A Look at Some Backgammon Variants
The long history of Backgammon -indeed evidence suggests that it is the oldest board game in the world- has naturally led to numerous variations. All over the world, the game is played, albeit under different names.
In modern Backgammon variants among the most popular are HyperGammon. Here the rules are generally the same as normal Backgammon, except that in players have only three checkers. Another popular variant is NackGammon, invented in the early 1970s. The rules are also similar to the usual game, except that there are four back checkers, and the checkers on the six point and mid point are moved to the opponent's two point. In LongGammon, all the player's checkers start on the opposing side's one point.
A well known variant of Backgammon and very popular during the 1920-40s is Acey Deucy. Each player has 15 checkers, and both start with their pieces off board. As the game starts the players' aim is to get their checkers on board, entering from the opposing side's board. Once all the pieces are on board, the game proceeds like a normal Backgammon game with the objective being to move all the checkers on to the home boards and bearing them off.
In American Acey Deucy, however, the doubling cube is usually not allowed, and double number rolls (6-6) are worth double, meaning they can be used four times. A roll of 1-2 allows you to play it as you usually would, but there is the bonus of playing any doubles you like, and rolling again.
Traces of Acey Deucy can be found in the old French Backgammon. As in Acey Deucy, the game starts with the checkers off board, and the pieces enter via the opposing board. Doubles also imply a player may use it four times. Old English Backgammon, on the other hand, plays like regular Backgammon except only five checkers can be placed on a point and a player can opt not to use part of his roll.
Other Backgammon variations include games meant for children, such as Blocking, Blast Off and Eureka; Misere is a variation whereby the player that bears off last will win the game; Domino Backgammon uses dominos instead of dice, and Propositions are a special class of Backgammon variants wherein the rules are unequal.
Examples of Proposition games include Two Rolls vs. Choice. Here one side plays two rolls at every turn, but his opponent, on the other hand, can play any roll of his choice. He merely names the roll and plays it. Another interesting variant is the Roll Over. In this game a player has, at any point during the match, the option of re-rolling (if he has a bad throw) or making his opponent throw another roll.
This is only a sampling of the variations in Backgammon. More and more are constantly being introduced, and older deviations of the game are being rediscovered. Exploring the different aspects of Backgammon not only increases your enjoyment, but also adds to your skills.