Backgammon is the oldest oriental game that is very popular all over the world. The name of the inventor and the birthplace of this exciting game are unknown. People have been playing backgammon for over 5000 years.
In the past, backgammon had a mystical and symbolic meaning. The twelve spaces on each side of the board represent 12 months, the board is divided into 4 sections to represent the seasons. The total number of cells on the playing field is 24 - exactly as many as hours in a day, 30 game pieces correspond to the number of lunar and moonless nights in a month.
Backgammon varieties
There are a huge number of varieties of backgammon in the world, which can be conditionally divided into long and short, the rules of which are noticeably different from each other.
The goal of playing long and short backgammon is the same. You need to move the chips of your color across the playing field and have time to remove them from your "home" faster than your opponent. In ancient times, this movement symbolized the movement of the stars in the sky.
Game process
The starting chip placement and the strategy for playing long and short backgammon are completely different. In long backgammon, the chips are on top of each other in the first hole, and you need to lead them across the entire field to the "house", which is located in the lower right side of the player. The first move is determined by lot. It turns out that your pieces move counterclockwise, just like your opponent's pieces. Players take turns throwing dice (dice), and the range depends on the numbers rolled. Opponents have the right to occupy any free cell or cell where there is already a chip of your color. It is impossible to close six cells in a row until the opponent has brought at least one chip into the “house”.
If two dice have the same numbers, for example, 6 and 6, then the player must make a move 6, 6, 6, 6. This combination is called "jackpot" in backgammon. In any situation, you must make a move, if possible.
You can start throwing out chips only when they are all in the “house”.
In backgammon, the placement of chips is more complicated: each player has two chips in the 24th cell, five in the 13th, three in the 8th and five in the 6th. Cells are numbered clockwise, starting from the extreme right.
The short backgammon rules are more complex. If in long backgammon it is desirable to stretch your chips across the cells, trying to take as many empty places as possible, then in short backgammon your opponent has the right to knock out your chip if it is alone in the cell. This is called a blot. If the opponent knocks out your chip, then it returns to the zero point or "bar".
The beauty of short backgammon is that literally until the last move the situation remains uncertain. You can have a huge advantage in the course of the game, which can simply disappear at the last moment and the game will be lost. There is much more of a strategic component here, and a lot depends on the player's personal skill.
Backgammon tournaments are regularly held both within Russia and internationally. The annual World Backgammon Championship is held in Monte Carlo and brings together the strongest players from all over the world. In 2012, Airat Metshin from Tatarstan became the world champion among newcomers, who for the first time took part in tournaments of this level.
