Backgammon Set Up Simplified

admin · Site Admin Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 862

Ever shied away from a backgammon board because you didn't think that you would understand how to perform a backgammon set up? We're here to tell you that a backgammon set up is probably one of the easiest steps of the entire game and once you practice the process once or twice, it will be something that you never forget. The first thing to understand is the concept of ‘points'. These are the elongated triangles that decorate every backgammon board. This is where the 30 checkers (15 white and 15 black) are placed during the backgammon set up.

These points are each numbered from one through to 24, corresponding to the player's inner board. So, for example, point number one is in the far right of the player's inner board, while the opponent's number one will be in the far left. Now that we understand the points, we need to see where the checkers are placed. Each player takes his or her 15 checkers and places them as follows: 5 checkers on point 6, 3 checkers on point 8, 5 checkers on point 13 and 2 checkers on point 24.

If players decide to play for stakes and bring the doubling cube into the backgammon set up, it should be remembered to start the cube on number 64 to indicate 0 (ie. that the stakes are set at zero and have not yet been doubled). The doubling cube is traditionally placed on the bar, which is the raised ridge in the middle of the backgammon board.