Forum Archive : Rules

Moving checkers with two hands From:   Michael Strato Address:   diceman@videotron.ca Date:   7 June 2000 Subject:   Two-Handed Backgammon Forum:   rec.games.backgammon Google:   xTD%4.7118$B63.177034@weber.videotron.net I first started playing Backgammon in the seventies with a group of friends my own age. We got the basics from a Hoyle's Book of Rules and played for the fun of the game. During the eighties, I played often with an Arab friend who was much older than me. This man was also my employer at the time and we worked together on his plantation in the Costa Rican rainforest. It was customary to take a siesta after lunch but sometimes we would get out the old Backgammon board and play a few matches. He had been a tournament player in Florida during the seventies and it was very difficult to win against him unless I got lucky. He never really offered to teach me the game, I had to learn by studying his moves.We usually played for very small stakes, in Costa Rican currency (colones) probably equivalent to10 cents a point and we did use the doubling cube. Well, to make a long story short, I got really excited one day when I got doubles to hit him and close my homeboard and I used both my hands to make different moves at the same time. He got a little upset and said, "If you do that in my country, you're liable to lose a few fingers in the process." I know that tournament rules state that "Players should move clearly, using only one hand to play the checkers." and I can understand that two hands and/or arms over a board will hamper an opponent's view of what is going on. However, in a few places I have checked for the general rules of Backgammon (in books and on the Internet) there is no mention restricting the use of both hands by a player. Do you think this rule should be standard so that people start out right? Michael Crane  writes: Michael, The Biba Rules For Tournament Play clearly state; 4.3 Moving: "Players should move clearly, using only one hand to move the checkers." This is a tournament rule, but, as far as I know not a rule of backgammon. Perhaps it should become one. I must admit that I don't know of any definitive rules for backgammon. Do any exist? If not then we, as a backgammon community might consider writing some and set about getting them accepted as 'official' . Any comments? Michael Crane Biba Director   Did you find the information in this article useful?           Do you have any comments you'd like to add?

 

Rules

Bearing off question  (Colin Wiel+, July 2000) 

Can a beaver be dropped?  (Robert-Jan Veldhuizen+, Mar 2006) 

Can a beaver be dropped?  (Stein Kulseth, May 2000) 

Changing dice  (Julian Hayward, Feb 1998) 

Checker shuffling  (James Johnson+, June 2000) 

Gentleman's previlege  (Daniel+, Sept 2005) 

Hit and run  (Rich+, Jan 2000) 

"Illegal moves" rule  (Chuck Bower+, May 2004) 

Illegal plays  (Bob+, Aug 2002) 

Illegal plays  (Marc Gray, Nov 1995) 

Illegal plays that can't be condoned  (Matt Cohn-Geier+, Feb 2011) 

Is stalemate possible?  (Jan Andrew Bloxham+, July 1995) 

Jacoby rule  (Daniel Murphy, Dec 1997) 

Jacoby rule ambiguity?  (Chuck Bower+, Mar 2011) 

Jacoby rule--Good or bad?  (neilkaz+, May 2006) 

Legal roll  (Sture Lifh+, July 2004) 

Legal roll  (Gregg Cattanach, Oct 2001) 

Moving checkers unambiguously  (Timothy Chow+, Oct 2009) 

Moving checkers with two hands  (Michael Strato+, June 2000) 

Must a hit checker be placed on the bar?  (Dani+, May 2006) 

Pick and pass and bearing off  (SimonW+, Jan 2005) 

Play cubeless at 2away/2away?  (Raccoon+, Oct 2005) 

Repairing an illegal play  (Michael J. Zehr, Apr 1995) 

Resigning  (Bob Lang+, Aug 2002) 

Rolling on wrong side of board  (Ian Shaw+, Aug 2004) 

Rolling on wrong side of board  (Kit Woolsey, Jan 1999) 

Rolling on wrong side of board  (Kit Woolsey, Sept 1998) 

Rolling on wrong side of board  (Bob Hoey, Apr 1998) 

Rolling too soon  (TonyM+, Feb 2007) 

Rolling too soon  (Stephen Turner, Feb 1998) 

Rolling too soon  (James Grenier+, Sept 1996) 

Talking during play  (EdmondT+, Dec 2000) 

Touch-move rule in backgammon?  (Ken Bame+, Nov 2006) 

Touch-move rule in backgammon?  (Austefjord+, May 2002) 

U.S. backgammon tournament rules  (Butch Meese, Nov 1997) 

When do you give up your chance to double?  (Paul Epstein+, July 2005) 

When is a move over?  (JP White, May 2000) 

Overview  (Daniel Murphy, Apr 2001) 

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