Backgammon
Backgammon is supposed to be one of the oldest board games in the world. In order to win this game, you will need strategy as well as a little luck.
Setup
The board consists of 24 triangles called points, 12 of them on each side of the board. Between the 6th and 7th point on every side the board is divided by the so-called bar into the so-called Home- and Outer-Board.
The game is played with 15 white and 15 black checkers. The initial arrangement is predefined.
The players are using 2 dices.
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Aim of the game
The object of this game is to move all one's checkers onto the respective Home-Board and then bear them off.
Starting and playing
At the start of the game both players are using only one dice. The player throwing the higher number begins. After the first roll the players throw two dices by turns. Checkers are moved according to the numbers shown on both dices.
The checkers are always moved in the direction away from the opposing player's Home-Board across the Outer-Boards towards the own Home-Board.
A checker may only be moved to an open point, i.e. one that is not occupied by more than one opposing checker. Points occupied by two or more opposing checkers cannot be used.
Doubles
If a player rolls doubles, i.e. 2 equal numbers, he can count them twice. In this case it is possible to move a maximum of 4 checkers at a time.
Throwing out opposing checkers
If a checker is moved on a point occupied by a single opposing checker, it is hit and placed on the bar.
The player who owns this checker may only continue to play in case he manages to place this checker on the board again.
Knocked-out checkers are moved onto an open point on the opponent's Home-Board corresponding to one of the numbers on the rolled dice. If e.g. a player rolls 3 and 5, he may enter the checker either onto the 3rd or the 5th point, counted in his direction of play.
If it is not possible to enter the checker, the whole roll expires and the player loses his turn.
If more than one checker is on the bar, all of them have to be entered into the opposing player's Home-Board in order to go on with the game.
Winning the game
If all 15 checkers are placed on the own Home-Board, the player may commence bearing them off. The checkers are removed from the Home-Board by rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides.
If there is no checker on the point indicated by the roll, the player must make a legal move.
If there are no checkers on higher-numbered points, the player may remove a checker from the highest point on which one of his checkers resides.
A checker can either be beared off from a point that complies exactly with one of the rolled numbers or from the highest point still taken which is smaller than the shown number. In case the number of a free point is rolled, no checker may be beared off from a lower point as long as there is still a checker on a higher point. A player is not forced to bear off a checker, if he is able to make a move within the Home-Board instead.
The first player to bear off all his checkers wins the game.