What the heck is Backgammon?

Backgammon is an obstacle race between two armies of 15 men each, it is one of the oldest games in existence, dating back some 5000 years and believed to have been developed by the ancient Egyptians. It is not a game of luck as many believe, but a strategic game of war; in many ways as difficult to master as chess. A random element (luck) is certainly involved, but a good player will use the laws of probability, intuition, imagination and psychology to outwit his opponent.

Backgammon is an obstacle race between two armies of 15 men each, moving around a track divided into 24 dagger-like divisions known as ``points''. The Backgammon layout is divided down the center by a partition, known as the ``bar'', into an outer and inner (or home) board or table. The side nearest you is your outer and home tables; the side farther away is your opponents outer and home boards. The arrows indicate the direction of play. The object of Backgammon is for each player to bring all his men into his home board, and then to bear them off the board. The first player to get all his men off the board is the winner.

``It's a game of skill and luck. When I win I can claim it's due to my good skill. When I lose I can claim it's due to my bad luck.'' by David Forthoffer