Backgammon Board Setup
Backgammon is truly an authentic game, played for centuries, and still enjoyed today by millions worldwide. People of all ages can engage in backgammon, for it is easy to learn yet challenging once engaged in. Online backgammon has become more popular than ever, providing instant access to an age old favorite.
Even though traditionally backgammon is a board game, it is available online. It is even better to start playing online so as to get the general feel of the game, and therefore, if you’re ever in a situation where someone challenges you to an actual offline real-life version of this intriguing board game, you would be well-prepared and ready to take action.
Furthermore, online gaming is more popular than ever, as it allows for you to adjust game difficulties, play against others worldwide, create new challenges, or even more, play against technology, strengthening your skills even further. The best part of online backgammon is that you can play at any time, with thousands of backgammon enthusiasts all over the world. Playing at any time you like, no restrictions, no timeouts, just open-ended challenges, entertainment, and fun.
Now let’s get to the actual backgammon board setup: it’s quite easy, and even if you are completely new to backgammon, in as little as a few minutes, you can get the hang of it. If you’re familiar with the game checkers, then learning backgammon will be even easier, as it is very similar to checkers, it has the same concept, but with a few differences.
The backgammon board should be flat, spread out in-front of you. Of course, online, this is done for you. Then, you should separate the checkers by color, count them to make sure that there are fifteen checkers from each color. Each player should then choose a color to play with. You should also have at least two dice, sometimes four die are supplied, and a doubling cube marked with 2, 4, 8, and so on. Below is a diagram of the different quadrants of the board:
Now, looking at the board you will see that it is divided into two tables separated by a bar, and there are triangles, which are referred to as points, on both sides of the board. You should number the points from 1 to 24 in a clockwise direction, with point 1 being the triangle in the lower right corner of the board facing you, which is your home board. With practice, this numbering process will become an automatic reference for you, it might sound a bit complicated for now, but it truly becomes an automatic process that won’t take too much effort.
Most importantly, remember that your home board is the area in the lower right corner of the board facing, nearest to you. As you will later discover, this is the object of the game; to ultimately get all your checkers, into your home-board, before your opponent does; while abiding by the rules of the game. Below is a diagram of the board and the direction of play:
So, now that you’ve numbered the points, starting with 1 from your home board, and going clockwise to 24 on your opponent’s home-board, which is on the top right corner farthest away from you, you’ll now start placing your checkers. Using your color checkers, place two checkers on point 24, five checkers on point 13, three checkers on point 8, and five checkers on point 6. Then get your opponent to place their checkers using the same pattern opposite your checkers, starting from their home-board.
That’s it; you’re now all set to start the game. Make sure you read the rules of the game. Enjoy.
