How to arrange short backgammon: basic rules, features and recommendations

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:45

Modern society prefers gadgets as entertainment, forgetting about board games. But those who like to think logically in a pleasant company do not allow such games as checkers and backgammon to completely disappear. Backgammon is one of the oldest board games. Further in the article we will figure out how to correctly arrange short backgammon, how to use the rules, exceptions to them, and learn much more.

Backgammon is…

Backgammon is a board game for two players that takes place on a special playing board consisting of 24 triangles, alternating in color. The board is divided in half by the so-called bar, and the triangles are called points. Each player has 15 checkers (chips) of white or black color. The game also uses 2 dice (cubes).

Backgammon comes in two types: long and short. In differentcountries use different names for this game, for example: backgammon, tavla, backgammon, kosha, shesh-besh. First, consider how to arrange short backgammon.

A bit of history

In Ancient Egypt in 3500 B. C. played a game similar to backgammon in Iran - in 3000 BC. (a playing board similar to a backgammon board was found), but there is no direct evidence for this. The oldest records of the rules of the game were made in Rome by Emperor Zeno (481 BC).

The basic rules by which players move their pieces on the board have remained unchanged. The goal of the game was the same as now - to remove the opponent's pieces from the board. The main two differences from modern backgammon are that 3 dice were used earlier, and at the beginning of the game the chips were off the board. The rules for arranging long backgammon appeared before our era, but how to arrange short backgammon was decided thousands of years later.

Emerging backgammon in Europe

In the 12th century, the crusaders, returning from the crusade, brought with them a new game - backgammon. In Europe it was called “backgammon”, and the popularity of the oriental game grew. A few centuries later, in 1743, Edmond Hoyle compiled the basic rules for playing backgammon, using the rules for long backgammon that were known in the East.

Backgammon is still considered a very popular game all over the world, and tournaments and competitions are held among fans of this game. One of the most famous backgammon competitionsthe championship is considered - Gizil Zar (in Azerbaijan). The winner receives dice (zary) made of gold as a prize. Short backgammon is a more modern form of the game. Let's try to understand its features.

Goal of backgammon game

The board has the following areas: the player's house and yard and the opponent's house and yard. The goal of the game is to move the chips to your home and remove them from the board. Whoever removes all their chips from the board first is the winner. How to arrange short backgammon? To begin with, they will play the number on the bones, and then they will rearrange the chips to free points. We will consider the correct placement below.

How to arrange chips in short backgammon?

Let's analyze the difference between playing short and long backgammon. The most important and obvious difference is that the initial arrangement of short backgammon on the game board is completely different. Therefore, just by looking at the arrangement of chips, a knowledgeable person already understands what kind of game the layout is made for.

More significant differences in the rules of the game are as follows:

1. The chips are placed all over the battlefield, namely: 2 chips on the 24th point, 5 chips on the 13th, 3 chips on the 8th and 5 chips on the 6th.
2. The direction of movement in short backgammon is different in that white chips always move clockwise, and black ones always move counterclockwise.
3. The numbering of points for each player is different, depending on the direction of the chips, 24 points are counted.
4. In long backgammon you can't knock down chips (checkers), but in short backgammon you can.
5. Unlikeshort backgammon, in long backgammon there is the possibility of “locking” the chips.
6. In long backgammon, the segments - the player's house and yard, the opponent's house and yard - are arranged diagonally, and in short backgammon - strictly opposite each other.

The situation of “locking” in backgammon is as follows: building on the points of a line consisting of 6 chips of one player, in front of one chip of another. If at the beginning of the lane there is not at least one enemy chip, “locking” is prohibited. The strip of lined up chips is an excellent barrier to the opponent's chips. In practice, everything looks simpler, and the rules are easier to remember.

In such minor features there is the whole difference between short and long backgammon. Perhaps the differences may not seem so significant to someone, but fans of this game try to know all the subtleties in order to be able to fully immerse themselves in what is happening on the board.

How to play short backgammon? Rules and Exceptions

The difference between board games and any other is that knowing the rules does not guarantee victory. With the help of logic and the ability to think through their moves in advance, the player can make various combinations. Here are some general rules for short and long backgammon:

1. A chip can only be moved to a free point that is not occupied by two or more chips of the opposite color.
2. The numbers drawn on the dice indicate the number of moves for each chip.

The main part of the rules in short and long backgammon is the same, but there are some exceptions. Let's say the player rolled a 6 and a 3, his actions will beas follows:

1. One chip moves 6 points and the other moves 3.
2. At the player's request, the numbers drawn can be summed up (6 plus 3) and move one chip by the resulting number of points.

The latter is possible only if the entire intermediate point is free (at a distance of 3 and 6 steps).

If a player gets a double, he has the right to play each number on the dice twice. For example, if 5-5 fell out, then the player can make 4 moves of 5 points, and the combinations can be any, as the player wishes. The player must use all the numbers that have fallen to him. If the move is closed to the player, then he skips a step. The rules of the game have a number of features described above, with their help you can combine your actions, thereby obtaining a victory.

How to beat a chip?

Blot is a point that is occupied by only one chip. If the opponent's chip stops at such a point, then he is considered beaten, and the blot is placed on the bar. If the player has a chip on the bar, then his direct task is to return the chip to the game, through the opponent's house. When a piece comes into play, it moves to the point shown by the dice.

For example, the player rolled 3 and 6 - he has the right to charge a chip in the 3rd or 6th points, provided that they are not occupied by two or more opponent's chips. The player enters his chips from the bar, and must skip the rest of the turn. The player cannot not make a move just because it is not profitable for him.

After entering all the chips from the bar, the player can use the remaining dice values to advance any other chips. It may seem confusing to you how to arrange short backgammon and how to use the chips on the board, but just a couple of practices and you will automatically move your chips in the right direction.