Backgammon Rules

Once the game board is properly set up (see ‘how to play’) it is time to determine which player makes the first move.  The two dice are distributed one each to the players.  Each rolls his die and the higher value determines who will have the game’s fist turn.  Each roll is done with both cubes and progress of the checkers is done according to the independent value of each die and not by the added value of the two.  Moves across the board must be done “legally”.  That is, if a player rolls a five and a three, each value must be applied to a checker individually.  A move forward of five must find the checker landing on a point either empty or hosted by no more than one of the opponent’s checkers.  The same applies to the three value of the other.  It is permitted to add the two and move the same checker eight points forward only if it is evident if both the five and the three are legal moves.  

The game board is composed of each player having a home board or inner board which is the area with the lowest point on the board and where he strives to get all his men as quickly as possible.  Once all of the checkers are on the home board, the player can start taking them off the board completely (according the the outcome of the dice, of course). 

As already mentioned, more than one enemy checker occupying a particular point makes that point impossible for the opponents checker to land on.  However, if only one chip is occupying a point then that chip is exposed and can be “hit”.  In the event of a hit, an enemy chip has landed on a singular chip and has sent it to the bar.  The bar is the central fold of the game board which separates both sides.  This is a rather damaging case for the player who’s been hit as it does not allow him to progress any of his other men on the board until he rolls a number which allows the "trapped" checker to land on a free space and be released from the bar. Until this happens, the other player is progressing his men across the board.  There are various strategies (internal) that are often used to block such scenarios as they can serve a major blow.