How many chips are in backgammon. Differences in the rules of the game

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

Many people have heard about backgammon, but they think that this game is difficult or long, even without having played it once. This game is full of symbols - 12 cells - months, 30 chips - days / nights, and on the dice the sum of the opposing sides is equal to the number of days in the week.

Modern rules appeared in 1743 in Britain. How many chips in backgammon - depends on the game, their number can change both up and down. Backgammon is easy to play (players from 6 years old), it has simple rules, one round lasts about 10-20 minutes. Another interesting thing is that the game depends on the random value of the dice, so you do not need to calculate each move like in chess.

Short or long backgammon?

There are two main types - short and long backgammon. Short ones require a higher skill level of the player, so tournaments are held mainly for this type of game. They are called short not by how many chips there are in backgammon, but because of their dynamism and fascination. Despite their great similarities, these games have a number of differences that change the gameplay.

What they have in common is that theydesigned for two players, each is given 15 one-color chips, they are placed in the house - their corner of the playing field.

One of the main differences is the arrangement of chips and the ability to play broken checkers. During the game, the chips go through the entire playing field (in short backgammon, moves are made in opposite directions, in long backgammon - in one, counterclockwise). Having bypassed the circle, the chips return to the house and are taken out of the field. Whoever does it first is the winner.

The playing field, dice and chips are the same when playing any backgammon. How many chips should be depends not only on whether backgammon is long or short, but also on a variation of any of these games. Usually there are 5 to 15 for each player.

In short backgammon, you can knock out blots - cells with one enemy chip.

In long backgammon, the chips are usually off the board and one by one are entered onto the playing field. It is forbidden to put 6 chips in a row, you can’t occupy a field in which an opponent’s chip is already standing, there is no way to knock out chips.

In short backgammon, the numbering of cells is individual for each player. The final quarter of the playing field (where there are 5 chips at the beginning) is called the home. The farthest is the 24th cell, it is also the 1st point for the enemy. The arrangement of 15 chips is as follows: 2 checkers on the 24th cell, 5 - on the 13th, 3 - on the 8th and 5 - on the 6th.

In long backgammon, the home represents the last quarter of the field, 18 cells from the head.

Game progress

Before starting the game, how many backgammon chips were chosen by the players,such an amount and are placed along its wall along the entire length. Then they, depending on the values that fell on the die, move around the field. You can move with one or two chips. If a double fell on the dice, then the move is repeated with the same or other chips for the same number of moves.

To choose the order, they roll a die (also called a bone or a dice). The one with the highest value rolls first. This also determines the initial location of the chips. If the values are the same, then repeated throws are carried out until different results appear. The player, starting the game, moves the chips by the number of moves equal to the rolled values of both dice.

Next, in short backgammon, players take turns throwing two dice and moving their chips from cells with higher numbers to smaller ones (clockwise). Chips of the same color can stand one above the other, this is called "on the head". In one turn, you can take only one chip from your head, unless a double has fallen on the dice. You cannot bet on your opponent's chips. If there is no valid move, it is skipped.

Game strategies

It doesn't matter how many chips are in backgammon, the winnings are very dependent on the random values of the rolled dice. But there are, apart from the will of chance, some game strategies that build its course so that the opponent is forced to skip his moves. Therefore, it is recommended not to collect chips compactly, but to distribute them as much as possible over the surface. And although according to the rules you cannot put 6 chips in a row, you can put 5, thereby making it difficult for the opponent. If there is no strategicmove, you need to try to take one chip from your head per turn, otherwise the enemy will quickly get to 1 sector with several of his chips and block your exits.