Setting a Backgammon Board Right

To play backgammon with a traditional board we have to set it up the right way. Unlike in online backgammon where the board is automatically setup for us by the computer, backgammon on traditional board is set up manually.

First, after opening the board we take out the backgammon pieces and dice. We put the board on the table between us and the opponent. There are black and white checker pieces, 15 pieces each color. Aside from the checker pieces, there also should be 4 dice pieces, a cup for the dice, and a doubling cube.

The top of a backgammon board has rows of steep-pointed triangles. These are called "points." There are 4 groups of these triangles, two on each side. Our side of the board has two groups or "quadrants" and the opponent side also has 2 quadrants—4 quadrants in all. The players should decide who plays white and who plays black checkers.

Our "home board" is found on the opponent's side of the board, and vice versa. We should number the points 1 to 24 beginning from the enemy home board going to our home board. The opponent does the same, beginning with our home board going to the enemy home board. Our number 1-point is the first point at the lower right-hand our side of the board.

Numbering points when playing backgammon on traditional board proceeds in a clockwise direction. Our 24-point is the last point at the upper-right hand of the enemy's board—the outer board. After we have numbered the points we now place the backgammon checkers. We put 2 checker pieces on the 24-point, 5 checker pieces on the 13-point, 3 checker pieces on the 8-point, and then 5 backgammon checkers on the 6- point. The opponent does the same according to how the opponent's side of the board is oriented.

Thus, the proper orientation of the board is like this: If we are player A and the opponent is player B, the 1-point of player B is the 24-point of player A. The 1-point of player A is the 24-point of player B. Each player starts from the enemy home board going to the player's home board. In our case, we start from 24 point and then move counter-clockwise to our home board.

Thus, to play backgammon right, the first thing we need to do is set the board right to also set the checker pieces right. Then everything can proceed correctly as we play backgammon on traditional board.

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