It is fairly simple to set up a backgammon board once you know how to do it.
The first step is to become familiar with the backgammon board and the pieces.
There are two colors of backgammon pieces used in every game. Although the pieces could be any two colors, there is usually a standard light and dark color. The light color is generally white, although many sets have shades of off-white or cream. The dark color is almost always black or red. Each player has one set of colors for their pieces.
There are 15 checkers-style pieces for each player on the backgammon board. There are four regular dice, and one doubling cube with each set. Most backgammon sets also come with shakers for shaking and then rolling the dice.
The board itself is divided into four equal sections, or quadrants. On each quadrant are six elongated triangular patterns. Most boards alternate the color of the triangles. This simply makes it easier to count how many spaces the player is moving, and also makes the backgammon setup easier. Down the center of the board is the bar. The bar is not counted as a space, and is usually only used to temporarily place pieces that have been knocked off by the opponent’s pieces.
Play can be in either direction, which means that the backgammon setup can be done in the opposite way too. The important point to note when setting up is that the players’ pieces are set up with the same count exactly opposite each other, and that their home quadrants will be opposite each other.
The easiest way to learn how to do the backgammon setup and work out where to put all the pieces is to give each point a number, starting with number 1 until number 24. Each quadrant has only one row of pieces for each color, although the number of pieces may differ.
The first quadrant in Backgammon (the home quadrant) contains numbers 1 – 6. Place 5 pieces of the same color on number 6.
The second quadrant in Backgammon contains numbers 7 – 12. Place 3 pieces on number 8.
The third quadrant in Backgammon (now on the opposite side of the board) contains numbers 13 – 18. Place 5 pieces on number 13.
The fourth quadrant (opposite the players home quadrant, and inside the opponents home quadrant) contains numbers 19 – 24. Place 2 pieces on number 24.
In order for the other player to complete their side of the backgammon setup, they should either use the same count, however, they can begin the numbers from their home quadrant, or even more simple, and probably the best way to do it, is to simply mirror their opponents pieces.
That means that if there are two whites in a space, the space directly opposite it should contain two blacks (or reds, as the case may be.) The board therefore becomes a mirror image, except for the fact that the colors are opposite.
The direction of play is always from the opponents home quadrant towards the player’s own home quadrant. There is plenty of information on how to play backgammon, tips for backgammon and some backgammon strategies and it is a good idea to read these before playing with real money.
