current FAQ:
From: alberto da pra (dapra@iol.it)
Newsgroups: rec.games.backgammon
Subject: Olympiad of Backgammon
Date: 2 Dec 1995 21:18:50 GMT
The second edition of the Backgammon's Olympiad (the first was in the
year 1992) will be in Venice from 25th to 30th June 1996. Who is
intersted can ask info and the invitation.
Alberto da Pra, President WBF
Worldwide Backgammon Federation
----
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.games,rec.games.backgammon
Subject: TD-Gammon available for free download
Date: 9 Nov 1995 23:52:45 -0800
IBM has made TD-Gammon, their supposedly groundbreaking neural network-
based version of Backgammon, available for free download. It seems to
be part of an attempt to promote their IBM Family FunPack. You can get
it by surfing to http://www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/funtdgammon.html and
following the "Read the license information" link. You will have to fill
out a form with your name, address, etc. (But nothing forces you to enter
valid information. ;) )
----
The hypertext version of the FAQ is now available at:
http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~sret1/backgammon/faq.html
Thanks Stephen for mirroring the faq in the UK, which should allow
for quicker access from Europe and the Middle East.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Section A: ESSENTIALS
A1. WHAT IS BACKGAMMON?
``Backgammon is an obstacle race between two armies of 15 men each,
moving around a track divided into 24 dagger-like divisions known as
points.''
..The Rules
_________________________________________________________________
``It's just a game.''
-- Many
_________________________________________________________________
``Sport of mind.''
.. Alberto da Pra, President of WBF - Worldwide Backgammon
Federation
_________________________________________________________________
``It's a game of skill and luck. When I win I can claim it's due to
my good skill. When I lose I can claim it's due to my bad luck.''
-- submitted by David Forthoffer davidf@lpd.sj.nec.com
_________________________________________________________________
``Backgammon is one of the oldest games in existence, dating back
some 5000 years and believed to have been developed by the ancient
Egyptians. It is not a game of luck as many believe, but a strategic
game of war; in many ways as difficult to master as chess or Go. A
random element (luck) is certainly involved, but a champion player
also uses the laws of probability, intuition, imagination and
psychology to outwit his opponent''.
-- From the foward of the Expert Backgammon (Mac) documentation.
_________________________________________________________________
``There's an aesthetic to the game, a flow. People think the game
consists primarily of math --- calculating odds and so forth. That's
not true. It's essentially a game of patterns, a visual game, like
chess. Certain patterns fit together harmoniously, make sense in a
away that is nontrivial.''
-- Paul Magriel
_________________________________________________________________
Answering ``Why do you play backgammon'':
``We have become a spectator society, one that experiences
excellence and creativity only by watching it on television or by
reading about it in newspapers or magazines...Perhaps the best way
of becoming something more than a spectator is to pursue activities
that do not receive mass media coverage. We can invent our own art
forms, or at least re-label existing forms as art. Backgammon,
though it is very old and very common, is an excellent art form.
Patterns of points and blots undergo poignant mutations. The player
strains to work with them, to control them. One's identity is not
entirely intrinsic, nor is it purely acquired. We can shape
ourselves just as we can shape our surroundings. By playing
backgammon, that is - by creating patterns of blots and points - I
help to shape my identity, I set myself apart from the spectators. I
become alive.''
-- Felix Yen (from Anchors, Jan 92)
_________________________________________________________________
A2. WHAT ARE THE BASIC RULES OF THE GAME?
Backgammon Equipment
* A Backgammon board or layout.
* Thirty round stones, or checkers, 15 each of two different colors,
generally referred to as `men'.
* A pair of regular dice, numbered from 1 to 6. (For convenience,
two pairs of dice, one for each player, are generally used.)
* A dice cup, used to shake and cast the dice. (Again, it is more
convenient to have two dice cups.)
* A doubling cube---A six-faced die, marked with the numerals
2,4,8,16,32 & 64. This is used to keep track of the number of
units at stake in each game, as well as to mark the player who
last doubled.
The backgammon board
Backgammon is an obstacle race between two armies of 15 men each,
moving around a track divided into 24 dagger-like divisions known as
``points''.
The Backgammon layout is divided down the center by a partition, known
as the ``bar'' (See Diagram 1), into an outer and inner (or home)
board or table. The side nearest you is your outer and home tables;
the side farther away is your opponents outer and home boards. The
arrows indicate the direction of play.
For purposes of convenience we have numbered the points in the
diagram. Though the points are not numbered on the actual board, they
are frequently referred to during play to describe a move or a
position. Your (X's) 4-point or 8-point will always be on your side of
the board; your opponent's (O's) will always be on his side of the
board.
A move from your 9-point to your 5-point is four spaces (the bar does
not count as a space). A move from White's 12-point to your 12-point,
though it crosses from his board to yours, is but one space, for these
two points are really next to each other.
Diagram 2 shows the board set up ready for play. Each side has five
men on his 6-point, three men on his 8-point, five men on his
opponent's 12-point, and two men, known as ``runners'', on his
opponents' 1-point. The runners will have to travel the full length of
the track, the other men have shorter distances to go. Note that play
proceeds in opposite directions, so that the men can be set up in two
ways. Turn the diagram upside down to see the layout if play were
proceeding in the other direction.
+-------------------------------------------------->
|
| +-----------------------------< X moves this direction
| |
| |
| | 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
| | +------------------------------------------+
| | | . . . . . . | | . . . . . . |
| | | . . . . . . | | . . . . . . |
| | | . . . . . . | | . . . . . . |
| | | . . . . . . | | . . . . . . |
| | | . . . . . . | | . . . . . . |
| | | | | | +----+
^ v | Outer Board |BAR| Home Board | | 64 |
| | | | | | +----+
| | | P O I N T S | | . . . . . . | Doubling
| | | . . . . . . | | . . . . . . | Cube
| | | . . . . . . | | . . . . . . |
| | | . . . . . . | | . . . . . . |
| | | . . . . . . | | . . . . . . |
| | +------------------------------------------+
| | 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
| |
| +---------------------------------------------->
|
+---------------------------------< Y moves this direction
Diagram 1 (Numbered from X's point of view)
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
+------------------------------------------+
| X . . . O . | | O . . . . X |
| X O | | O X |
| X O | | O |
| X | | O |
| X | | O | +----+
| |BAR| | | 64 |
| O | | X | +----+
| O | | X |
| O X | | X |
| O X | | X O |
| O . . . X . | | X . . . . O |
+------------------------------------------+
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Diagram #2 (Numbered from X's point of view)
Object of the game
The object of Backgammon is for each player to bring all his men into
his home board, and then to bear them off the board. The first player
to get all his men off the board is the winner.
Starting the game
Each player casts one die. The player with the higher number makes the
first move, using the two numbers cast by his die and his opponent's.
In the event that both players roll the same number, it is a standoff
and each rolls another die to determine the first move. In the event
of subsequent ties, this process is repeated until the dice turn up
different numbers. (In some games, players double the unit stake
automatically every time they cast the same number; others limit the
automatic doubles to one. In tournament play, there is no such thing
as an automatic double.)
Moving your men
Each player's turn consists of the roll of two dice. He then moves one
or more men in accordance with the numbers cast. Assume he rolls 4-2.
He may move one man six spaces, or one man four spaces and another man
two spaces. Bear in mind that, when moving a single man for the total
shown by the two dice, you are actually making two moves with the one
man---each move according to the number shown on one of the dice.
Doublets
If the same number appears on both dice, for example, 2-2 or 3-3
(known as doublets), the caster is entitled to four moves instead of
two. Thus, if he rolls 3-3, he can move up to four men, but each move
must consist of three spaces.
The players throw and play alternately throughout the game, except in
the case where a player cannot make a legal move and therefore
forfeits his turn.
Making points
A player makes a point by positioning two or more of his men on it. He
then ``owns'' that point, and his opponent can neither come to rest on
that point nor touch down on it when taking the combined total of his
dice with one man.
Prime
A player who has made six consecutive points has completed a prime. An
opposing man trapped behind a prime cannot move past, for it cannot be
moved more than six spaces at a time---the largest number on a die.
Blots
A single man on a point is called a blot. If you move a man onto an
opponent's blot, or touch down on it in the process of moving the
combined total of your cast, the blot is hit, removed from the board
and placed on the bar.
A man that has been hit must re-enter in the opposing home table. A
player may not make any move until such time as he has brought the man
on the bar back into play. Re-entry is made on a point equivalent to
the number of one of the dice cast, providing that point is not owned
by the opponent.
Closed board
A Player who has made all six points in his home board is said to have
a closed board. If the opponent has any men on the bar, he will not be
able to re-enter it since there is no vacant point in his adversary;s
home board. Therefore, he forfeits his rolls, and continues to do so
until such time as the player has to open up a point in his home
board, thus providing a point of rentry. It should be noted, the he
doesn't loses his turn, as he still retains the ability to double his
opponent before any of his opponents rolls, assuming the cube is
centered or on his side.
Compulsory move
A player is compelled to take his complete move if there is any way
for him to do so. If he can take either of the numbers but not both,
he must take the higher number if possible, the lower if not.
[Another way of saying this...]
* If both parts of the roll can be played legally, then this must be
done. Note that you may play the roll in such a way as to move
fewer pips than the larger die indicates by playing the smaller
die first --- this is common in bearoff situations, and legal as
long as each part of the roll is played legally at the moment you
play it.
* If only one part of the roll can be played legally, then you must
play the higher die if possible; if not, play the lower die.
--kw
Bearing off
Once a player has brought all his men into his home board, he can
commence bearing off. Men borne off the board are not re-entered into
play. The player who bears off all his men first is the winner. A
player may not bear off men while he has a man on the bar, or outside
his home board. Thus if, in the process of bearing off, a player
leaves a blot and it is hit by his opponent, he must first re-enter
the man in his opponents home board, and bring it round the board into
his own home board before he can continue the bearing off process.
In bearing off, you remove men from the points corresponding to the
numbers on the dice cast. However, you are not compelled to remove a
man. You may, if you can, move a man inside your home board a number
of spaces equivalent to the number of a die.
If you roll a number higher than the highest point on which you have a
man, you may apply that number to your highest occupied point. Thus,
if you roll 6-3 and your 6-point has already been cleared but you have
men on your 5-point, you may use your 6 to remove a man from your
5-point.
In some cases it may be advantagous to play the smaller die first
before applying the higher die to your highest point (See Compulsory
Move). For example, suppose you have one checker on your 5 point, and
two checkers on your 2 point. Your opponent has a checker on the ace
(one point) and on the bar. You roll 6-3. You may play the 3 to the 2
point then the 6 to bear a checker off the 2 point leaving your
opponent no shots (no blots for the opponent to hit). The alternative,
using the 6-3 to bear checkers off both the 5 and 2 points, would
leave your opponent 20 out of 36 ways to hit your remaining blot.
Gammon and Backgammon
If you bear off all 15 of your men before your opponent has borne off
a single man, you win a gammon, or double game.
If you bear off all 15 of your men before your opponent has borne off
a single man, and he still has one or more men in your home board or
on the bar, you win a backgammon, or a triple game.
Cocked dice
It is customary to cast your dice in your right-hand board. Both dice
must come to rest completely flat in that board. If one die crosses
the bar into the other table, or jumps off the board, or does not come
to rest flat, or ends up resting on one of the men, the dice are
``cocked'' and the whole throw, using both dice, must be retaken.
_________________________________________________________________
A3. WHAT IS THE DOUBLING CUBE FOR?
The introduction of the doubling cube into the game is largely
responsible for the leap in popularity of modern backgammon.
Each face of the doubling cube bears a number to record progressive
doubles and redoubles, starting with 2 and going on to 4, 8, 16, 32 &
64. At the commencement of play, the doubling cube rests on the bar,
between the two players, or at the side of the board. At any point
during the game, a player who thinks he is sufficiently ahead may,
when it is his turn to play and before he casts his dice, propose to
double the stake by turning the cube to 2. His opponent may decline to
accept the double, in which case he forfeits the game and loses 1
unit, or accept the double, in which case the game continues with the
stake at 2 units. The player who accepts the double now ``owns'' the
cube---which means that he has the option t redouble at any point
during the rest of the game, but his opponent (the original doubler)
may not. If, at a later stage he exercises this option, his opponent
is now faced with a similar choice. He may either decline the redouble
and so lose 2 units, or accept and play for 4, and he now ``owns'' the
cube. A player may double when he is on the bar even if his opponent
has a closed board and he cannot enter. Though he does not roll the
dice, for he cannot make a move, he still has the right to double.
Note that gammon doubles or backgammon triples the stake of the cube.
_________________________________________________________________
A4. WHAT IS THE CRAWFORD RULE? (WHY WON'T FIBS LET ME DOUBLE?)
From the FIBS help screens:
If you are playing an n-point match and your opponent is ahead
of you and he gets to n-1 points you are not allowed to use
the doubling cube in the next game to come
EXAMPLE:
5 point match
score
game # You opponent
1 0 3
2 0 4
3 1 4 (you were not allowed to double in this game)
4 3 4 (you were allowed to double again)
... ... ...
The Crawford rule is universally used in backgammon match play.
_________________________________________________________________
A5. WHAT IS THE JACOBY RULE?
The Jacoby rule is used in money games. It states, that a gammon or
backgammon may not be scored as such unless the cube has been passed
and accepted. The purpose is to speed up play by eliminating long
undoubled games.
The Jacoby rule is never used in match play.
_________________________________________________________________
A6. WHAT IS THE HOLLAND RULE?
This rule applies to match games and states that in post-Crawford
games the trailer can only double after both sides have played two
rolls. It makes the free drop more valuable to the leader but
generally just confuses the issue.
Unlike the Crawford rule, the Holland rule has not proved popular, and
is rarely used today.
_________________________________________________________________
A7. WHAT ARE THOSE CRITTERS --- BEAVERS, RACCOONS?
In money play, if player A doubles, and player B believes that he is a
favorite holding the cube, he may turn the cube an extra notch as he
takes, and keep the cube on his own side. For example, if A makes an
initial double to 2, B may, instead of taking the double and holding a
2 cube, say ``beaver'', turn the cube an extra notch to 4, and
Section 1 of 9 - Prev - Next
All sections - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
| Back to category games - Use Smart Search |
| Home - Smart Search - About the project - Feedback |
© allanswers.org | Terms of use