Backgammon is an ancient game, probably, the most ancient of all, as it has been played over 5,000 years ago (maybe, only ‘Senet’ game dates back more – but only a hundred years older). It originated in one of the Eastern countries (it is unknown today, where exactly) and it has spread all over the world with many variants. It’s hard to find a country, where it isn’t played today.
Backgammon has two basic versions of the play: short and long. They differ in the positions that checkers have on the board during the start. There are over 20 different names given to backgammon worldwide, mainly connected to local translations of the name. Some versions of backgammon in different countries have closer semblance with ‘Snakes and Ladders’ than with classical backgammon.
How to play backgammon
The set of backgammon has a board, 2 volumes of checkers, one for each player, and a pair of dice, which define the number of moves a player has to do. Some variations may also have a doubling cube and dice cups. The cup is completely absent in backgammon online for money, as throwing the dice is automated when playing on the Internet.
The best backgammon boards have 2 sets of checkers, black and white, and separated into two parts: a Yard (street) and House. In between, there is the Bar, which can temporarily hold the checkers, which have been moved here due to specific gaming conditions. The board is separated into 24 play positions, grouped in 4 groups with 6 positions in each, colored in the same two colors as checkers are.
The goal of the game is to replace all checkers to the ‘house’. Whites move counterclockwise, blacks move clockwise. After they all are taken to the house, they should be removed from the board. The first player to remove all of them away wins.
Dice are thrown and they show the number of moves each player does, one move defined by one dice. It is possible to move one checker for the defined number of moves set by two pieces of dice one after another or to make two moves by two different checkers. A player cannot move their checkers to a position that is taken by two or more checkers of an opponent. If there are no free positions to make a move, a player skips the move.
The strategy of online backgammon
This game is the game of luck and wit. The cornerstone of the second is the strategy consisting of three components:
to occupy available positions in a way to prevent your opponent to move through
to protect your checkers at max to prevent yourself from losing score
to move as fast as you can when you have such an opportunity.
The wise combination of the two, combined with understanding and guessing the possible moves of the opponent will contribute to the win or lose result in the free backgammon games. As nobody can actually foresee what dice combination is going to be next, there are no completely winning or completely losing strategies.
Some players prefer moving by all means, no matter what, even if it makes their checkers be vulnerable to the opponent’s moves. Or it is possible to build a fence made of 4-5 rows of positions next to each other, which will make your opponent lose moves. But that is a defensive position, which will slow your opponent down but will not make you progress nicely (you still need to think about winning, which is only possible when you move more than you defend).
Modern backgammon
For lovers of backgammon dice, almost every modern online backgammon casino can offer plenty of opportunities to play on their devices, from usual laptops or PCs to tablets and smartphones. Special downloadable apps to play backgammon Android or iOS are not uncommon today. You can play mobile backgammon version on the go and be connected no matter where you are.