The aim of this article is to illustrate two major backgammon types within the wider backgammon community, namely casual and formal play. The major distinctions between the rules and etiquette of these two distinct forms of play are outlined in a table, which may serve as a checklist for club or tournament officials when briefing newcomers to the formal game. It is further suggested that the introduction of 'formal' cubeless matches would be a proactive approach to encourage the sustained participation of newcomers to the local club scene.
Backgammon Types - Formal and Casual
The advent of the Internet has had a positive impact on the global popularity of backgammon. The format of the game servers facilitates a 'de facto' standardization of the rules of the game within the context of each specific server. Additionally, the automatic nature of the interface prevents players from breaking the rules, and so acts to familiarize and ease the integration of newcomers to the virtual community.
Online gaming serves to standardise game rules within the context of each game server Virtual gaming has engendered many advantages for the gaming community, not least of which is the ability for gamesters to pit their skills against other similarly skilled players from the four corners of the world twenty-four hours per day. Despite the significant advantages, game servers cannot compete with the 'real world' in one significant aspect of gaming.
For many gamesters, the lively social interaction of traditional 'real world' play, which stimulates the five senses (especially sight, sound and touch), provides a level of excitement unparalleled in cyberspace. Traditional game playing is an inveterate social pastime, which dates back thousands of millennia to the birthplace of civilization itself. In the modern world, traditional gaming is practiced in a variety of private and public milieus including the home, cafes, and clubs.
The backgammon family of race games has undergone much evolution. The Ancient Egyptian game of Senet (left) and Orbital-gammon (right) illustrate 5000 years of variations of a common theme. In general, traditional backgammon games are played in two distinct formats: casual; and formal. Formal backgammon is undoubtedly showcased by the various world, regional, and national championships which regularly attract the creme de la creme of players skilled in the art and science of the game.
The formal game is represented at the local level by the numerous clubs in existence around the world. However, within the wider backgammon community, the 'formal' backgammon players undoubtedly constitute an elite minority. The vast majority of the global backgammon playing public is composed of 'casual' or 'ethnic' players. Within the context of this article, the terms 'casual' and 'ethnic' are used loosely to encompass keen backgammon players who regularly play within a close family or social circle, or those who are experienced players of ethnic backgammon variants.
