BACKGAMMON. OR TRIC-TRAC.
Backgammon is played by two persons, each of whom is provided with fifteen men, two dice, and a dice-box. The men on each side are of different colours, black and white, and the players are distinguished by the colour of the men with which they play. The board is divided into two tables, inner and outer, and at the beginning of the game the men may be set up in either of the positions shown in the diagram.
It will be observed that the black men on any point have exactly the same number of white men standing opposite them. In one table there are only two upon one point, and in the other there are only three upon one point. The table with the two men is always the inner table while the one with three is always the outer table. This distinction is important, and may be remembered by observing that the number of letters in the words in and out are two and three respectively.
In setting up the men the inner table is always placed toward the light, whether it be a window or the gas. Each player must always have the majority of his men, five and three, on the side nearer him; and the minority, five and two, on the side farther from him. The side of the inner table which is nearer the player will always be his home table. In all the illustrations in this work you are supposed to be playing with the black side next you, and with your inner or home table on your left hand.
The raised portion or hinge of the board, which divides the inner from the outer tables, is known as the bar, and the points, or flèches, in each player’s home table are numbered from 1 to 6, reckoning from the outer edge toward the bar. These six points are spoken of as the Ace, Deuce, Trey, Four, Five and Six points respectively, and they correspond to the six faces on a single die. The points in the outer tables have no numbers, but the one next the bar on each side is called the bar point. In giving the moves of the men in a game, the names of the six points in the home tables are disregarded, and each player, Black and White, numbers the board from 1 to 24, starting from the square on which he has only two men. The notation for the black moves would be as shown in the margin; that for white being exactly opposite, of course.
The men on each side are always moved in the direction of their notation numbers. In all the following illustrations the black men move round the board from right to left, like the hands of a clock, while the white men go in the opposite direction; so that the two opposing forces are continually meeting and passing, like the people in the street.
The Object of the Game is for each player to move his men from point to point in order to get them all into his home table. It does not matter what part of the home table they reach, so that they get across the bar. The men are moved according to the throws of the dice, each player in turn having a throw and a move. After the men on either side are all home, they are taken off the board according to the throws of the dice, and the player who is the first to get all his men off the board in this manner wins the game.
If each player has taken off some of his men, the player getting all his off first wins a hit, which counts as a single game. If one player gets off all his men before his adversary has thrown off a single man, it is a gammon, and counts as a double game. If the loser has not only taken off none of his men, but has one or more men left on the side of the board farther from him when his adversary throws off his last man, it is a backgammon, and counts as a triple game. In America, gammons and backgammons are seldom played, every game being simply a hit. This spoils some of the fine points of the game, and entirely alters the tactics of the players, as will be seen when we come to the suggestions for good play.
The Dice. Although it is usual for each player to be provided with two dice, some players insist on the same pair being used by each player alternately; the claim being that luck will then run more evenly. At the beginning of the game each player makes a cast, either with one die or with two, as may be agreed, and the higher throw has the first play. In some clubs the player making the higher throw is allowed the option of playing the first cast, or of throwing again; but the general practice is to insist that the first cast is simply for the privilege of playing first, and that the dice must be cast again for the first move.
After each throw the dice must fall within the borders of the table on the caster’s right, and each die must rest fairly and squarely on one of its faces. If it is cocked against a man, the edge of the board, or the other die, or if it jumps over the edge of the table in which it is thrown, both dice must be taken up and cast again. The caster must announce his throw as soon as made.
The Moves. As the men on each side are moved round the board in opposite directions to reach their respective homes, they are of course obliged to meet and pass a number of the adversary’s men, and they must pick their way among them by going to points which are unoccupied by the enemy; for if there are two or more of the enemy in possession of any point, that point is said to be covered, and must be jumped over. If only one adverse man occupies a point, it is called a blot, and the man may be captured, as will presently be explained.
The numbers that appear on the upper faces of the two dice, when they are thrown, are the number of points that each of any two men, or that any one man may be moved at a time. If a player throws four-deuce, for instance, he may either move one man four points and another two; or he may move a single man four points and two points, or two points and four points. He cannot lump the throw and call it six points, because if the fourth point from where the man stood was covered by two or more of the enemy, the four could not be played with that man. If the second point from where the man stood was also covered, he could not be moved at all, although the sixth point from where he stood might be unoccupied. If Black’s first throw is five-deuce, for instance, he cannot move one of the two men on his adversary’s ace point for the five, because the fifth point thence is covered. Neither could he move one of them two and then five, because the seventh point is covered also.
If a player throws doublets, that is, the same number on each die, he plays the throw twice over. If a player throws double fours, for instance, he can either move one man four points four times; or one man four points once, and another man four points three times; or two men four points twice; or two men four points each, and then two other men four points, always provided that the points moved to at the end of each four are not covered by the enemy.
If there is only one of the adversary’s men on any point which can be reached by a throw of the dice, the blot may be hit, a man being moved to that point, and the adverse man taken from the board and placed upon the bar. In the diagram in the margin, for instance, it is White’s play, and he has thrown six-four. Black has left a blot on White’s four-point, and the single white man in the outer table can reach this with the six throw, taking up the black man, and placing it upon the bar. White now has a blot on his four point, which he should cover by playing in a man four points from the outer table, it being better to leave a blot there than at home.
When a player has a man that has been hit, and placed upon the bar by the adversary, he must re-enter that man before he moves any others. He may choose for the purpose either of the numbers on the next throw of the dice, and must place his man on the point in the adversary’s home table which agrees with the number selected. Suppose that in the foregoing example, Black’s next throw is five-deuce. He cannot enter the man on the five-point, because it is covered by the enemy: so he must enter upon the deuce point, which is not covered, and must move some other man five points for the throw upon the other die. If both the five and deuce points were covered, Black could not enter on either of them, and as he cannot play until the man on the bar is entered, the throw would be lost, and he would have to wait until his adversary threw and moved in his turn. If two men are upon the bar, both must be entered before any man can be moved. A man may enter and hit a blot at the same time.
If a player could get his men round the board without any of them being hit, seventy-seven points on the dice thrown would bring them all home; but as every man hit has to start all over again from his adversary’s home table, it may take a great many throws to get all the men home. For this reason it is obvious that each player should leave as few blots as possible, in order to save his men from being hit; and at the same time he should strive to cover as many points as possible, in order to prevent his adversary from moving round the board freely. It is still more important to cover points in the home table, so that when an adverse man is hit he will have fewer points upon which to enter. It is, of course, unnecessary to say that one can always enter or play on points covered by his own men.
Throwing Off. When either player has succeeded in getting all his men home, he removes them from the board two or four at a time, according to the throws of the dice, provided he has men on the points in his home table corresponding to the numbers thrown. If not, he must move his men up toward the ace point. Doublets may take off four men if there are so many on the point. If there are no men on a number thrown, and the number is so high that the man farthest from the ace point cannot be moved up, that man may be taken off. In the diagram in the margin, for instance, Black has all his men home, and is ready to throw them off. If he threw six-deuce, having no men on either point he would have to move up the deuce; but the farthest man from the ace point cannot be moved up six, so he can throw that man off. This must result in leaving a blot, no matter which man is played up the two Points, and White may hit this blot on his next throw. Should he do so, Black would have to throw an ace to re-enter, as all the other points in White’s home table are covered, or “made up.” Black could not throw off another man until the one hit had not only been re-entered, but had made the circuit of the board and got home again.
A player is not obliged to throw off a man if he prefers to move, but he must do one or the other. In the foregoing diagram, for instance, if Black threw three-ace, he would be very foolish to take off two men, leaving a blot on his three point. He should move the ace from his four to his three point, and then take off the three, leaving no blots.
SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY. Always see that the men are properly set up. It would be a great help to many persons if the manufacturers of backgammon boards would print upon them a small diagram of the correct position of the men.
The first thing for the beginner to learn is the proper manner of playing the opening throws, and this should be practised with a board and men. In some cases there are several ways to play the same throw; double fours, for instance, it is said cannot be played wrong. All possible throws of the dice, from double six to double ace, and the various ways of playing them, are shown in the diagrams. Black men only are moved, and those with white centres have been brought from the points marked with a small cross x.
The best throws are those which cover the most points, take possession of your own or your adversary’s five point, make up your own bar point, or make up points in your home table.
Double aces are the best, because they make up two of the most important points at once. A first-class player will sometimes give an adversary the odds of a first throw of double aces. Double sixes is the next best, and five-ace is considered one of the worst.
Three of these throws require special mention, all of which would be very bad openings in the American game, for reasons which will presently be explained. These throws are five-ace, four-ace, and deuce-ace, when played as follows:—
These are all unfortunate opening throws, five-ace being especially bad, and the English players think the best, perhaps because the boldest, way to play them is to leave one or two blots, one of which, however, lays the foundation for possession of your five-point on the next throw, always a great advantage if you can secure it. If neither of the blots are hit, the Englishman pushes forward in the hope of gammoning his adversary, and so winning a double game. In America, where gammons count no more than hits, nothing is to be gained by taking such chances, and the foregoing methods of playing these three throws would therefore be considered very bad.
The English Game. When the players count double and triple games, it is not an uncommon thing to play for the gammon, especially against inferior adversaries, or when one gets a decided advantage at the start. The first thing is to secure your own or your adversary’s five point, or both, and if you succeed in that you should play a very forward game, and endeavour to gammon your opponent. After the five-points, secure your bar point, so as to prevent your opponent from “running” with double sixes. Some players think the bar point better than the five point, but it must be remembered that points in the home table are usually better than any outside. If you get the five and bar points made up, try for the four point, and after that you may take some risks to get your men home, and do not take up your opponent’s men if you are ahead of him, because they may give you trouble when they re-enter in your home table.
The American Game. When a gammon or backgammon counts you nothing more if you win it, and costs you nothing more if you lose it, the tactics of the game are entirely changed. It is folly to take any risks for the sake of a gammon, and any plays which leave unnecessary blots are very bad; for which reason the three throws shown in the foregoing diagram would be absurd in the American game. On the other hand, you may risk being gammoned, or even backgammoned, if it is the only way to save the game. An Englishman cannot take this risk, for he might lose a triple game in attempting to save a single.
Secure the five point in your own and your adversary’s home table as soon as possible, and then the bar and four points. After the first few throws the player should take a general survey of the board, in order to see whether he is ahead or behind, or if he has any advantage of position. He must then decide whether he will play a backward or a forward game. A glance at the relative positions of the men will usually show if one side is much more advanced than the other, without going into any minute calculations as to how many points nearer home one side may be.
If, at the beginning of the game, one player makes two or three large throws in succession, while his adversary gets small throws only, the latter will have little chance of winning the game simply by running for home, whereas the former’s best chance will be to follow up his early advantage and get home as fast as possible. The only hope for the man who is behind is that he can pick up some of his opponent’s men, setting them back, and in order to do this he must keep behind his adversary, so as to meet as many of his men as possible.
This enables us to formulate the great principle of the American game, which is that when a player is ahead he should go ahead as fast as he can; and when he is behind, he should stay behind as long as he can. In the first place he is playing a forward, and in the second place a backward game.
The Forward Game. The great point in this game, after having obtained the advantage of several good throws in the opening, is to get home as rapidly as possible without unnecessarily exposing your men by leaving blots. Do not take up your adversary’s men if you can help it, because by so doing you place obstacles in your own path, and assist him by allowing him to stay behind, which is just his game. Get past all his men if possible, especially if he has moved his two men out of your home table.
The Backward Game. Exactly the opposite tactics are of course the best for the player who is behind. He should keep two or three men in his adversary’s home table, preferably on the ace and deuce points, in the hope of catching some of the enemy, and setting them back. The result of these tactics, if successful, will be to offset the advantage of the adversary’s high throws early in the game, because every man captured not only has to start his journey over again, but is liable to be picked up a second or third time. As it is to the advantage of the forward player to avoid picking up men, the one who is behind can leave blots with great freedom, and may even spread his men so that some of them must be taken up. This intense back game is peculiarly American, for in the English game such tactics would usually result in a gammon, and often in a backgammon, and the player dare not risk so much just to save a hit. In the back game it is very important to spread the men freely, so that they may act as catchers.
In the position shown in the margin, for instance, White has already thrown off three of his men, but one has been caught and set back. It is impossible for Black to win unless he can catch this man again, or capture one or two of those in White’s home table, keeping White from throwing off any more men until Black gets home.
Suppose that in this position Black threw double threes. His play would be to separate all his men in the outer table, so that no matter what White might throw he could hardly escape being caught. The black men might be placed on the points marked with small crosses, and then if the white man cannot be caught and set back long enough for Black to get home, the game cannot be saved. If Black succeeds in picking up this man, he should then complete his home table as rapidly as possible, still keeping his outside men spread, and not disturbing the two men on White’s trey point until necessary.
Throwing Off. Always throw off every man possible; never move up instead of throwing off, unless there are some adverse men in your home table. If you make a throw which will not take off a man, do not move two men, but move up and take off one man if possible.
Chances. Some players profess to attach great importance to the chances of the dice, but such matters are of little practical value except in a general way. It may be interesting to know that the odds were thirty-five to one against a certain throw, but that knowledge does not prevent your adversary from winning the game.
It should always be remembered that it is more difficult for your adversary to hit a man that is very close to him or very far from him, than one that is about half way. The odds against being hit by a given number, either on one or on both dice, are given in the margin. The throws given in the second column cannot be made without counting both dice, and a player is therefore safer when it takes “double dice” to hit him.
| Single Die. | Double Dice. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 to 11 ag’st | 1 | 30 to 6 ag’st | 7 |
| 24 to 12 ag’st | 2 | 30 to 6 ag’st | 8 |
| 22 to 14 ag’st | 3 | 31 to 5 ag’st | 9 |
| 21 to 15 ag’st | 4 | 33 to 3 ag’st | 10 |
| 21 to 15 ag’st | 5 | 34 to 2 ag’st | 11 |
| 19 to 17 ag’st | 6 | 35 to 1 ag’st | 12 |
LAWS.
1. If the men are wrongly set up, the mistake may be remedied if the player in error has not moved a man, otherwise they must stand as set up.
2. If a player begins with less than the proper number of men, the error cannot be rectified after the player has made a throw for his move.
3. The players must each cast a single die for the privilege of first move, the higher winning. Ties throw again.
4. By mutual consent it may be agreed to let the higher throw play the points on his own and his adversary’s die for the first move; otherwise he must throw again with two dice.
5. Each player must throw the dice into the table on his right hand, and if either die jumps into the other table, or off the board, both dice must be taken up and thrown again.
6. To constitute a fair throw, each die must rest flat upon the board, and if either die is “cocked” against the other, or against the edge of the board or of a man, both dice must be taken up and thrown again.
7. If the caster interferes with the dice in any way, or touches them after they have left the box, and before they come absolutely to rest and the throw is called by the caster, the adversary may place face upward on the die or dice so interfered with, any number he chooses, and the caster must play it as if thrown.
8. Before playing, the throw must be announced by the caster, and if the throw is played as called it stands good, unless an error in the call is discovered before the dice have been touched for the purpose of putting them in the box again.
9. If a player moves a man a wrong number of points, the throw being correctly called, the adversary must demand that the error be rectified before he throws himself, or the erroneous move stands good.
10. If a man wrongly moved can be moved correctly, the player in error is obliged to move that man. If he cannot be moved correctly, the other man that was moved correctly on the same throw must be moved on the number of points on the second die, if possible. If the second man cannot be so moved onward, the player is at liberty to move any man he pleases.
11. Any man touched, except for the purpose of adjusting it, must be moved if the piece is playable. A player about to adjust a man must give due notice by saying, “J’adoube.” A man having been properly played to a certain point and quitted, must remain there.
12. The numbers on both dice must be played if possible. If there are two ways to play, one of which will employ the numbers on both dice, the other only one of them, the former must be played. If either, but only one, of the two numbers thrown can be played, the larger of the two must be selected.
13. If a player throws off men before all his men are at home, the men so thrown off must be placed on the bar, and re-entered in the adversary’s home table, just as if they had been captured in the course of play. The same penalty attaches to throwing off men while one is on the bar.
RUSSIAN BACKGAMMON.
In this variety of the game, no men are placed upon the board at starting, but each player enters his men by throws of the dice, and both players enter upon the same table, so that all the men on both sides move round the board in the same direction, and both players have the same home table, which is always the one opposite the entering table.
After having entered two men on the first throw, the player is at liberty either to continue entering his men with any subsequent throws, or to play the men already entered. In moving or in entering a player may capture any blots left by his adversary; but he cannot enter upon a point covered by two or more of the adversary’s men. If a player cannot enter a fresh man with the throw made, he must play a man if he can. When a man is captured, he must be re-entered before any other man can be moved.
Except on the first throw of the game, doublets give the player a great advantage. He can not only play the upper faces of the dice twice over, as in the ordinary game, but the faces opposite them also, and can then throw again before his adversary. Should he again throw doublets, he would play both faces of the dice, and throw again, and so on. As the opposite face is always the complement of seven, it is not necessary to turn the dice over to see what it is. A player throwing double four knows that he has four fours and four threes to play and will then get another throw. The upper faces of the dice must be played first, and if all four cannot be played the opposites and the second throw are lost. If the upper faces can be played, but not all the opposites, the second throw is lost.
If the first throw of the game made by either player is a doublet, it is played as in the ordinary game, without playing the opposite faces or getting a second throw.
The chief tactics of the game are in getting your men together in advance of your adversary, and covering as many consecutive points as possible, so that he cannot pass you except singly, and then only at the risk of being hit. After getting home, the men should be piled on the ace and deuce points unless there is very little time to waste in securing position.