Informative Speech On Backgammon Essay Research Paper

Hello. Today I am going to teach you how to play a timeless and very entertaining game. But this is not just any game. It’s a game that combines luck and skill all into one. What game am I talking about? Backgammon. Now maybe some of you are saying to yourselves right now, “Eww, backgammon what a loser! That’s an old fartsie game” but I am here today to maybe change those opinions. I will explain the history, fundamentals, and rules of the game. And hopefully by the time that I am done with this speech I will have gained the interest of at least one of you in this classroom. I mean if this game can make a cameo on such a popular t.v. show like “Survivor” it has to be good, right? What makes backgammon so interesting to me is that the rules are quite simple and once you have got the hang of the game, you don’t have to worry about another opponent being better than you are, because that’s when the luck aspect of the game comes into play. So let’s go ahead and get started with how backgammon came into being.

Backgammon has been around a long time, with origins dating back possibly 5000 years. The ancient Greeks played. So did the Romans. The game we know today was refined in England in the seventeenth century, which is also when it acquired the name backgammon. One significant innovation of the twentieth century was the addition of the doubling cube in the 1920s, which is used mainly for betting and making stakes. But now that you know how old the game is let’s go ahead and learn the fundamentals.

Backgammon is a game for two players, played on a board consisting of twenty-four narrow triangles called points. The triangles alternate in color and are grouped into four quadrants of six triangles each. The quadrants are referred to as a player’s home board and outer board, and the opponent’s home board and outer board. The home and outer boards are separated from each other by a ridge down the center of the board called the bar. Each player has fifteen checkers of his own color. The initial arrangement of checkers is: two on each player’s twenty-four point, five on each player’s thirteen point, three on each player’s eight point, and five on each player’s six point. The object of the game is for a player to move all of his checkers into his own home board and then bear them off. The first player to bear off all of his checkers wins the game. And the direction of movement of the checkers is Opponent’s home board  Opponent’s outer board  home outer board  home board.

To start the game, each player throws a single die. This determines both the player to go first and the numbers to be played. If equal numbers come up, then both players roll again until they roll different numbers. The player throwing the higher number now moves his checkers according to the numbers showing on both dice. After the first roll, the players throw two dice and alternate turns. The roll of the dice indicates how many points, or pips, the player is to move his checkers. The checkers are always moved forward and when moving your checkers the following rule apply:

1. A checker may be moved only to an open point, one that is not occupied by two or more opposing checkers.

2. The numbers on the two dice constitute separate moves. For example, if a player rolls 5 and 3, he may move one checker five spaces to an open point and another checker three spaces to an open point, or he may move the one checker a total of eight spaces to an open point, but only if the intermediate point (either three or five spaces from the starting point) is also open.

3. A player who rolls doubles plays the numbers shown on the dice twice. A roll of 6 and 6 means that the player has four sixes to use

4. A player must use both numbers of a roll if this is legally possible (or all four numbers of a double). When only one number can be played, the player must play that number. When neither number can be used, the player loses his turn.

A point occupied by a single checker of either color is called a blot. If an opposing checker lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar. Any time a player has one or more checkers on the bar, his first obligation is to enter those checker(s) into the opposing home board. A checker is entered by moving it to an open point corresponding to one of the numbers on the rolled dice. For example, if a player rolls 4 and 6, he may enter a checker onto either the opponent’s four point or six point, so long as the prospective point is not occupied by two or more of the opponent’s checkers. If neither of the points is open, the player loses his turn. If a player is able to enter some but not all of his checkers, he must enter as many as he can and then forfeit the remainder of his turn. After the last of a player’s checkers has been entered, any unused numbers on the dice must be played, by moving either the checker that was entered or a different checker.

Once a player has moved all of his fifteen checkers into his home board, he may commence bearing off. A player bears off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides, and then removing that checker from the board. Thus, rolling a 6 permits the player to remove a checker from the six point. If there is no checker on the point indicated by the roll, the player must make a legal move using a checker on a higher-numbered point. If there are no checkers on higher-numbered points, the player is permitted (and required) to remove a checker from the highest point on which one of his checkers resides. A player must have all of his active checkers in his home board in order to bear off. If a checker is hit during the bear-off process, the player must bring that checker back to his home board before continuing to bear off. The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins the game.

So when it comes down to it, backgammon basically all depends on the “luck of the roll.” And just in case you missed something I’ve said, I will restate the main points and rules of the game. A checker may be moved only to an open point, one that is not occupied by two or more opposing checkers. The numbers on the two dice constitute separate moves. A player who rolls doubles plays the numbers shown on the dice twice. A player must use both numbers of a roll if this is legally possible. If an opposing checker lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar. Any time a player has one or more checkers on the bar, his first obligation is to enter those checker(s) into the opposing home board. Once a player has moved all of his fifteen checkers into his home board, he may commence bearing off. Now that you all know how to play this great game I hope somebody in this classroom will start playing in their free time or maybe just forget everything that I have said today. Thank you.

Bibliography

http://www.bkgm.com/

http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~sret1/backgammon/main.html