Introduction

Backgammon Galore FAQ  By Tom Keith (2005). How to set up a backgammon board, move the checkers, use the doubling cube, proper etiquette. How to play other games such as acey-deucey, Nackgammon, and Greek variations. Match play rules and strategy. How ratings work. Sydney Backgammon FAQ  By Mark Driver (2004). What is backgammon, tournament backgammon, head-to-head backgammon? / What is chouette? / What is the doubling cube for? / What is the best way to improve? / What is the best book? / Is backgammon the world's oldest game? / Is backgammon a game of skill or chance? Backgammon at Wikipedia By Wikipedia (2006). Description of the history of backgammon, rules of the game, strategy and tactics, social and competitive play, and backgammon software. Hardy's Backgammon FAQ By Hardy Huebener (2007). Questions and answers on the history of backgammon, the rules of backgammon, backgammon literature, software, records, playing online, forums, and equipment. Backgammon Frequently Asked Questions By Mark Damish (1995). A list of frequently asked questions that was once posted to the newsgroup rec.games.backgammon. Some sections are now obsolete, but parts are still useful: What is backgammon? What are the rules of the game, etc?

Rules

Introduction to the Rules of Backgammon By Tom Keith (2005). A beginner's guide to backgammon, including answers to the most frequently asked questions about the rules. Everything you need to know about using the doubling cube, scoring, and the proper procedure and etiquette. Rules of Backgammon By Tom Keith (1995). Complete rules of backgammon as it is played today: How to set up the board, the object of the game, how to start, how to move the checkers, hitting and entering, bearing off, using the doubling cube, and scoring. Fundamentals of Tournament Backgammon By Butch Meese (2001). An explanation of the rules of backgammon as they apply to tournament play, and a quick introduction to the strategy. Laws of Backgammon, 1931 By New York Racquet and Tennis Club (1931). In 1931, Wheaton Vaughan organized a committee of interested clubs to formulate a standard set of rules. The rules prepared by this committee became widely accepted across the United States and they form the basis for the standard rules of backgammon as it is played around the world today. IBA Rules, 1969 By International Backgammon Association (1969). Rules prepared by the International Backgammon Association and published in Obolensky's and James's book Backgammon: The Action Game. Basic rules of play, updated from the 1931 rules and very similar to the rules published in Jacoby's and Crawford's book. Laws of Backgammon, 1970 By International Backgammon Association and Inter-Club League of New York (1970). Rules prepared in conjunction with the International Backgammon Association and the Inter-Club League of New York and published in Jacoby's and Crawford's book, The Backgammon Book. Basic rules of play very similar to the rules published in Obolensky's and James's book. Paul Magriel's Rules of Backgammon By Paul Magriel (1976). Rules from Paul Magriel's 1976 book, Backgammon. Magriel's rules are not so much formal rules of the game as they are an explanation of how the rules work. Michael Strato's Rules of Backgammon By Michael Strato (2006). Standard backgammon is the international version played at live tournaments worldwide, and on most Internet play sites. Read these Rules of Backgammon and you will quickly learn how to play this wonderful board game of skill and luck. Questions and Answers about the Rules By Tom Keith. Answers to common questions people have about the rules of backgammon. From the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive.

Variants

Backgammon Variants  By Tom Keith (2004). There are dozens of great games you can play on a backgammon board, ranging from simple games for children to very elaborate games. Here are rules for all the most ones including Acey-Deucey, Fevga, Gul Bara, Gioul, Moultezim, Narde, Plakoto, Trictrac, Hyper-Backgammon, and Nackgammon. Rules for the Game of Trictrac  By David Levy (1998). Complete rules for how to play the game of trictrac. Trictrac is a rich, formal game that was immensely popular in French society prior to the revolution. The rules are quite elaborate. The goal is to score points for particular positions and movements. How to Play Acey-Deucey By Tom Keith (2004). Acey-deucey a popular backgammon variants where the roll of 1-2 gives you extra turns. Here are the rules to three popular versions of the game. Acey Deucey By Wikipedia (2006). Acey-deucey is a variant of backgammon, which features a differing starting position, opening play, and rules for the endgame and the use of the doubling cube. Because checkers may be retained in one's opponent's home board, the game offers substantial opportunities for backgame play. Acey Deucey By Master Games (1999). Acey Deucey is a variation of backgammon in which the roll of 1 and 2 (acey-deucey) allows a player to play the doubles of his choice and then roll again. The article gives a brief explanation of the rules of the game. The Many Games of Backgammon By Tom Keith (2006). How to play the most common backgammon variants: Nackgammon, hyper-backgammon, long-gammon, roll-over, backgammon-to-lose, acey-deucey, the Greek games (portes, plakoto, and fevga), trictrac, Russian backgammon, French backgammon, Dutch backgammon, and snake. Tables (Board Game) By Wikipedia (2006). Tables is a general name given to a class of board games similar to backgammon, played on a board with two rows of 12 vertical markings called "points". Players roll dice to determine the movement of pieces. Tables games are among the oldest known board games, and many variants are played throughout the world. Nackgammon By Kit Woolsey (2001). A few years ago, Nack Ballard had an idea. Since we all like the complex games, let's modify the starting position so we are more likely to get into a complex game. This game was appropriately named Nackgammon. It is quite popular, and a lot of fun. Here is some strategy for playing Nackgammon. Tavli (Greek Backgammon) By Vassilis Condos (2006). A description of the rules of the Greek games of plakoto and fevga. There is also an explanation of the different Greek terms. Tavla in Turkey By Michael Crane (2000). Tavla is played everywhere in Turkey, shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, lokantas, hotels, pensions, pavements, even in the middle of the road! Although it is the same backgammon that we all know and love, there are a few small variations in the way in which it is played. Tavla is played at a lightning pace. Pyramid Backgammon By Bill Davis (2006). In Pyramid Backgammon, you can win either by being the first to bear off all your checkers or by making a "pyramid" pattern (a distribution of 1-2-3-2-1). Pyramid Backgammon is truly a game of position. For example, it seems unwise to escape both of your back men early, for this would allow your opponent complete freedom to construct his pyramid. Two Worlds Collide: Casual and Formal Backgammon By Mark Driver (2001). Some of the differences between formal and casual backgammon: Can you put more than five checkers on a point? Are you allowed to "pick and pass"? Is there a doubling cube? Touch rule? Must players bear off exactly? Alternative Rules to Make the Game Interesting By Phil Simborg (2003). A selection of games with rules aimed at making the backgammon more interesting, more skillful, or just more fun. Some of these rules are well-established variants; others are more lighthearted. Sugoroku By Wikipedia (2006). Sugoroku plays identically to backgammon except that: (1) Doubles are not special; if you roll doubles, each die counts only once. (2) There is no "bearing off"; the goal is to move all your men to the last six spaces of the board. (3) There is no doubling cube. (4) You may not form a prime of six contiguous points to obstruct your opponent. Other games played on a backgammon board By Mark Damish (1995). From the Backgammon FAQ posted to rec.games.backgammon in 1995. Descriptions of: Acey-Deucey, one-point matches, Hyper-Backgammon, Nackgammon, Tapa, Narde, Gul Bara, Feuga, and diceless backgammon. Backgammon Variations By Tom Keith. From the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive, collected articles on different games that can be played on a backgammon board: acey-deucey, "backwards play", domino gammon, duodecagammon, duplicate backgammon, feuga, Jacquet, longgammon, Mexican, misere, nuclear backgammon, pass-or-pick a roll, plakoto, roll over, Russian, sudden death, trictrac, and others.

History

A History of Backgammon  By Mark Driver (2000). Subtitled "The Evolution of Backgammon and the Factors Influencing Its Popularity and Longevity," this is one of the most complete histories of backgammon ever written. History of Backgammon  By Chuck Bower (1999). A 20th Century history and status report on backgammon—one individual's perspective. This article as three parts: "A Brief History of Backgammon", "The Computer Revolution", and "Present and Future". History of Backgammon By Oswald Jacoby and John R. Crawford (1970). Republished from the Introduction of the The Backgammon Book. An extensive history of backgammon tracing its origins through Mesopotamia (now Iraq), Egypt, India, Greece, Rome, the Middle East, Europe, England, and the United States. History of the Doubling Cube By Bill Davis (2007). An ongoing investigation into the history of the doubling cube. What we know about when an where the doubling cube was first used. How did players keep track of stakes before the doubling cube? The 1930's Understanding of Doubling By Vic Morawski (2008). A look at how doubling might have started in backgammon. Was it invented by a single person? Was it a logical extension of automatic doubles, where the stake of the game is doubled when both players roll the same number to start the game? Elliott Avedon Museum of Games By University of Waterloo (2007). Some examples of backgammon sets in the Museum's collection. Tabular History of Backgammon By Hardy Huebener (2006). A timeline of some of the highlights in the history of backgammon starting with the game Senet in 3500 BCE up to the introduction of Gnu Backgammon in 1999. R.I.P. Inside Backgammon By Chris Bray (1998). Throughout its brief existence "Inside Backgammon" has given us remarkable insights into backgammon theory. Goulding's sardonic wit, combined with Robertie's drier but no less effective writing style, produced a magazine with top quality content throughout the eight years of its life. Backgammon History and Useful Information By James Masters (1997). A history of backgammon and backgammon-type games with pictures of modern-day versions of the games. Backgammon History By Martin Short (2001). A quick history of backgammon from its origins in Mesopotamia to modern day with the Internet, backgammon servers, and neural-net backgammon programs. Games of the Viking and Anglo-Saxon Age By Ben Levick and Mark Beadle (1992). A description of dice and board games from the time of the Anglo-Saxons. Several nice pictures. The Game of Senet By Catherine Soubeyrand (1995). Senet is an Egyptian race game and may be the ancestor of modern backgammon. We know of this game through ancient Egyptian boards that have survived to this day. History of Backgammon By Michael Strato (1999). Backgammon is said to be the oldest game in recorded history. Its origin stems from a board game that was first played about 5000 years ago in Ur of the Chaldees in Mesopotamia. This brief history of the game is from the demo issue of GammonVillage. History of Backgammon By Joy Lee Barnhart (1998). A brief history of the game from the online manual of Bob's Backgammon. Backgammon History By Tom Keith. The Backgammon Galore Forum Archive: Collected articles on the history of backgammon which have been posted to various forums.

Terminology

Backgammon Galore Glossary By Tom Keith (2007). The world's largest dictionary of backgammon terms. Definitions of over 700 terms, many with illustrations and links to reference materials. Backgammon Jargon By Nack Ballard and Paul Weaver (2007). A glossary of backgammon terms from Ballard's and Weaver's book entitled Backgammon Openings. Backgammon Dictionary By GammonVillage (2000). List of backgammon terms and definitions. Backgammon Terminology By Tom Keith. Answers to common questions about backgammon terms. From the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive.

Equipment

Backgammon Equipment By Phil Simborg (2007). Phil Simborg gives his recommendations for the type of board you should buy, the checkers, the dice, and the dice cups. "Backgammon is more fun and more fair when you use the right equipment." Backgammon Equipment By Tom Keith. Collected postings on backgammon equipment, from the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive.

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Last updated: 13 Mar 2008