Basic Backgammon Terminology

Gene Marshall

Posted Date: Thursday, May 29, 2008 | Viewed: 92

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If you’re wondering what in the world bearing off or a blot has to do with the backgammon game, here is a basic list that can aide in the understanding of what people are talking about when they’re speaking the language of the game. Before you learn how to play backgammon, you should get familiar with these important terms and try a few games of free backgammon before you start playing for real stakes.

Point/ Making points: Perhaps the most important backgammon rule is how to move on the board. A point is one of the twenty-four triangular shaped “points” on the board. There are 6 points in each quadrant, and the points can be numbered 1 through 24, starting at the bottom right hand corner of the backgammon board and, going clockwise, ending at the top right hand corner. Making points is when a player has two or more of his checkers on a point, and that makes it his because the opponent cannot land on it.

Blot: A checker left alone on a point.

Bar: This is what separates the two halves of the board. It is where “hit” checkers are placed.

Hitting: If a player leaves a blot, the opponent can hit that checker, which moves it to the bar and means that when the checker gets back on the board, it has to move all around the entire board before reaching its homeboard, which puts the player farther behind in the race of bearing off all his checkers from the board. This is a key backgammon strategy.

Home board: The quadrant in which, once all of a players checkers are here, the player can begin bearing off.

Bearing off: Bearing off consists of slowly getting all your checkers off the board completely, which means you are nearing the end of the race.

Doublets: When the same number appears on both dice once rolled, they are known as doublets. For example a 3-3, and attaining doublets allows the player to move 12 spots in increments of 3, rather than only 6.

Prime: If a player makes 6 consecutive points, he has completed a prime and prevents his opponent from moving any of his checkers that may be behind it because 6 is the largest number spaces a checker can move at once.

Closed board: If a player has made all 6 points in his home board, meaning again that he has two or more checkers on each point, he has made a closed board. This is because if the opponent has a checker on the bar, he cannot move in, as the opponents board is closed off to him.

Compulsory Move: This basically says that if a player can move with his roll, he must move. He cannot opt to leave his checkers where they are if they can move. If only one part of the roll can be played, he must choose the higher number if possible, but the lower one if not.

Now that you have some understanding of basic terminology, you can learn how to play by studying the rules before you begin backgammon gambling. Play online backgammon and start off with a free backgammon game download offered by several sites, where backgammon software may be found easily.

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Gene Marshall contributes articles about backgammon and backgammon download requirements. Supplementary writings written by Gene Marshall on the subject of internet backgammon are offered on the internet. Backgammon authority Gene Marshall works for many renowned online backgammon magazines.

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Basic Backgammon Terminology

Gene Marshall

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