Setting up the backgammon board

Hedge · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 18

I’m extremely new to this game and am just starting to learn how to play. I understand the basic objectives, but that’s about all. I know that you have to move around the board to the end and then when all your checkers are there you have to move them all off the board before you opponent. The problem is, I can’t even start practicing because I don’t understand the board or how to set it up. Can anyone help out a newbie??

Checker · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 10

I think I can help you out… If you want to learn how to set up a backgammon board it’s important to understand the basic make-up of the board. A backgammon board is made up of four quadrants. The two quadrants on your side of the board constitute your home board and your out board. The two quadrants on your opponent’s side of the board are his home board and out board. It doesn’t matter if your home board is on the left or right, but your opponent’s home board will be across from your own so one of you will have your home board on the left while the other will have the home board on the right. The home board is the quadrant to which you must move all of your checkers before you can start bearing them off the board.

Now that you understand the sections of the board, it’s time to set up the checkers. In order to determine the set-up of the checkers you need to number all of the points on the board. You will notice that there are a total of twenty-four triangular points around the board, six in each quadrant. Starting from the outermost point (on the edge of the board) of your home board and going around to the outermost point of your opponent’s home board, number the points from one to twenty-four. Your opponent will number the points opposite of you with the one-point in his homeboard and the twenty-four point in your home board at the same point as your one-point. Once you have numbered the points place your fifteen checkers as follows: 2 checkers on your 24-point, 5 checkers on your 13-point, 3 checkers on your 8-point and 5 checkers on your 6-point. Your opponent will do the same according to his numbered points. You will notice that your checkers and your opponent’s checkers are mirror images of each other. Now you are ready to start playing!

Bardi · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 22

You should also know that once you get more advanced and familiar with the game there are variations that you can play with different set-ups. Some games, such as Acey-Deucey, begin with all of the checkers off the board. Other games begin with all of the checkers on the board but in different locations than the accepted backgammon set-up which has been described. Long-gammon, for instance, starts with all fifteen checkers on your twenty-four point. Other games like hypergammon only utilize three checkers. You should be able to find directions for all of these games on the internet.