Just watched part 1 and now half way through part 2 and I just have to say, thanks for your attention to detail and the way you are explaining backgammon. Super interesting learning about all of the parts of this game. Pure joy listening to you and learning how to play backgammon. Thanks.
Have not played since the late 70's...when it was all the rage in Los Angeles; decided to re-learn...back to the basics. (NEVER understood the doubling cube...it was the 70's. HAHAHAHA.) SO delighted to find these brill step-by-step videos and lookin forward to future play. THANK YOU. xoxo P
Hi; I bought a backgammon game for $5.00 about 15 years ago. It is in a leather case, and the dies are made of ivory. I never learned to play. Decided to go to TH-cam, and I found you. I ran downstairs, opened up my case, and watched you teach. You are great. Now I have to either try to teach my husband, or find a friend who knows how to play. Thank you, teacher.
Watched your vid with the kids, 12 & 9, last night. We all picked up the game immediately. The kids are playing again first thing this morning. Thanks for the excellent work.
I came here because Win7 has "Backgammon online" as one of the games you can play and I never really understood it (Backgammon). I like games like Poker that yes, have a modicum of luck involved, but appreciate why a more skilled player knows how to play the hand they are dealt - cards, or sum of numbers + moves that one or a pair of dice give you. Your knowledge and appreciation for the game is obvious and inspiring. From why the cup is used to what the coloured pieces are called. (I like the name "stones" personally as checkers (US name of Draughts) comes to mind as I watch your vid). As soon as you said "circle" and moving "clockwise / anti clockwise", it already started to make more sense of how I looked at the board. Thank you very much for taking the time to make these videos explaining in very clear detail (so far) what this game is all about. I only got to Part 2 just now, but when I have more time I will be back so I can try to get to grips with this very interesting game.
I'm finding these tutorials excellent for a total novice, thanks for taking the time to go through the rules in such detail. Looking forward to playing an inaugural game once I've made it through your videos.
Thank you so much for this easy to learn,comprehensive guide. You have made it so easy to learn/relearn Backgammon. My son asked me to teach him and this really helped me to learn the game again quickly and teach him. He even watched the video and enjoyed it as well. 6 years old and won the first game without me letting him win!
I used to play backgammon many, many years ago but it was lost in the mist. You've brought it all back brilliantly and I've enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of playing w my teenage son, thanks to you. He beat me, by the way. :)
Hi. Thanks for the kind comment :) A doubling cube isn't essential, in fact in some countries they aren't used. Some of the more interesting aspects of the game are those involved with doubling, however. The cube is only used as a marker, though, so you could substitute its use by simply writing down the value on a piece of paper.
Pithy sarcasm! How refreshing. The close-ups were there to help show that the indentations on the dice differ from those used in tournament play, and that the checkers had no distinct features or edging.
I love your work. It enspired me to start playing backgamon and to post videos on how to play chess slowly just like your tutorials when I saw a comment on your last video to do so. I don't want to brag but I am an experienced ameture.
Hi, thank you o much for your reply, and for the video series. My 9 year old and I are trying to learn how to play this game properly. So when you say the checkers are already home, they do not need to go all the way around the board. I understand that I will use them strategically within the quadrant where they are located. Thanks again!
Hi. Players both start with those 5 checkers on their 6 point, and so in a sense, they're already "home". However, they are by no means useless there. They become invaluable assets for making further inner board points, as well as threatening opponents' checkers that either split from the back, or are forced to re-enter after being hit. They would only need to leave the home board if they were hit by an opponent's checker.
May I make a helpful point?: I have rolled similar "holed" dice 2000 times, and found that there were about 12% fewer 1's. Barney Taylor-Maunder also did a trial - only 1000 roll - but found a difference of 15%. So the extra weight of the 1 - having fewer holes - causes it to land on the underside significantly more often.
Well, I thought for a minute are you talking to much. NO, not only do you explain what items are for, you give a small comments on the history of the game. This is not dry and boring; like music it is paced. I enjoy your segments. There are different options for different thinkers; I chose this version. Good job!
@JoseRoel96 You could just get by with both players alternately using the two dice you have, though the game, I find, is a lot more fluid, and a lot less prone to out of turn rolls and incorrect turn ending if you can use the full 2 per player.
@Thoseweirdoes Thanks for commenting. Naturally, people prefer to learn at different speeds. The slow pacing in these videos was something I deliberately chose to do in order to fulfil a demand that I perceived to exist from reading comments on other backgammon guide videos, whereby even with a fairly well-explained tutorial, it seemed to be generally thought that too much information was being imparted too quickly for complete beginners.
I have 1 question that I hope you can help me with. Ok, so let's pretend I am using the board that's in your video...and I am the red player. Do I need to move the stones that are on point 6? Or do those 5 stones remain in my home board? My gut tells me that they move only within the home board because it would not make sense if I had to move all of the 5 pieces all the way around the entire board. Thank you again for your help and for this series. I am so excited to play this game.
i AM NOT BRAIN DAMAGED. Although this video is sooooooo slooooooooooow I may get brain pain!! I mean will you please get to the rules!! Much much later...are you joking!!!!
Yes, but he assumes we haven't got an IQ above 10 I think. Sooo boringly dragged out. Most people have played Ludo, snakes and ladders etc. We know how to roll a dice from a cup. Good grief. I gave up at that point and I didn't watch part 1. The board is the board.
I think this person is very helpful but I feel that he goes a little bit slow. I know in the first video he said that he would but 16 parts? But I do not speak for everyone, it sems it would be very helpful to other people but not exactly to me.
The Dark Lord, actually it's from ancient mesopotamia which was a country that no longer exists, but currently Iraq AND Iran and a few other countries stand in the place mesopotamia used to be. I find that funny because I just learned about ancient mesopotamia in school last week. (just to clarify, I found it funny that he mentioned mesopotamia, not what you said. And this comment was not meant to come off rude, so if it did I am sorry😐)
"And this board is green. Not entirely just green though its more of a lime or shamrock specifically , but its not green for any specifuc reason. Some boards are blue or brown or maybe red. They can even be orange. But whether or not they are orsnge or green wont affect the game or the chips. My chips appear to be a plastic composition that-" Jesus christ GET ON WITH IT
Backgammon won’t be explained on part one or two it is quite complicated to start with. It’s best to know everything first. . I think it’s very well explained
Just watched part 1 and now half way through part 2 and I just have to say, thanks for your attention to detail and the way you are explaining backgammon. Super interesting learning about all of the parts of this game. Pure joy listening to you and learning how to play backgammon. Thanks.
Have not played since the late 70's...when it was all the rage in Los Angeles; decided to re-learn...back to the basics. (NEVER understood the doubling cube...it was the 70's. HAHAHAHA.) SO delighted to find these brill step-by-step videos and lookin forward to future play. THANK YOU. xoxo P
Being an absolute beginner the way you have broken down into sections very easy to follow. I'm enjoying it. Look forward to part 3. Barbara
Hi; I bought a backgammon game for $5.00 about 15 years ago. It is in a leather case, and the dies are made of ivory. I never learned to play. Decided to go to TH-cam, and I found you. I ran downstairs, opened up my case, and watched you teach. You are great. Now I have to either try to teach my husband, or find a friend who knows how to play. Thank you, teacher.
Watched your vid with the kids, 12 & 9, last night. We all picked up the game immediately. The kids are playing again first thing this morning. Thanks for the excellent work.
I came here because Win7 has "Backgammon online" as one of the games you can play and I never really understood it (Backgammon). I like games like Poker that yes, have a modicum of luck involved, but appreciate why a more skilled player knows how to play the hand they are dealt - cards, or sum of numbers + moves that one or a pair of dice give you.
Your knowledge and appreciation for the game is obvious and inspiring. From why the cup is used to what the coloured pieces are called. (I like the name "stones" personally as checkers (US name of Draughts) comes to mind as I watch your vid). As soon as you said "circle" and moving "clockwise / anti clockwise", it already started to make more sense of how I looked at the board.
Thank you very much for taking the time to make these videos explaining in very clear detail (so far) what this game is all about.
I only got to Part 2 just now, but when I have more time I will be back so I can try to get to grips with this very interesting game.
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave these comments. I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the series. Cheers :)
I'm finding these tutorials excellent for a total novice, thanks for taking the time to go through the rules in such detail. Looking forward to playing an inaugural game once I've made it through your videos.
Thanks for watching. Good luck for your first game!
I appreciate the speed, quality and thoroughness of your videos! thanks so much :)
Thank you so much for this easy to learn,comprehensive guide. You have made it so easy to learn/relearn Backgammon. My son asked me to teach him and this really helped me to learn the game again quickly and teach him. He even watched the video and enjoyed it as well. 6 years old and won the first game without me letting him win!
I used to play backgammon many, many years ago but it was lost in the mist. You've brought it all back brilliantly and I've enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of playing w my teenage son, thanks to you. He beat me, by the way. :)
Excellent tutorial. Made me go find a nice game at a local thrift store.
Hi. Thanks for the kind comment :) A doubling cube isn't essential, in fact in some countries they aren't used. Some of the more interesting aspects of the game are those involved with doubling, however. The cube is only used as a marker, though, so you could substitute its use by simply writing down the value on a piece of paper.
Thanks for the close-up of the checkers and dice. I didn't know what they were until they were put right in front of the camera.
Pithy sarcasm! How refreshing. The close-ups were there to help show that the indentations on the dice differ from those used in tournament play, and that the checkers had no distinct features or edging.
Sarcastic monologue sounds alien and stupid in comments, bud. *bamf*
I love your work. It enspired me to start playing backgamon and to post videos on how to play chess slowly just like your tutorials when I saw a comment on your last video to do so. I don't want to brag but I am an experienced ameture.
I my grandmother's old set in the attic and I immediately wanted to know how to play. I was actually astonished that all the pieces are still here!
Another greatly informative video! Two thumbs up!
Hi, thank you o much for your reply, and for the video series. My 9 year old and I are trying to learn how to play this game properly. So when you say the checkers are already home, they do not need to go all the way around the board. I understand that I will use them strategically within the quadrant where they are located. Thanks again!
Hi. Players both start with those 5 checkers on their 6 point, and so in a sense, they're already "home". However, they are by no means useless there. They become invaluable assets for making further inner board points, as well as threatening opponents' checkers that either split from the back, or are forced to re-enter after being hit. They would only need to leave the home board if they were hit by an opponent's checker.
Ensor42 I need to know. The same answer ?
Very informative, I want to learn this game.
Many thanks :) I hope you continue to enjoy them.
May I make a helpful point?: I have rolled similar "holed" dice 2000 times, and found that there were about 12% fewer 1's. Barney Taylor-Maunder also did a trial - only 1000 roll - but found a difference of 15%. So the extra weight of the 1 - having fewer holes - causes it to land on the underside significantly more often.
Well, I thought for a minute are you talking to much. NO, not only do you explain what items are for, you give a small comments on the history of the game. This is not dry and boring; like music it is paced. I enjoy your segments. There are different options for different thinkers; I chose this version. Good job!
Kind of you to say so. Thank you! :)
@JoseRoel96 You could just get by with both players alternately using the two dice you have, though the game, I find, is a lot more fluid, and a lot less prone to out of turn rolls and incorrect turn ending if you can use the full 2 per player.
Thanks for this video.
Very good. Very helpful and clear. Thank you..
@Thoseweirdoes Thanks for commenting. Naturally, people prefer to learn at different speeds. The slow pacing in these videos was something I deliberately chose to do in order to fulfil a demand that I perceived to exist from reading comments on other backgammon guide videos, whereby even with a fairly well-explained tutorial, it seemed to be generally thought that too much information was being imparted too quickly for complete beginners.
Great job!
@WMackbd I take that as a huge compliment :) Thank you, very much.
Maybe I will live long enough to see the end
@zorac91 That's really good to hear :-) Thanks.
I have 1 question that I hope you can help me with. Ok, so let's pretend I am using the board that's in your video...and I am the red player. Do I need to move the stones that are on point 6? Or do those 5 stones remain in my home board? My gut tells me that they move only within the home board because it would not make sense if I had to move all of the 5 pieces all the way around the entire board. Thank you again for your help and for this series. I am so excited to play this game.
Can you have more than one piece on the rail?
0:30 red and black? Thank you.. very helpful
I'm sure glad that he told me what color that piece was. I was clueless, until he told me that it was red.
Hehe :) Thanks for that. Gratifying that they're enjoying the game.
He's very good like that, I find. I still had to watch the video several times myself before that sunk in though. Colours can be so confusing!
good job
Hi. A backgammon set should contain 30 checkers (stones), 15 of each of the two colours.
Hi. No, they aren't essential outside of serious competitive play, they're just nice to have as part of the backgammon experience.
Ty so much
@zorac91 he right . this helps alot unlike other videos
expert village my ass. this guy is awesome
What makes this game so popular and addictive?
And why is it a skill game? Because unlike snakes and ladders where you have only one piece to move, here, you have a choice of 15
no more than two shakes. Otherwise it's a wank
Made me spray tea through my nose ya bastard!
lol
Thank you! :`-)
i only got 1 pare of dice
sigrid mølstre same it still works tho
3:58 That's basically my love life.
Uhh 5.000 years ago was during the ice age so not messapatamia
now i need to look up a video on how to cheat on dice rolls
i AM NOT BRAIN DAMAGED. Although this video is sooooooo slooooooooooow I may get brain pain!! I mean will you please get to the rules!! Much much later...are you joking!!!!
chrissyparks2000 it's literally video for beginners. He described that in the first video. It's for people who literally know nothing about the game.
Yes, but he assumes we haven't got an IQ above 10 I think. Sooo boringly dragged out. Most people have played Ludo, snakes and ladders etc. We know how to roll a dice from a cup. Good grief. I gave up at that point and I didn't watch part 1. The board is the board.
You sound like a young Michael Cain might sound like!
it's so hard to understand it i can play chess, and checkers lol im nothing
"Checkers" sounds suspiciously American!
I think this person is very helpful but I feel that he goes a little bit slow.
I know in the first video he said that he would but 16 parts?
But I do not speak for everyone, it sems it would be very helpful to other people but not exactly to me.
dude the game is from iran not iraq
The Dark Lord, actually it's from ancient mesopotamia which was a country that no longer exists, but currently Iraq AND Iran and a few other countries stand in the place mesopotamia used to be. I find that funny because I just learned about ancient mesopotamia in school last week. (just to clarify, I found it funny that he mentioned mesopotamia, not what you said. And this comment was not meant to come off rude, so if it did I am sorry😐)
"And this board is green. Not entirely just green though its more of a lime or shamrock specifically , but its not green for any specifuc reason. Some boards are blue or brown or maybe red. They can even be orange. But whether or not they are orsnge or green wont affect the game or the chips. My chips appear to be a plastic composition that-" Jesus christ GET ON WITH IT
2 parts in and he hasn't even covered basic movement. are all the backgammon tutorials sooooooooooooo boring? 😪
Jeff Hyatt he said in the first video he is going in-depth how to play. Not to breeze through.
So it's a game of luck,not skill?
Lol
Too much chit-chat for me.
I don't understand!!!!!!!!!
Iv
geez, get to the point dude...
Try not to be in so much of a rush! Take your time - knowledge is better digested slowly, rather than gobbled.
Backgammon won’t be explained on part one or two it is quite complicated to start with. It’s best to know everything first. . I think it’s very well explained
get to the point for God sake !!!
come on... don't waste our time.
yawn yawn. Sorry but stating the obvious at times..... :(
Dude get to the point