As online backgammon popularity is increasing by the day it is a good moment to revisit hypergammon, one of the most popular variants of backgammon. In this article we will go through hypergammon rules and strategy of this very fast and exciting game.

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Hypergammon is one of the most recent variants of Backgammon. It is played with only three checkers on each side, starting with one checker on each of the opponent’s 1-point, 2-point and 3-point. Three checkers on each side inevitably means an extremely fast-paced game. It’s an excellent game to play when you take a break from regular backgammon or when you want to warm-up before real action.

Hypergammon starting position.

Doubling cube and the Jacoby rule are used in Hypergammon. The rest of rules are identical to those in regular backgammon.

Since both players have only three checkers it is needless to say that luck plays a greater role in Hypergammon than in regular backgammon - a real treat for a gambler.

Now that you are familiar with hypergammon you can continue reading about Hypergammon strategy

Even though hypergammon is easy and quick game to play, it is not widely available online. You can play hypergammon at Backgammon Masters.

Nacgkammon is one of most popular backgammon variants of all the dozens of variants played all over the world. It was invented by Nack Ballard, one of the great modern backgammon players.

In Nackgammon both players place two additional back checkers on their 2-points; one checker is taken from the mid-point and one from the 6-point. This creates a very interesting setting for the game because both players have four back checkers instead of the usual two. As a result priming games and back games are the core of Nackgammon and the games also tend to be clearly longer than regular Backgammon games.

Nackgammon starting position.

The doubling cube and the Jacoby rule are used in Nackgammon. The rest of the rules are identical to those in Backgammon.

Nackgammon is regarded as a highly strategic backgammon variant - a real thinker’s game. It’ll require a good knowledge of doubling cube strategy, priming and back games as well as holding games. We certainly recommend that you give it a go, it’ll only make you a better backgammon player. Many players like to play one Nackgammon game for every ten backgammon games. If you too follow this regimen you just may find out that you are making more wiser decisions in critical situations than before.

The Jacoby Rule is named after the late great gamesman Oswald Jacoby. The Jacoby rule states that gammon and backgammon will come into effect if and only if the player has announced a double and it has been accepted by the opponent.

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Almost all offline backgammon tournaments have something called the Crawford rule. The Crawford rule is optional at most online backgammon sites, but it usually is in effect. So just what is the Crawford rule and why is it so often used?

The Crawford rule is quickly explained. It states, that if in a match either player comes within one point of winning the match, the next game is played without a doubling cube. Therefore, if a player wins a game to get a 8-6 lead in a nine point match, then the next game is played without the doubling cube. If the match becomes indecisive then the doubling cube is back in the following game again.

Why use the rule?

The Crawford may seem quite quite odd at first glance, but it makes ample sense if inspected more carefully. The reasoning behind the rule is, that without the rule backgammon matches would see quite a bit of bizarre doubling cube action.

Consider the following scenarios:
Score is 8-6 in a nine point match and the next game begins. Without the Crawford rule the trailing player might just as well double on his first turn, as he has nothing to lose.

Score is 5-6 in a nine point match. The player with 5 points doubles. Without the Crawford rule the player in the lead could accept the double without hesitation, no matter how poor his position was (barring a gammon threat). Why? Because after his loss the score would be 7-6 and in the beginning of the next game he could just double blindly. This way the player who improved his position from 5-6 to 7-6 didn’t actually gain anything at all!

So the rule makes sense, but why not simplify it? Wouldn’t it work, if doubling was altogether banned after one player is just one point away of winning a match? Well, no it wouldn’t. Consider a score like 8-4 in a nine point match. If doubling was banned altogether for the rest of the match, it would make it nearly impossible for the trailing player to win the match, as he would need to win five times in a row. With the Crawford rule it is still difficult to make a comeback, but at least it is possible.

Final thoughts

It is highly recommended that you choose to use the Crawford rule if you play backgammon at a site where the rule is optional (like Gammon Empire or Play65). It is not by any means a perfect rule, but it is a good compromise: The Crawford rule makes it valuable to get into close proximity of winning a match, but at the same time the it leaves the trailing player a fighting chance.

Backgammon is a two player game with a combination of strategy, risk taking and luck. Both players try to move their checkers to their home boards and then remove them from the board. Player who first manages to remove all his checkers from the board wins.

Surely luck playes a part in the game, but with good strategy a good player will win most of his games. However, the element of luck also means that a novice player can beat the best of players every now and then - and that’s one of the beauties of backgammon.

The basics

Each player has 15 checkers and moves them around the board according to the roll of two dice. The goal is to remove all 15 checkers from the board. The one who removes the checkers wins.

The backgammon board is marked with 24 spiked playing segments known as points. The board is divided into four quadrants by vertical and horizontal dividers, the vertical divider is called the bar. Each quadrant contains six points and both players have a quadrant where he needs to move all checkers before he can start removing them from the board. This quadrant is called the home board. The quadrant next to the other player’s home board is the other player’s outer board.

In the beginning both players roll one dice, the one rolling a higher numbers starts the game. The two rolled numbers are also the opening moves for the player going first. If both players roll the same number, the dice are rolled again.

Moving the checkers and hitting

After the first roll the players take turns in rolling two dice at a time. The rolled numbers dictate how many points the checkers are allowed to be moved. The checkers are moved from one point to another and only towards the player’s own home board. The player can move one checker totalling the sum of the rolled numbers or move two checkers, one for each rolled number. A checker may not move onto a point occupied by two or more of the opponent’s checkers. If the same checker is used for both parts of the move, then the first part of the move must also be to a point not occupied by two or more of the opponent’s checkers. There is no limit how many own checkers a player can move to one point.

A checker can be also moved to a point with one opponent’s checker, in which case the opponent’s checker is removed from the point and put to the bar. This is called hitting. When a player has a checker on the bar, he must use one of his rolls to enter the board on the opponent’s home board. Entering is allowed only to a free point or to a point that is vacated by one or more of his own checkers or to a point where he can hit the opponent’s checker.

Doubles

When the numbers rolled on the two dice are the same, the player is said to have rolled a double. In that case the player makes four separate moves of the same number shown, one or more of which can be with the same checker.

Bearing off

When a player has moved all his 15 checkers in his home board he can begin removing them from the board. He may remove a checker from the point corresponding to a number shown on a die. When a number is rolled that is higher than the highest occupied point, you may use it to bear a checker off the highest occupied point. If, however, the rolled number corresponds to an unoccupied point but at the same time the player has a checker on a higher-numbered point, a move must be made within the player’s home board without bearing off. For example if the player rolled a 4 but the point is unoccupied and he has checkers on the 5 and 6-points, he must must choose to move a checker forward from either of the two points.

Please note that you are not obliged to remove checkers with the numbers rolled and sometimes it plays an important role not to remove your checkers but only move them forward.

The doubling cube and scoring

Obviously the first player to remove all his checkers is the winner. If the opponent has managed to remove at least one checker, the winner scores 1 point. If the loser didn’t remove any checkers the winner scores a gammon, worth 2 points. Finally, if the loser still has a checker in the winner’s home board or on the bar and hasn’t removed any checkers, the winner scores a backgammon. A backgammon is worth 3 points.

During the game a player might offer his opponent to double the points, or money, at stake. This is done with the doubling cube. The doubling cube is a die with number 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 on it. If the doubling is accepted by the opponent by the first time, the points at stake are doubled. The victory is now worth 2 points, a gammon 4 and a backgammon 6 points. The same way if the doubling cube is used again later in the game the next higher number on the die is used as the multiplier, in this case 4. This means that the victory is now worth 4 points, a gammon 8 and a backgammon 12 points! If the player two whom the doubling was offered to declines it, he loses. Points are then counted by the value on the doubling cube before the doubling was declined.

The concept and the use of the doubling cube is explained in more detail in article The Doubling Cube.

Backgammon is a very old game played with many different rule sets. These are the rules used online and offline in competitive backgammon.

Object of The Game

Backgammon is a two player game. The player who first moves all his checkers to his home board and then removes them from the board wins. Backgammon can be played in matches, where a certain score has to be reached to win it, or as single games.

Set up

Checkers (15 per player) are placed on the 24 triangles (”points”) as in the picture below.

In addition to checkers and the board, dice and a doubling cube (optional) are used. Both players have their own dice.

Moving the checkers

Beginning player is chosen by each player throwing one die. In case of a tie the dice are thrown again, until no tie happens. Player who threw the higher number starts by using the die rolls used to determine the beginning player.

After the first turn, players throw two dice and alternate taking turns.

The dice control how many points a player must move his checkers. Checkers are always moved forward, towards the players own home board. Die rolls move checkers exactly the number of points equal to the number shown on the die (ie. six can not be used to move checker just four points).

Die rolls can be used to either:
Move two different checkers. One for each die.
or
Move one checker two times. In this case the die rolls are not added. For example rolling three and four moves the checker three and four points or four and three points, but not single leap of seven points.

Double rolls are used twice. For example rolling 4 and 4 allows the player to move his checkers 4, 4, 4, and 4 points.

Checker can be moved to an open point or to a point where player has his own checkers. There is no limit to how many checkers single point can hold.

Checker can be also moved to a point where opponent has exactly one checker (lone checker is called a “blot”). This move is called hitting. Opponent’s checker is removed from the point and placed to the middle of the board (see “hitting and entering”).

Checker can not be moved to a point where opponent has two or more checkers.

No voluntary passing is allowed.
All die rolls must be used if possible.
If only one die roll can be used, it must be used.
If either higher or lower of the dice can be used, then the bigger number must be used.
If no moves can be made, then the player must pass.

Hitting and Entering

Hitting a blot: If player places his checker to a point occupied by exactly one of opponents checker, the opponents checker is placed to the middle of the board (the “bar”).

If player has one or more checkers at the bar, he must enter all of them back to the game, before he can do anything else. Checkers are entered to the opposite color’s home board (ie white enters on black’s home board and vice versa). Checker is entered by placing it to a point corresponding to one of the numbers rolled.

If player has just one checker on the board and can enter it, then he can (and must) use the other die roll normally to move his checkers.

If player has two or more checkers, he enters as many as he can of them back to the board on his turn. After he has entered all of them back to the board, he can start playing normally. Example: player has two checkers on the bar. On his turn he can enter only one of them, so on this turn he cannot do anything else but enter the one checker.

Bearing off

Bearing off is removing checkers from the board. Player may begin to bear off his checkers from the board as soon as he has moved all his 15 checkers to his home board.

Players bear off their checkers by removing them from the rows corresponding to the die rolls. For example by throwing three and four, player may remove checkers from third and fourth point (counting from the edge of the board).

If there is no checker at the point indicated by the roll, player must use the throw to move his checkers forward. If there are no checkers at the point indicated by the roll or farther away, player may bear off one of his checkers farthest from the board’s edge.

Player who first bears of all his fifteen checkers wins the game.

There are three ways to win:
Normal
If player loses and has managed to bear off at least one checker, he loses the value the game was worth at its end - either one or the number shown on the doubling cube (see doubling cube rules).

Gammon
If player loses and did not manage to bear off any checkers, he loses twice the value of the game.

Backgammon
If player loses and has a checker on the bar or at winner’s home board, he loses three times the value of the game.

Backgammon, like most games that are played for money, has its own notation. Backgammon notation describes complex situations in a concise way, which is much quicker to read than just describing what happened with normal language.

Learning Backgammon notation is beneficial, because many backgammon books, articles and other important information sources use it. To put it simply: by learning backgammon notation you can concentrate on what is said, not how it is said. And it really is very simple and easy to learn.

Notation Basics

Backgammon boards - both real ones and online virtual ones - have numbers from 1 to 24 on them, one number on each point. Black player moves from higher numbered points to lower numbered ones and white from lower numbered to higher numbered ones.

When a checker is moved, both its starting and finishing points are marked down divided by a slash. For example black checker moving from point 24 to point 20 would me marked “24/20″. Two checkers moving on one turn might be something like “24/20 13/8″. One checker using both dice to move is also notated by only writing up its starting and finishing points, for example: “24/14″

Bearing off checkers is marked with “off”. A checker escaping from the five point would therefore go down to history like this: “5/off”.

Returning to game from the bar is notated by only writing down the point which the checker entered the board on.
Checkers coming off the bar entering the board on two point and four point would be notated as: “2 4″

Notation needs more than just movement in backgammon - it needs to show the die rolls too. Die rolls are notated by writing down the result of the both dice with no space in between. So if one die shows six and the other one two, backgammon notation would show it like this: “62″.

If we add player color to show whose turn it was, we have a complete notation system. White player throwing three and a one and moving from six point to five point and from eight point to five point would be:
White 31: 6/5 8/5

Advanced notation

One could notate a whole game using the method described above, but couple of small additions make the notation system even clearer.

Hitting could be tracked with the system above, but it is such a crucial part of the game,that it is marked with a “*”.
Checker moving from six point to five point and hitting opponents blot there would be notated like this: “6/5*”.

Moving with doubles would take a lot of space if each move was notated separately, so a shorter version is used: the number of moving checkers is written down in parenthesis.
Three checkers moving from 13 point to 8 point and one from 11 point to six point: “13/8(3) 11/6″.

Examples

With this notation system it is easy to describe complex movements that would require a long explanation in regular writing. A whole game can easily be notated move by move for later analysis.

Couple of examples
Black 55: 13/8*(2) 9/4 18/13
Black rolls double-5 and moves four checkers. He moves two from 13 point to hit white’s blot at eight point, one from nine point to four point and one from 18 point to 13 point.

White 66: 6*/24
White throws a lucky double, enters from the bar, hits a blot and races around the board.

Black 51: 6/1*/off
Black throws five and a one. He moves his checker from six point to the five point, where he hits a blot and then bears the same checker off. Notice that normally the landing on one point wouldn’t be notated, but because the checker hit a blot there, it is written down.

Conclusion

All hobbies or fields of expertise use their own jargon and notation systems and backgammon is no different. Once you get hold of it the backgammon notation will enable you to enjoy the world of backgammon even more. It’ll be also much easier to chat online with your friends about the developments of backgammon battles you have fought not having to waste your time describing the eventes word by word.