This is a brief introduction to the game of backgammon. I cover not just the board-game, but also make recommendations about which computer version to play (for free) and how to play online. I find it a fascinating game and I love playing it and also reading about it to learn new strategies for winning.
Because backgammon is a dice game, many people make the mistake of thinking that it is a game of chance. But to play backgammon successfully you need to work hard at learning and developing strategy, otherwise whatever luck the dice brings you, will be wasted because you won’t be able to plan ahead. If anyone doubts that strategy is more important than luck, they should play against a good computer simulation and learn how difficult it is to win against an opponent who calculates every move to make the most of the dice.
Backgammon is an ancient game, dating back at least two thousand year and probably further. It is Arabic in origin but has entertained people of
all cultures. It is a very popular gambling game and because stakes can be doubled and redoubled almost infinitely, fortunes have been lost, as well as kingdoms and even wives! Most people in fact put a strict limit on this doubling potential, but an inexperienced player can easily be led into betting more than he or she can pay. I don’t gamble on backgammon, finding it quite enough pleasure to play for points, and for me, the ability to rate my game and advance up a league is quite sufficient competition, without the risk of losing my hard-earned wages on the turn of a dice.
The game is played on a board containing 24 points, on which you place your pieces. These look like draftsmen and are supplied in two teams of usually red and black, or sometime white and black.
The game bears some similarity to ludo, and is not too difficult to learn. But the difference is that the strategy required to win is far more complex than the child-hood game. With Ludo, or “Frustration”, the object is simply to race your pieces home, landing on your opponents pieces wherever possible to send them back to the start. Backgammon retains this basic principle but allows you to block your opponent, and to build up walls of pieces, and then once he or she is sent home, they may have to re-enter the game among your own very threateningly positioned pieces.
People think that because backgammon is a dice game, that it depends on luck. In fact, I don’t really think there’s any such thing as luck; chance may be a better word for it than luck. It all revolves around a calculating the probabilities of any throw of the dice so you can minimise the impact of a bad throw. Backgammon players get very good at calculating these probabilities so that whatever dice are thrown, they are able to reap the benefit of a good roll of the dice, or at least reduce the impact of a poor one.
This opinion cannot in the space available describe the detail of how to play, but for a simple introduction I would recommend The Right Way to Play Backgammon, currently price £3.99 and available in many bookshops. There are many other books which take the game to a higher level, but this one will do fine for most players. There are also various websites which will tell you how to play and these are perfectly satisfactory for starting out.
If you take up Backgammon, you can develop your skills quickly by playing against a computer or against an online opponent. Because I only have so much space I will only recommend one of each:
For a downloadable PC game, I recommend Jellyfish 3.5 Lite version. Just do an Internet search on “jellyfish backgammon” and you will find at least two or three sites from which you can do this. The Lite version is free and is no different to the paid for version, other than that it doesn’t include some of the game analysis and tutorial functions. The help files however are included and are very good. Jellyfish has 8 levels of play and if you start at anything above 4 you will be probably be constantly defeated.
For an online game, you can’t do better than MSN game zone. Just go to www.msn.co.uk and click on game zone and you will be there. Select Backgammon and the website will download to your PC the board and the software you need to play. You can then go into one of the many game rooms listed and you will see comic-book depictions of Backgammon tables and players. Just choose a player who’s waiting for a partner, or sit at a table and wait for someone to join you. When you start the game, a chat window will open up underneath the board, so you can exchange comments or personal details with the other player. Be careful of this however as it can greatly distract you from concentrating on the game!
At MSN game zone you can play at virtually any level. Many of the rooms are for casual play or beginners but you can also advance to play a rated game which will rate your score and then let you join in online tournaments. Addictive stuff! The first time you play online you will find it a terrifying experience but you will soon get used to it and begin to enjoy the wide variety of game styles you will encounter.
So that’s it. A brief introduction to backgammon and its computer variants. Its worth learning the game just to give you something else to do on the PC in my view. Easy to pick up, but a life time to master. And be careful not to start betting on it before you’re ready (if at all).
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08.07.2003 12:38
Great op. I accidently came across this game a few years ago and have been hooked ever since. The only problem I've got is that I can't find many people to play it with. I think I'll give the online games a go. Thanks. xx
13.06.2002 00:45
Very good op, I am sure I would be terrible though.
13.06.2002 00:45
Very good op, I am sure I would be terrible though.