Moving Checkers in a Backgammon Game

A backgammon game is played by moving checkers to the direction of the home board. The home board is the goal. Hence, a backgammon game majors on checker movements and movement strategies for winning. Here are the basic checker movements in backgammon.

After a dice is rolled in a backgammon game a player moves the checker pieces according to the dice result. For instance, if the dice result is a 6 and a 3, or 6-3, a checker piece is moved 6 points or triangles forward and another checker piece 3 points or triangles forward. Another option in a backgammon game is moving a single checker piece, first 6 points and then 3 points, or vice versa.

If the dice roll results in doubles - two similar number results like a 4-4 or 5-5, we play each die two times in a backgammon game. For instance, in 5-5 we move 4 checkers 5 points each forward. In cases when only one of the dice results is possible in the actual movement, the other number is eliminated in a backgammon game. For instance, we roll 6-3 and it's possible to move only 6 points on the board, we use the result 6 and forfeit the result 3.

Checkers may stop on any point or triangle unoccupied. In case a triangle is occupied in a backgammon game the occupying checker must be an ally checker, not of the enemy's. If the triangle or point is occupied by an enemy checker, it should be a lone checker, or what is called a blot. When our checker stops on the point where an enemy blot is positioned we have "hit" that blot. That blot-checker in a backgammon game is placed on the bar and is allowed to re-enter the board on the next turn of the opponent. Thus, no ally and enemy checkers can occupy the same point for long.

When the next turn of the enemy comes, the hit blot is re-entered on our home board. Where exactly the hit blot re-enters depends on the result of the enemy's dice in a backgammon game. When the dice results to 2 the hit checker re-enters on the 23 point. A result of 3 re-enters on the 22 point, and so on. A turn is spent to re-enter checkers as long as one has hit checkers.

Thus, in a backgammon game, having checkers hit is a negative thing. The best way of moving them is to keep checkers from enemy hits.

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