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.