Backgammon by Core Tips

For those of us who see backgammon as an entertaining adventure of the mind, any old backgammon set will do. The enjoyment of backgammon comes from the pursuit of the game, not from the quality of the board and checkers. While it is true that many expensive backgammon sets are gorgeous sights to behold, a casual backgammon fan will enjoy a game no matter what the conditions.

Fortunately, for both backgammon fans and novices, the opportunity to play backgammon online free is a fully realized idea. Now, more than ever, there are countless websites that offer the ability to play backgammon online free against opponents all around the world. Sites like gammoned.com or mistergammon.com, just to name a few, specialize in hosting games of backgammon online free to anybody who is in the mood to play. 

Websites like these are a great boon to fans of backgammon because they are given the opportunity to play a game at any hour of the day or night. When playing conventional backgammon, a person would be forced to find somebody who is able and willing to play against them, which can be a difficult task in many instances.

Some sites will charge users for membership, and most of these sites use this money to arrange tournaments and offer prizes. Still, other sites allow users to gamble on their backgammon games, so paying money is a necessary evil in such a case. Again, these pursuits are probably for the more diehard backgammon nuts. 

For most backgammon fans, the opportunity to play backgammon online free, at any time of day, against virtually anybody, is an exciting and wondrous prospect. This isn't to say that traditional backgammon is not a viable way to play anymore, though. Backgammon, in any incarnation, is a blissful experience that can't be overstated. 

Your backgammon board will consist of twenty-four triangles called "points". These points will be divided between four quadrants. Two belong to you while the other two belong to your opponent. Backgammon instructions typically tell you to face your opponent so that the board is perpendicular to the two of you. Once the dice are rolled, the highest roller will go first.

The two different-colored chips move in opposite directions. Typical backgammon instructions require that, once the two dice are rolled, the player must move one checker the amount of numbers on one die and move a second checker the amount of spaces indicated on the second die. 

A player may move one checker the amount of spaces indicated from both dice but only if the two individual spaces are not taken up by two or more checkers by the opposing player. This is made more difficult because of the fact that each player begins the game with two checkers on his or her twenty-four point, five on each thirteen point, three on the eight point for each player, and five on the six point for each player.

The amount of checkers on a given point are crucial to the instructions of backgammon. A player may only occupy a point of an opponent has one or less checker on that point. The object of the game is to get to your home side, which are the two quadrants on your side of the board. Once this is done, you can "bear off". 

According to the national backgammon instructions, you may bear off by rolling the dice and removing the checker that corresponds to the number on one or more of the dice. If neither numbers correspond, the player must move his highest numbered checker forward. The game is considered finished once a player has beared off all of his or her pieces.

Part of the reason that backgammon still enjoys a widespread popularity is because of growing craze of playing backgammon games online. This has certainly cemented backgammons place in pop culture gaming history for an entirely new generation, as backgammon games being played online is still a growing trend. The reason that backgammon continues to be a beloved institution is self-explanatory for anybody who has spent even a single day playing backgammon. 

Like chess and checkers, two of backgammons contemporaries, backgammon games are a great way to ease the mind and relieve stress. Few things ease a weary mind better than a few well-played backgammon games. Studies have also shown that playing regular backgammon games has a positive effect on not just mental sharpness but physiological health as well.

A backgammon set can be purchased at any store that considers itself a large retail chain. Backgammon sets can also be found at most hobby stores as well. Of course, if one were so inclined, a makeshift backgammon set can be made for no price at all. All one needs is a sheet of paper and a writing implement. A rudimentary backgammon board can be drawn up, with the necessary four quadrants and twenty four points. Checkers can be substituted with nearly anything, from coins to buttons. Of course, this isn't especially necessary, considering the fact that backgammon can be played for free anytime simply by logging onto the internet and visiting the many sites that offer free online backgammon, such as gammoned.com.

For a backgammon purist, both a makeshift backgammon board and an online incarnation of backgammon may be seen as a bastardization of a game that deserves nothing but the utmost respect and class. For these people, there are plenty of high end backgammon sets that are decorated beautifully, with fine metals and quality woodwork. 

One needs only to peruse the search engines after searching for online backgammon or backgammon downloads to see just how much the popularity of backgammon has risen, when only a few decades ago it was considered a bygone relic of a dead age. Today, there are millions of people playing backgammon online in one incarnation or another. Backgammon downloads are at an all-time high, with many experts predicting the peak to still be a few years off.

Some may be curious to find that backgammon has attained such a newfound status amidst the slew of more complex, graphic-intensive computer and console games that make up a large part of the internet gaming community. Clearly, though, anybody who has played the traditional game of backgammon can easily understand why online backgammon and backgammon downloads only increase the replay value of backgammon.

Backgammon is not a taxing program to even the most inferior of computers. The relative simplicity of the game makes the use of backgammon downloads, whether for online play or for single player use against a computer-controlled opponent, an easy venture to undertake. A backgammon download takes up minimal hard drive space while allowing for nearly limitless entertainment. 

In addition, playing backgammon online opens a world of competition to the average player. For as yet unknown reasons, it seems the majority of backgammon players are to be found online, playing in competitions for either money, fun, or a mix of the two. Someone who fancies themself a backgammon whiz may soon learn that they were but a big fish in a small pond after seeing some of the backgammon kingpins of the online world.