A 101 Guide To Playing Chess & Backgammon

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Firstly, what are the rules of chess and backgammon?
“The rules of chess are very simple and can be learnt at any age. The aim of the game is to trap your opponent's king and deliver a checkmate. Each piece moves differently, and players cannot take or move through their own pieces, instead they must navigate carefully to protect their king and promote their pawns. There are more complicated rules and tactics to know about too – Chess Coach Online is a great website for beginners.” – International chess master Anna Rudolf

“Backgammon is a game for two players, each owning an army of 15 identical pieces called men or checkers. The aim of the game is to get all your checkers off the board first. You can do this by moving checkers, according to the numbers thrown on the dice, around a board consisting of 24 landing spaces, called points. Eventually, they reach your home area, where you bear them off and the first player to do this is the winner.  However, opposing checkers move in opposite directions, so a conflict occurs when players try to block and hit their opponent’s checkers. If a player has two men on a point, the opponent cannot land there, and they are blocked. A single checker on a point (known as a blot) is vulnerable as it can be hit by an opponent’s checker and sent back to the beginning.” – Peter Bennet, director of UK Backgammon Federation

Who is better suited to backgammon, and who to chess?
“If you can’t bear to lose, don’t play backgammon. No matter how good you are, you might lose 40% of your matches due to the unpredictability of the dice. Backgammon is a numbers game, governed by probability, but it’s easier to learn than chess. Both games have their challenges, and require different skills but chess requires you to memorise several strategies, such as Caro-Kahn, Sicilian, and Queen’s Gambit. Backgammon moves are quite simple – all the checkers move in the same way and must move according to the numbers on the dice, whereas a chess player may say that chess tactics are more complex because of the different way each piece can move. If you want to master tactics and strategies, choose chess, but if you don’t mind being governed on probability and luck, backgammon is the game for you.” – Peter

Which takes longer to learn?
“It takes more time for a chess player to reach a reasonable level of competency because it’s a more complex game. However, becoming a grandmaster in either game usually takes many years of study and practice.” – Peter

How long does a game usually last? 
“The great thing about chess is that the length of time it takes to play a game can be adjusted easily with time controls, or the amount of time on each player’s clock. You can play a game that lasts five minutes, or a game that lasts five hours and requires you to think deeply. A game of backgammon usually lasts an hour or so, but depending of the outcome of the dice, can be over in as little as five minutes.” – Anna 

Is it suitable for younger players, too?
“Chess is for people of all ages. Players can play from a very young age – if you have grandchildren, you can get them started as early as three or four years old. There are even chess platforms dedicated to kids like ChessKid.com.” – Anna

“You can usually play backgammon with children who are aged eight and above. Providing they have basic counting skills to move the checkers around the board, they will soon pick up tactics and be able so score points. Bearing off, which happens at the end of each game, is a good place to start teaching a young beginner, because they learn the object of the game and how to achieve it at the start.” – Peter

If you’re a beginner, where’s the best place to start?
“It depends on how you’re going to play. For online games, Chess.com is a great resource for learning the rules and taking part in beginner lessons. If you’re playing on a board at home, watch a few YouTube tutorials to get you started, then find someone to play with – if you can learn from a friend or family member, even better. Once you’ve learned how the pieces move, you’re good to go. My one piece of advice would be to look after your king. It's the objective of the game to give checkmate to the king and yet so many beginners only focus on their own plans and forget about the opponent's threats. Always pay attention to what your opponent is trying to do, especially when they are attacking your pieces or try to checkmate your king.” – Anna

“Use a beginner’s book or website to help you get to grips with the basics. The UK Backgammon Federation site has a whole section for newcomers. Alternatively, if you know someone who already plays, they can teach you the basics in half an hour. When it’s safe to do so again, you can also find your nearest backgammon club for free lessons. Here is a list of clubs in the UK. Some clubs are also currently offering online sessions for new members over Skype or Zoom, so it’s worth checking out what your local group is up to.” – Peter