Backgammon Variations - A World of Possibilities

admin · Site Admin Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 788

It's amazing how many games can be played using a backgammon board. Backgammon has been around for thousands of years, so it is only logical that people would invent new ways to play the game. Games played using the backgammon board are called "tables" and they can be a fun change to your normal backgammon routine. Some variations of the game have different starting set-ups, some have different rules, but all can be great fun.

Two variations that I happen to like a lot are hypergammon and long-gammon. Incidentally, these games have kind of the opposite intentions of each other. Both games are played with the same rules as regular backgammon, but the initial set-up is different. In hypergammon each player begins with only three checkers one checker each on the opposing one, two and three points. This makes for a quick but tough game, as you have to work hard to strengthen you strategy. The game goes by fast so you have to move! Long-gammon, on the other hand, begins with all fifteen checkers on the opposing one point. Long-gammon games are long, as the name reveals. However, the length of these games gives players more time to work on strategy, puts players at more of an advantage to build blockades and primes and therefore makes for a much more difficult game.

There are many other versions from all over the world - tavla, tabula, acey-deucey, nackgammon, narde and more. All can be equally enjoyable, so give them a try and discover which is your favorite version. Who knows, maybe you can even invent your own!