Tables
Tables is an entire family of games, of which backgammon is one. However, what we call a backgammon board is more properly a tables board, and backgammon is only one of many games that can be played on it.
The board is a rectangle divided into quarters, the outer edge of each quarter lined with 6 points on which the pieces are placed- these are often shown as long triangles, but in Alfonso X's Libro de los juegos (Book of Games), they are shown as rounded pits, with the points being the lines diving the space where the counters should sit. With a standard tables board, the game is for two players, and usually, but not always, each player has 15 pieces, with two dice used to determine their moves. Players sit opposite each other, and each moves their pieces around the board, usually in opposite directions to each other, trying to get all their pieces around and off the board before their opponent. Most games also allow for capturing of opposing pieces. You will note that the board layout and the movement of the pieces is different from the point of view of the black player to that of the white player. In the examples shown, black enters at the left top of the board, moves across to the right, down to the near side, then left across the board and take their pieces off on the lower left side. White, however, enters at the top on the right, moves left across the board, down to the near side, then right across the board to take their pieces off on the lower right side. This means that they both have the same Inner and Outer tables, but from the black player's point of view, the Inner table is on the left, and from the white player's point of view, it is on the right. The points are likewise numbered differently for each player, with the pieces moving from 1 to 24. The 1st point is called the Talon, and the 12th is called the coin. It is a common convention when showing diagrams of a tables board to just label the points 1-12 on each side, as relevant to both players: |
Index of games:
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