Rules

Forum Archive : Rules

 
Pick and pass and bearing off

From:   SimonW
Address:   bozzzza@lycos.co.uk
Date:   2 January 2005
Subject:   Newbie question on rules
Forum:   rec.games.backgammon
Google:   cr8q5u$1t8$1@titan.btinternet.com

If you move and land on a blot and hit the opponents counter, can
you then move your same counter to another point dictated by second dice
and standard rules?

What are the rules when bearing off and a double is thrown?

Am I right in thinking when bearing off and a six and a five is thrown,
for example, and I only have two counters on point four I can bear them
both off?

Fergus  writes:

Hi Simon,

> If you move and land on a blot and hit the opponents counter on the
> bar, can you then move your same counter to another point dictated by
> second dice and standard rules?

Yes. The moves for each dice value are considered as separate even when
it's the same piece that is moved. There's no obligation to hit the blot
and one of the skills is learning when to pass up the temptation and
jump over it instead.

When playing online and against computer programs it's common for the
higher dice to be used first when you click a piece. This is by no means
obligatory - use whichever order suits you.

Welcome to Backgammon.

Fergus

David Ullrich  writes:

> What are the rules when bearing off and a double is thrown?

The same as when not bearing off - a double 6 counts as four separate
sixes.

> Am I right in thinking when bearing off and a six and a five is
> thrown, for example, and I only have two counters on point four I can
> bear them both off?

Yes, if you mean that those two men on the four point are the only
men you have anywhere.

The rules here are a little tricky: If you roll a 4, you can take a
man off the four point _or_ move any man four pips, _or_, if you
have nobody on the four point and nobody on any higher points,
then you can take a man off the highest occupied point.

Examples, supposing you're X and you roll a 65:

 +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                O | OO
v|                  |BAR|                  |
 |                  |   |                  | XX
 |                  |   |                  | XX
 |                  |   |                  | XXX
 |                  |   |       X          | XXX Rolled 56
 |                  |   |       X          | XXX
 +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+

Here you can take two men off the four point with
65, because there are no men on the 5 or 6 points.


 +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                O | OO
v|                  |BAR|                  |
 |                  |   |                  | XX
 |                  |   |                  | XX
 |                  |   |                  | XX
 |                  |   | X     X          | XX  Rolled 56
 |                  |   | X     X          | XXX
 +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+

Here you can take a man off the six point with the
six, but you can't take a man off with the 5, you
have to move 6/1 with the 5.


 +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                O | OO
 |                  |   |                  | OO
 |                  |   |                  | OO
v|                  |BAR|                  |
 |                  |   |                  | XX
 |                  |   |                  | XX
 |                  |   |                  | XX
 |                  |   | X     X        O | XX  Rolled 56
 |                  |   | X     X        O | XXX
 +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+

This is the one that a person might misunderstand if he
didn't read the rule carefully. You take a man off with
the 6.

Now you can't take a man off the five point with the 5
since there's no man there. You can't move 6/1 with the
5 because that's blocked. And that means that you can't
play the 5 at all. You're not allowed to take a
man off the four point with the 5, because you have
men on the six point.


David C. Ullrich
 
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