Backgammon secrets are long. How to Win at Backgammon: Strategy Backgammon Tips

Backgammon is an ancient oriental game. Scientists have not yet determined the birthplace of this hobby. But even despite this, today a large number of people play backgammon, getting tremendous pleasure from it.

In ancient times, people also liked to play backgammon. Archaeologists have found a board, which, according to their assumptions, was made more than 3 thousand years ago.

This oriental game has other names:

• Backgammon.
• Yuekgemmon.
• Tavla.
• Shesh-besh.
• Cat.

Backgammon perfectly develops thinking and logic, helps to calm down and become famous. The game is played by 2 people.

Table: "composition" of the game.

Backgammon rules for beginners step by step:

• Initially, it is worth placing the playing chips. They are placed at the top in the corner to the right of the player. The placement of chips is carried out in a row vertically.
• Then 2 players roll dice to determine the right of the first move.. The player with the highest combination on the dice goes first.

For the first move, a checker is removed from the vertical row. According to the rules, this is called "take off the head."

Throughout the gameplay, the dice are always used. They determine the number of moves. Since there are two dice in the game, the player gets two numbers when throwing them. This determines the number of his steps. The numbers are summed up and the player moves. According to the rules, one cell is one step.

But there is a second option: when two numbers fall out, it is not necessary to sum up their components. You can use two chips to match the number of rolled dice.

Example: 4 rolled on one die, and 2 on the second.

Two options:

Summation: 4+2=6 moves with one chip.
Separate steps: 2 steps with one chip, 4 moves with the second.

• Checkers move only counterclockwise.
• The player has the right to stop on the playing field only on an empty cell or on his color. Standing on the color of the opponent is prohibited. You can stop at your chip, that is, put it on top. This action is called "put on the head."
• “Removing from the head” a checker is allowed only once per step. Example: 5 and 4 are rolled on the dice. If this is the player's first move, then the numbers are summed up and 9 moves across the field are obtained. In other cases, you can take 5 steps with the chip on the board and 4 steps with the checker removed from the head.
• If the bones fall out so that the player is forced to stop on the opponent's cell, then this move is skipped by him.
• When a double occurs (1:1, 2:2, 3:3, 4:4, 5:5, 6:6), the player is awarded the right to move his checkers 4 times for the number of dice rolled. That is, when a 2:2 double occurs, the player can: Make 4 moves, 2 steps each.
  Make 1 move in 4 steps.

Tactics and strategy of the game

The strategy in tavla is to transfer your own playing chips to the opponent's field.

Types of strategies:

1. Speed ​​game. The goal is to quickly move game items into the house.
2. Hold game. Hold 2 checkers on the same hole until you manage to knock out the opponent's blot.
3. Blocking. The essence is the construction of a long wall of checkers to block the passage of the enemy.
4. Blitz strategy. The point is to close the house quickly.
5. Backgame. The bottom line is to build a hole with two checkers in the opponent's house.

Winning tactics:

It is necessary to arrange 6 chips in the fourth quarter. This action is called "bring home". After the last chip has been placed in the fourth quarter, the checkers are "expelled" by rolling dice:

1. The chip of the same name of the number that fell at dawn is expelled.
2. A chip is expelled, under the number obtained in the process of adding numbers.

Important! Victory is given to the player who has no playing checkers left on the board.

secrets

To win the game, you need to resort to tricks or have a unique mind and logic.

Tricks and secrets to win at yuekgemmon:

1. Help your opponent win. Ensure his loss by closing all fives. For yourself, leave three checkers in each recess on the board. After the enemy begins to open the holes, they must be immediately closed behind him.
2. Do not allow the opponent to occupy the three recesses near the base of the vertical row.
3. Put the checkers away from the sixth position.

Varieties of backgammon

Varieties of backgammon:

1. Long backgammon is classic.
2. Short backgammon.

The differences between them are in some rules:

1. The absence of broken checkers in long backgammon.
2. If in short backgammon a checker is placed on the opponent's checker, then it beats.

Note! There is an abundance of games on short and long boards.

Table: varieties of the game of kosha.

Useful video

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Long backgammon belongs to the category of games in which the moves must be calculated at the very beginning. Otherwise, you can get into a rather unpleasant situation, which will ultimately lead to the loss of an advantage over your opponent. To know the secrets of playing long backgammon means to increase the probability of your victory in advance.

Attentiveness and composure from the first minutes is the guarantee of your success. Particular attention should be paid to the first move of the opponent, because only in this case it is possible to somehow calculate the options for future moves.

It seems to many that the initial movements of the checkers do not carry a strategic load. But those who are fans of this game will say something else: basically they determine the subsequent alignment of forces.

The unwritten rule of long backgammon says that one checker must go forward, while the second remains “in the head”. In this way, you can capture a position and gain an advantage on the playing field. The faster the player takes advantage of the advantageous positions in the house, the easier it will be for him to overcome obstacles on the way to victory in the future.

Here are some backgammon secrets, or principles to follow:

1) Don't let the enemy capture more than three positions at your head, otherwise you will lose your advantage. And vice versa, try to do the same yourself
2) Place checkers beyond the sixth position. Otherwise, it will be almost impossible to get to the desired third quarter
3) Prepare in advance for the fact that a double (jackpot) may fall out. If at the same time you have nothing to go, you, again, will lose the advantage. With a successful arrangement, the jackpot can turn the course of the whole game
4) It is advisable to transfer checkers from the second quarter to the third in one move - this will ensure a rapid offensive
5) Try to block the moves of the opponent immediately after his checkers approached the first quarter.

However, it should be remembered that the opponent probably knows the secrets of playing backgammon and will definitely use them. Therefore, to capture the necessary territories, try to guess what is on his mind, and carefully think over the defense.

If a beginner does not pay due attention to predicting positions, it will be almost impossible for him to win long backgammon. This is one of the most important things to learn. Knowing the basics of tactics will allow the player to get the most advantageous position on the playing field both at the current moment and in the future.

It is the knowledge of the secrets of playing backgammon, the ability to use them, to find a way out of even the most impasse that distinguishes an experienced player from a “loser”. If you got a real professional as an opponent, watch how he plays, analyze his actions and you will soon start to win even against the strongest "Nards".

This guide is for beginners.

A checker (chip) is what they walk with. At the beginning of the game, each player has 15 checkers on the board.

Head - the initial construction of 15 checkers in the first position. As the game progresses, less and less checkers remain on the head, but until the last checker it is considered the head. According to the rules, you cannot move more than one checker from your head (except for the very first move in case of a roll of 3:3, 4:4 and 6:6).

Move - the execution of the movement in accordance with the numbers that have fallen on the dawn. Thus, a move is from 1 to 4 movements of one or different checkers. It is also possible to skip a move if it is not possible to make a single move according to the rules.

Hole (position, field) - a place on the board where you can put a checker. There are 24 holes on the board. Positions at the head - a place that can be reached from the head on the rolled number of points. For example, position 5 is a move for 5 from the head, i.e. sixth position of the first quarter of the board.

Quarter - half of one of the two halves of the backgammon board:

• I - the one with which the game starts, i.e. the one where the head is;
• II - the quarter following the head (for the opponent this is the ejection zone);
• III - the one where the opponent's head;
• IV - ejection zone (the last one in the direction of movement of the checkers).

Fence (barrier) - two or more checkers standing in a row.

Reserve - the presence of moves by checkers, which allows not to vacate the most important positions at the moment of the game, which, in the event of a checker leaving, will be occupied by the opponent.

Starting the game of long backgammon

The first few moves, although they do not solve serious tactical problems, but under certain conditions can seriously affect the course of the game.

The main rule: we take one checker from the “head”, the second we go in another place. Those. you need to develop, balance between the placement of checkers at your “head” and at the “head” of your opponent, seize territory. The logic of the game suggests that you need to put one checker to capture a position near your own head, and “drive” the second one to someone else’s head. The exception is situations when the opponent threatens to build a long fence near his head, for example, from 5 checkers - then it will be more competent to take an empty place inside this fence, even if you do not remove a single checker from your head.

The tactical plan for the first few (usually 5-7) moves is quite simple - defending the positions of your own head and capturing positions at someone else's head. The significance of the II and IV quarters of the board at the initial stage is secondary.

1. Try to avoid capturing three or more senior positions at your head in a row. accordingly, try to do it yourself with someone else.

2. The position on move 6 from the head is "uncomfortable" from the point of view of the subsequent move to capture positions at someone else's head, because with one movement, she misses the third quarter. It is better to place (or move) this checker a little further, preparing for the jump in the third quarter.

3. The biggest danger in the first moves is the "unfortunate" arrangement of the checkers in case of throwing a big jackpot (and in very rare cases, not the biggest jackpot), consider this when you move.

4. Try to keep your checkers in the second quarter so that they reach the third quarter in one move.

5. If the opponent's checkers are already ready to take positions in your first quarter. try to block his moves in at least one movement.

What to be guided by when capturing someone else's head:

• the more you grab, the better.
• if there is a choice, capture the higher places (the move from the head to 4-5-6).
• the tighter the grip, the better; if there is a choice, put the checkers in the "fence", i.e. consecutively, without gaps.
• you need at least one place in order not to get stuck; if the situation is difficult, try to take a place in the middle (for example, on the opponent's move from head 3).
• as a rule, two places near someone else's head is enough to move into the ejection zone
• if it was not possible to build a fence in the area near the opponent’s head, rebuild with new checkers and try to capture the maximum in the ejection zone; it is preferable to capture places in a heap and in the center.
• if you manage to capture 4 free places out of 6 along the opponent's head, you have a chance to "strangle" him and put a mars; for the sake of such a case, you can even risk your defense.
• 5 occupied places out of 6 at someone else's head - already 90% Mars, if there are still a lot of checkers on the head.
• if you took 5 places at someone else's head, the sixth is free, but you can't reach it, that is, it makes sense to rearrange the checkers so that the "hole" is closer to the head itself.
• the more "stuck" checkers the opponent has and the less the stock of moves of his "free" checkers, the more justified the risk of capturing places near the opponent's head due to the weakening of positions in other parts of the board.

All points about the “seizure” of territory from someone else’s head should also be tried on from the point of view of defense, blocking strategic fields.

Let's analyze one more moment related to the beginning of the game.

The only jackpot that allows a checker, moving from its own head, not to rest against someone else's, is 5:5. The path of your checker passes through position 5 (i.e. move 5 from the head) from your own head, position 3 at the other's head, and the path of the opponent's checker through his five at his head and your three.

Therefore, many experienced masters emphasize these two fields near the head and try to occupy them in the first place and, accordingly, close them at home.

Alternative moves

It often seems that you can play in different ways and many of the moves in long backgammon are the same. However, beginners make a lot of mistakes. The reason is that they evaluate the value of a move in terms of the position on the board that they see before their eyes. However, it is much more important to predict what the position will be by the next move.

To effectively capture an important field, your next move must be considered which position is most convenient for capturing, i.e. where you need to put your checker (within the limits of the choice that you have) in order to occupy the desired square with the highest probability on the next move if the opponent cannot occupy it

Consider the probability of a checker hitting the desired square, provided that the charge throw is not yet known.

We take for consideration 12 fields (6 + 6) by distance from the target and for each we calculate the probability of hitting the target.

• In total, there are 36 cases of charge loss.
• The probability is equal to the ratio of the number of "favorable" cases divided by the total number of cases.
• The probability of hitting the jackpot is 1/36.
• The probability of getting any other combination is 2/36 or 1/18.
• The probability in our case can be measured as an integer without a fraction (divided by 36), because all probabilities have a denominator of 36.
• The probability of a roll that requires one of any number (eg 5) is 11 (i.e. 11/36).

From the player's point of view, 1-2 and 2-1 are the same. But for calculating probabilities, these are 2 different favorable events. That is why we can say that the probability of throwing a 2-1 is 1/18.

From these postulates, it turns out mathematically that in order to obtain the highest probability of a checker hitting the desired field, you need to stand behind 6 fields; while the probability is about 47%. Does not change the picture and the presence of obstacles on the way of the checkers - as before, the highest probability of hitting will be from field 6 to the right place.

In order to get the maximum probability of hitting one of the two checkers on the desired field, they must be set for 5 and 6 fields, respectively; in this case, the probability of hitting will be 83%.

How to use this data? Place your checkers in such a way that you get the maximum opportunities for further advancement to the desired fields for yourself and the minimum opportunities for your opponent.

Shortage of moves in long backgammon

The fundamental principle underlying all tactical constructions and techniques of long backgammon. is a deficit of moves. The ability to operate with the "deficit of moves" of one's own and the opponent's is a sign of the highest skill.

Conventionally, there are two types of "deficiency of moves":

• anxious. scarce moves open strategically important fields (for example, protecting from mars); at the same time, in order to eliminate the scarcity, one has to sacrifice all other factors, for example, not occupying free fields, freeing some previously occupied fields, creating “scarcity” in other places
• moderate. scarce moves mean only the loss of points (unplayed moves of the dropped dice), and do not lead to serious positional deterioration; such a shortage should be eliminated, but not sacrifice strategic or tactical tasks

You need to watch not only your own deficit of moves, but also the deficit of your opponent. Situations are quite possible when the elimination of one's own can help the opponent to remove his, perhaps even more acute deficit.

The lack of moves can be not only harmful, but also beneficial! This is especially true during the war of fences and attempts to keep an important strategic field. Whenever possible, the checker on this field needs to arrange a deficit of the move, which is not in other parts of the board. Moreover, if the opponent occupies it, you can be calm for another checker, from which he will reliably block the deficit move.

The stock of moves and the deficit of moves are, in general, one and the same thing, but from opposite sides. However, it is this side (the scarcity of some moves), and not the other (the excess or stock of some other moves) that is important for a correct analysis of the situation on the board. If you have a lot of 5 moves, it won't give you much advantage, but the lack of 4 moves can lead to serious problems and give your opponent the opportunity to build a game or counterplay.

Fence in backgammon

A fence is a piece of one of the players built tightly in a row, from 3 to 6 pieces. More than 6 chips, the length of the fence does not matter.

If you have built a fence, you have already created an advantage for yourself. The fence is a source of a constant deficit of moves for the opponent and, at the same time, a source of one's own stock of moves.

• 3 chips - a fence that does not pose a serious danger to the opponent, but if it is correctly placed in the right place and combined with other fences or other types of advantages, then it may well be an effective tool. Most effective at the beginning of the game in positions on the opponent's turn 4, 5 and 6 from his hand, i.e. when this fence closes moves from the opponent's hand 4-5-6.
• 4 chips is already a serious reason for the opponent's concern in itself. Built at the opponent's hand - this fence is already a real threat to make a Mars, and if in a position that closes the opponent's move from the hand to 3,4,5 and 6, then such a fence is already 70% Mars to the opponent. Although a lot depends on the number of chips in the hand at the time of the installation of the fence. Such a fence is quite effective even if it is built in the fourth quarter for itself, i.e. in your ejection zone.
• 5 chips - the fence is very dangerous almost anywhere. Most effective at the opponent's hand when the only move left is 1,2, or 3.
• 6 chips - a deaf fence that is impossible to pass; almost guarantees a win if it is in the 1st quarter, and almost guarantees a mars if it is in the 3rd or 4th quarter.

Fences require the accumulation of checkers at its ends, so that when the desired number (or jackpot) falls out, use it to overcome the fence.

To fight the fence, it is important to “keep” the first and second points of the fence, but you need to accumulate checkers mainly at the first point.