how to play Internet Backgammon game in computer
Internet Backgammon: how to play
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| how to play Internet Backgammon game in computer |
Backgammon is a popular two-player board game with pieces called
stones. The deceivingly simple goal? Move all your
stones off the table first.
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Click to open Games.
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Double-click Internet Backgammon.(Don't see it? Check Where are my games?)
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Click the Game menu, and then click Change Appearance.
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Make your choices, and then click OK.
You can select different pieces and boards.
Internet Backgammon
Internet Backgammon: Rules and basics
The object
Be first to remove all your stones from the board.
The board
Backgammon is a two-person game played with pieces called stones.
Each side—Brown and White—starts with 15 stones.
Stones are placed on a board consisting of twenty-four narrow
triangles. The triangles—called points—alternate
color and are arranged into quadrants of six triangles each.
Points on each side are numbered 1 to 12. The board is divided by
a center partition called the bar.
To the right of the board, you'll see a pip
count. This is the total number of points you must move your stones to
remove them from the board (called bearing off in
backgammon). The pip count starts at 167 points.
To bear off your stones, you'll have to move them all
counterclockwise from the 1-point at the upper-right corner of the screen to the
1-point at the lower-right corner of the screen.
How to play
Moving stones
To decide who goes first, each player clicks the
Roll button to throw a single die. The player with the higher number
wins. Players then alternate turns, each rolling two dice.
The numbers determine how far you can move your stones. For
example, if you roll a 4 and a 2, you can move one stone four points
counterclockwise—then move either the same stone or a different stone two more
points. (If you roll doubles, you can play the numbers on both dice twice,
moving up to four stones.)
To move a stone, click it, drag it to a new point, and then click
again to release. Windows won't allow illegal
moves. When you hover over or click a stone, solid diamonds appear next to
points where you can legally move it.
You can move a stone across enemy-occupied points. But your stone
can only land on points containing either your own stones or fewer than two of
your opponent's pieces. A point with two or more enemy stones is closed and thereby off limits.
If a closed point allows you to use only one roll, you must play
the higher number. If neither roll is possible, you lose your turn.
Bearing off
To start removing (or bearing off) stones from the board, you must
first have moved all 15 stones into your home
table—the six points in the lower-right quadrant of the board.
You bear off a stone by moving it off the board to the
right.
Blots
A point occupied by a single stone is called a blot. If your opponent's stone lands on your blot (or hits it in game lingo), that stone is banished to the bar.
If you have stones on the bar, you must move them back into play before you can
move any other pieces.
If all 6 points on your opponent's home table are closed, you're
stuck on the bar. You'll have to wait until your opponent creates an open
point.
Scoring
Each game has a value of 1 point. You can increase the value of a
game by doubling. When you click the Double button, your
opponent must either accept the double or resign.
If your opponent accepts, your opponent is then free to double
again. If you accept, the right to use the Double button returns to you. This
can continue until players reach the maximum 64 points. The changing game value
is tracked by the doubling cube on the right of the
board.
If you've borne off all your stones before your opponent has borne
off any stones, the game is called gammon. You
receive double the game score.
If you've borne off all your stones before your opponent has borne
off any, and your opponent has a stone on the bar or in your home table, the
game is called backgammon. You receive triple the
game score.
Resigning can impact your score in various ways, depending on how
you do it. If your opponent offers to double the score and you choose to resign,
your opponent wins whatever points were at stake prior to the offer.
If you resign in the middle of play by clicking the Resign button, you must concede a certain number of points to
your opponent.
Tips and hints
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Give 'em a nudge. Is your opponent intentionally stalling, or slowing down the game hoping to make you quit? Watch for the Nudge button to appear. By clicking it, you'll force the other player to make a move, or be disconnected from the game.
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Closing time. Close your 5-point and 7-point as quickly as possible. If necessary, use the stones on your opponent's 12-point to help. Next close your 4-point, then any additional points on your home table.
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Protecting blots. When moving a stone out of your opponent's home table early in the game, get it as near as possible to your opponent's 12-point. Moves to the 9-point or the 7-point should be avoided, as they make the blot too easy to hit.
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Splitting runners. You can split the two stones (called runners) on your opponent's 1-point early in the game. But it's generally advised to leave them alone early in the game unless they can hit a blot or be moved together. This could happen by rolling 6 and 6, or 4 and 4, for example.
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Creating primes. Hit a blot on your 5-point, even if you have to leave a blot, with the expectation of covering it on your next move. This can lead to a series of six adjacent closed points (called a prime)—a barrier that puts you in a strong position to win.
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Watch pip counts. The pip counter tracks how many points you must move to bear off your stones. If your count is much higher than your opponent's, you might want to play more aggressively than if your pip count was lower.
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Figure your end game. If your opponent offers to resign, you can refuse and try to get a gammon, which will double the points shown on the doubling cube.
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