What is the game with the pointy board?

You’ve probably seen it before.

A board covered in long, pointy triangles. Two sets of little checkers, a pair of dice. And often in cream and brown, or black and white.

Maybe it was sitting on a café table, or your grandparents had one. Maybe you’ve walked past people playing it and wondered what it was.

The game is backgammon. And once you know the basics, it’s much easier to understand than it looks.

So, what is backgammon?

Backgammon is a two-player board game that combines luck, strategy and a little bit of nerve.

Each player has 15 checkers. You roll two dice and move your checkers around the board, trying to get all of them into your home board and then off the board.

The first player to get all 15 checkers off wins. Simple enough. The interesting part is deciding what to do with the numbers you roll.

Why does the board look like that?

The pointy triangles are called points.

There are 24 of them, arranged in four groups of six. Traditionally, backgammon boards use alternating light and dark points, often in earthy colours such as cream and brown.

The points aren’t just decoration. They’re the playing surface.

Each player moves their checkers around the board in opposite directions, from point to point, according to your dice rolls. You’re trying to build strong positions and make life difficult for your opponent.

It looks complicated, but it really isn’t.

What happens when you roll the dice?

Each die gives you a number of points to move.

Roll a 3 and a 5, for example, and you can make a move of three points and another of five. Depending on the position, you can sometimes use both numbers with the same checker.

Roll doubles, say, 4 and 4, and you get to play four fours.

The dice decide what options you have. You decide what to do with them.

Can you hit your opponent?

Yes, and this is where things get fun.

If your checker lands on a point occupied by a single opposing checker, you hit it.

That checker goes onto the bar in the middle of the board and has to re-enter before your opponent can move their other checkers.

A single exposed checker is called a blot.

So while you’re trying to move your own checkers home, you’re also watching for opportunities to hit your opponent, and trying not to leave your own checkers exposed.

Is backgammon difficult to learn?

Not really, you can learn the basic rules fairly quickly. The challenge is getting better at making decisions.

• Do you play it safe?
• Take a risk?
• Block your opponent?
• Run for home?

There’s no single strategy that works in every position. The dice keep changing the situation, so you have to adapt.

That combination of simple rules and strategy is one reason people keep playing backgammon for years.

Where can you play backgammon?

You don’t need a fancy board or a dedicated game night. All you need is a friend to play with and either a table to play on, or a phone, tablet or computer to play online.

Backgammon is turn-based. If you play online with friends, you don’t necessarily have to play at the same time. You can make a move when you have a minute and come back to the game later.

So, next time you see that pointy board: it’s backgammon.

And you know how it works, too. The basics, at least.