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Rules |
Know the Rules
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| From Backgammon Times, Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 1984. |
Part of the fascination of backgammon lies in the fact that although the actual rules of the game are relatively simple and easily learned, the subtleties may take years to master. There are, however, several situations in backgammon where the rules of the game may appear to be ambiguous. The reader may wish to test his own knowledge by answering the following questions. The established interpretation of the rules follows.
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White has just rolled. Black is on the bar.
May Black double before White rolls again? |
Answer:
Yes, Black may double. Even though Black has no reason to physically roll his dice, it is still considered to be his turn and he may exercise his option to double.
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Black rolls a 5-3.
May Black move from the 21 point to the 18 point? |
Answer:
No. If only part of a roll may be legally played, the larger number must be played, if possible.
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Black rolls a 5-3.
May Black move from the 21 point to the 16 point? |
Answer:
No. The entire roll must be played if possible. The roll is considered as an entity, and thus it is not legal to play the 5 first and claim that one has no 3's to play.
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Black rolls a 5-3 in the bear-off.
May Black move from the five point to the two point and then take a man off his four point? |
Answer:
Yes. It has been argued that by taking the roll in this manner, Black is not taking his full roll. However, the established rule is that in a bear-off situation Black can take a man to the two point and then bear a man off the four point. In other words, the full five is considered to have been taken even if the checker only moves four pips.
| More articles by Paul Magriel |
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| More articles on the rules of backgammon |
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