Backgammon is among the oldest table games in the world, and backgammon boards in all shapes and sizes have been around for just as long. Tou can add your own unique board designs to this long line of predecessors. This article covers the standard sizing and overall design of the boards, but you may want to add your own embellishments, colors and designs to make your board stand out.
Measure off the playing field on the wooden board. If you purchased tournament-standard size checkers, they should be 1.75 inches in diameter. You will want twelve of these to be able to sit comfortably across the center of your playing field. This will give you the measurement for the width of the board. It should come to around 21 to 22 inches. To find the length of your board, lay 13 checker pieces side-by-side. This will give you enough room for 12 pips (the colored triangular markings on the board), six on each home side, and room in the center for your captured checkers to sit. Your board length should come to around 23 to 24 inches. Once you have determined the size of your playing field, center it on your wooden board, and mark off borders. You'll want to have at least 1 to 2 inch borders---more if you plan to build raised borders around your playing field (see photograph for an example of raised wooden edges).
As you teach a lesson, you create a chart, together with your students, that captures the most important content and relevant strategies. Anchor charts build a culture of literacy in the classroom by making thinking—both the teacher’s and students’—visible. Once a backgammon opponent makes an advanced anchor it is even more important to make one yourself. Your opponent can now afford to make bolder plays which could really put you on the defensive. If you are already substantially behind in the race it may not hurt your chances to fall further behind.
Begin marking the pips. Each quadrant of the backgammon board has six pips. Leave space between the left-hand and right-hand quadrants for captured checkers to sit. At the base, pips should be about the same width as the checkers, 1.75 inches. You can have them narrow as sharply or as gradually as you'd like. Keep in mind that on traditional boards, five checkers can sit on one pip, and you will still see the tip of the pip protruding beyond the fifth checker. Use a ruler to keep the pips even and straight.
Decide which two colors you will use. Traditionally, the rightmost pip on the home side of the board (the one facing you) is the lighter color. For example, if you choose red and black for your colors, paint the pip on your right-hand side red, then every other pip moving counter-clockwise from there should be red. If you have done this correctly, when you reach the last pip on the right-hand side of the board opposite you will be black.
Allow the paint to completely dry. Finish the wood to prevent damage in the future. Depending on the look, you can use stain, oil or varnish to finish your board. Varnish should provide you with the most durable coating. Consult the manufacturer warnings and suggestions. Some varnishes require that you dilute the first coat with mineral spirits to seal the wood. To apply, dip the foam brush into the varnish and brush along the wood, moving with the grain. Let this coat dry for 6 hours before you apply a second coat. You can put on anywhere from 2-5 coats, but 2-3 should be enough for the normal wear-and-tear your board will receive.
If you wish, you can add wood trim to the board, or hinge it in the center so that it can be folded in half for easier storage.
Tip
If you are adding trim or hinging the board, do this before you apply the varnish.
Auckland Backgammon
2019 New Zealand Backgammon Championship ANDTHE WINNERS ARE: JamesNoble (NZ) 1stPlace CedricMarchant (NZ) 2nd Place GrantHoffman (NZ) 3rdPlace TonyMarquette (NZ) Plate Champion Wantto thank James for keeping the NZ BG Championship Trophy in New Zealand &in Auckland. Jameshad a clean sheet. Did not lose any Matches as he powered his way to 1stplace.
AND THE WINNERS ARE: Grant Hoffman(Nelson) 1st Place Paul Kellett(Auckland) 2nd Place Richard Theunissen (Auckland) 3rd Place Jo Hodder(Auckland) Consolation Prize Agrueling Semi-Final & Final Match. The Auckland Players almost took downGrant….but in the end he was able to bring home the victory and take theAuckland Title & Trophy back to Nelson. Congratulations to the WINNERS and congratulations to all ofthe participants in the 2018 Auckland BG Championship. For those unlucky BG Rollers who missed abrilliant Tournament we will be announcing dates for the 2019 New ZealandBG Championship in a few months. 2018 New Zealand Backgammon Championship AND THE WINNERS ARE: Karsten Nielsen (Den)1st Place Sky Kodner (NZ)2nd Place Grant Hoffman (NZ)3rd Place Jan Suchanek (NZ)Consolation Prize An amazing Final Match. DMP. Sky had one checker left on her two point. Karsten had two buried deep on Sky's one point. Disaster strikes; Karsten rolls a one, hits, puts Sky on the bar. The next twenty minutes of play was marvelous. It is very rare anyone gets to witness a comeback win when your opponent has 14 checkers born off. Especially at DMP. Karsten was clinical with his moves and was able to pull out the win. It was a shame anyone had to lose that wonderful game. The audience went delirious & gave both contestants a 5 minute standing ovation. Congratulations to the WINNERS and congratulations to all of the participants in the 2018 New Zealand BG Championship. For those unlucky BG Rollers who missed a brilliant Tournament we will be announcing dates for the 2018 Auckland BG Tournament in a few months. Congratulations to Paul and to all of the participants in the 2017 Auckland Backgammon Club Championship. AND THE WINNERS ARE: JulieHillis(NZ) 1st Place MickDyett(Aust) 2nd Place AlanAbel(NZ) 3rd Place IvoZarnic(NZ) Consolation Prize Congratulationsto the WINNERS and congratulations to all of the participants in the 2017 New Zealand BG Championship. Abig thank you to Julie for keeping the NZ Trophy in NZ. Forthose unlucky BG Rollers who missed a brilliant Tournament we will be announcingdates for the 2018Auckland BG Tournament in a few months. ANDTHE WINNERS ARE: DougThompson 1st Place GrantHoffman 2nd Place RobDavies 3rd Place CarlDell Consolation Prize Congratulationsto the WINNERS and congratulations to all of the participants in the 2017Auckland BG Tournament. Abig thank you to Doug for keeping the Auckland Trophy in Auckland. How to Play Opening Roll 2-1 Opening roll 2 - 1 is one of the most interesting rolls. There are two ways to play it:
Both plays use the 2 to bring a checker down from the mid-point to the eleven point where it works as a builder to try and make a useful blocking point next turn. The blot on the eleven point is pretty safe as it can only get hit with a 6-4. Chances are one out of eighteen. The splitting play increases your chances of securing an advanced anchor and improves your coverage of the opponents outer board. If you are going to split your runners the best time to do so is in the beginning of the game. Your opponent gains little by hitting you on a point deep in his inner board. The slotting play on the five point increases your chances of making this important point on your next roll. The danger is if you are hit. However, your opponent only has 15 out of 36 rolls that will indeed hit the exposed blot. The game is early and now is the time to take a risk and fight for a superior position. If you are not hit you will have a total of 28 rolls out of 36 to cover the blot and secure the very important five point. If you are hit there is still plenty of time to regroup and find another way to win. There is another reason to slot the five. There are a stack of checkers on the six-point and they want to do something. 1 is the perfect number for taking a checker off your overcrowded 6 point and setting it to work. A popular backgammon saying: 'Put your checkers where they belong'. The extra checkers on your 6 point belong on your 5 point. Slotting is ranked as the best move in all of the computer roll-outs. The slotting play is favored by most experts. Opening roll 3 - 2 is a roll with many possibilities. There are three ways to play it:
Slotting the five-point 8/5 is not a good idea because you are using the wrong checker. It's your overloaded six-point that you want to use for slotting. 24/21, 13/11 is the more popular of the two split and build plays. Use the 2 to bring down a builder from the mid-point where it can be used next turn to make a blocking point. Splitting to the 21 point with the 3 has advantages and disadvantages. You have a chance to make an advanced anchor if you are not hit. A real advantage in the early game. The downside is your opponents four-point is a point he wants to make and he will fight for it. You also prevent your opponent from bringing builders down into his outer board and developing naturally. 24/22, 13/10 is much less popular. The resulting position is inflexible. Your two runners are two pips apart; and the stacks on your eight and six points are also two pips apart. Your good rolls are duplicated. It is always better not to duplicate your good rolls. 13/11, 13/10 concentrates on offence. The plan is to build a blockade before your opponent can free his back checkers. You are almost certain to make good blocking points next roll. The risk is your opponent has 7 possibilities out of 36 rolls to hit you. The computer roll-outs rank 24/21, 13/11 and 13/11, 13/10 as even. The other split play while in third place is not far behind. The choice depends on your opponents temperament, the score and your aggressiveness. Opening roll 4 - 1 is a roll to suite different types of game strategy. There are two ways to play it:
There was a time when slotting both five-points (yours and your opponents) was popular. However, this is a very risky move. There are too many bad things that can happen when you leave so many juicy blots on tempting points. 24/23, 13/9 is the most popular way to play the opening 4-1. The builder on the nine-point provides many point-making opportunities. It's balanced by splitting your runners. 24/23 does not look dynamic, but contains hidden power. It is more dangerous for your opponent to leave a blot in his inner board and gives you a chance to secure a valuable anchor. 13/9, 6/5 was more popular in the past. There are three opening rolls that lend itself to slotting the five-point. 2/1, 4/1, 5/1. The 4/1 is much more dangerous than the 2/1 because there are many more ways for your opponent to hit your blot on the nine-point than the blot on the eleven-point. You are very exposed. Plus you have not split your runners so the back side of your game is static. The computer roll-outs rank the safer splitting play 24/23, 13/9 as your best bet. However, if losing a gammon does not matter, the aggressive slot move wins most games. The choice depends on the score / match you find yourself in and the recklessness of your opponent. |