CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



supposing you have pieces on 12 and 19, with a 

 crowned man at 14, you may, by giving him 

 your 12 and 19, exchange two pieces for three, 

 which is commonly equivalent to winning the 

 game. Again, supposing you have pieces on 13, 

 22, 30, and a crowned one on 26, and your adver- 

 sary a piece on 5, with others scattered in the 

 direction of 16, 8, 7, you may, by successively 

 pushing before him your pieces on 13 and 22, gain 

 a formidable exchange. 



In beginning to play, much depends on having 

 the first move ; and the rule is, that in playing 

 several games each party takes the first move 

 alternately. 



If a player touch one of his men, he must play 

 it. If a player omit to take a man when it is in 

 his power to do so, his adversary can huff or blow 

 him that is, either take the man, or insist upon 

 his own man being taken. The practice is at 

 once to lift the man which ought to have taken 

 yours. 



We present the following as an example of 

 playing a game, in which White loses. The letters 

 N, C, F, T, at the head of the columns, signify 

 Number, Colour, From, To : 



It is not considered fair for a bystander to 

 advise what motions should be taken, or for a 

 player to wait longer than five minutes between 

 each move. The draught-player, therefore, must 

 act with much more promptitude and decision 

 than the chess-player, and the game is such that 

 a single false step may lead to ruin. It is only 

 after long experience in figuring in the mind what 

 will be the result of particular movements that 

 proficiency in it is attained. 



BACKGAMMON. 



Backgammon is the modern name of a game 

 of considerable antiquity in England. It was 

 formerly called 'the tables.' Strutt traces the 

 term to the Ang.-Saxon ' bac andgamen that is, 

 back-game so denominated because the perform- 

 ance consists in the two players bringing their 

 men back from their antagonist's tables into their 

 own ; or because the pieces are sometimes taken 

 up and obliged to go back that is, re-enter at 



678 



the table they came from.' Wedgewood explains 

 it by Danish bakke, a tray, and gammen, a game. 

 Whatever be the etymology of the term, the game 

 has been long established in the country ; and, as 

 a fireside amusement of a decorous and exciting 

 nature, is a favourite among clergymen, squires, 

 farmers, and retired professional persons. 



Backgammon is played with an apparatus con- 

 sisting of a board or tables, men or pieces, dice 

 and dice-boxes. The introduction of dice into the 

 game, and their constant use in determining 

 moves, makes backgammon essentiallya game of 

 chance. 



The backgammon board consists of two parts or 

 tables, generally united by a hinge in the middle, 

 by which they can be shut up as a box. Each 

 table has twelve points, six at. each end. These 

 points are coloured white and black alternately ; 

 but this variation of colour has no reference to the 

 game, and its use is to make the points more 

 easily counted. 



The game is played by two persons, and with 

 30 pieces or men ; each player has 15 men, one set 

 of 15 being black, and the other white. In begin- 

 ning the game, the men are placed on certain 

 points on the tables, as shewn in the following 

 figure. 



w 



Fig. 4. The Backgammon Table. 



Two dice and two dice-boxes are used in the 

 game. The dice are common to both ; but each 

 player uses his own dice-box, and the throws are 

 alternate. 



Each die is a perfect cube, marked on its sides 

 with dots from i to 6. The i is called ace; the 

 two, deuce j the three, tre or trois j the four, 

 quatre; the five, cinque j and the six, size. At 

 rvery throw the two dice are employed ; conse- 

 quently, a person may throw from two up to twelve 

 that is, two aces up to two sizes. 



If a player throw doublets, or both dice of one 

 number, double the number of dots is reckoned ; 

 thus, by a throw of two aces, the player does not 

 count two, but four. 



The numbers thrown or accidentally turned 

 up by the dice, bear a reference to the points on 

 the tables. In order to understand this connec- 

 tion between the dice and the men, the learner 

 must observe how the men are placed on the 

 points, and the rules by which their shifting from 

 one to another is governed. 



