Orientation of the board

Commissioner · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 5

When I play backgammon I like to be on the side of the board where I must move my checkers counter-clockwise and bear off to my right side. If I have to play on the other side it throws my game off like crazy. I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t play that way!

I am going to participate in a tournament next month and I’m a little bit nervous because I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to play on the other side of the board. Are there any kind of tournament rules about who must play on which side of the board or is this something that the players can work out amongst themselves?

LippedCup · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 9

I don’t think that there is any standard rule for board orientation in backgammon tournaments. I have been in quite a few and there has never been a problem. On occasion, an opponent has asked if he can be a certain color or if he can play on a certain side of the board and I’ve always agreed as it doesn’t matter to me. As long as you don’t end up playing against someone who needs to play on the same side of the board as you do, I think you’ll be okay.

joliver · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 25

I believe that there is a rule, at least in standard tournaments in the United States, that states that if players can’t agree on the board direction or checker color it will be determined by a roll of the dice. However, this almost never comes up so you should be okay. However, if it does become an issue, I wish you luck with the dice roll!