Popular Board Games: Backgammon and Chess Sets

admin · Site Admin Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 847

Besides the fact that a Backgammon and Chess Set can sometimes be found together in the same box (usually with a checkers set as well) there is very little similarity between the games. That is not to say that backgammon doesn't demand just as much intelligence and strategy as chess, but that there are three major differences in how the games are played.

The first major difference you will find as soon as you open up your Backgammon and Chess Set: The backgammon game uses dice and this adds an element of unpredictability that is not present in the game of chess. The dice also function as "equalizers" in an individual game. Over the long run a good backgammon player will always defeat a weaker one, but, if they sit down to play one single game, the weaker player has a chance to succeed. This could not happen in a single game of chess.

The second major difference to be found in a Backgammon and Chess Set is the doubling cube. Since the roll of the dice can effect the outcome of the game, a weaker player, with a tremendous amount of guts, can force the stronger player to concede simply by doubling and redoubling the odds again and again (this is similar to "buying the pot" in poker). Once again, this could not happen in a game of chess.

Finally, the third, and most obvious, difference to be found in a Backgammon and Chess Set is the board and pieces used in each game. In backgammon each checker looks the same and its "value" is determined by where it is located on the board at any point in time. In chess, while there is no official value given to each piece, traditionally some pieces are recognized as being more important than others, regardless of their location on the board. Since the two games are so different probably the only advice one can give to a player of both games can be summed up in one word: "enjoy".