It is only natural that one of the most ancient games known to mankind will have several versions all over the world. Yet even we were amazed to reveal that there are so many different games which developed from the basic backgammon, and different rules , organization of the backgammon board, number of checkers and a lot more.
The outbreak in the last years was shown in fine backgammon articles which are accessible on the internet. Everything can be found there, from "advices for beginners" to clarifications of the internal processes of the ratings formula. And because one can use backgammon boards for other things than merely playing backgammon , there are so many great games to play. They vary from easy games for children to games with many details, complicated rules and methods.
There are several different versions which forbid hitting your rival's checkers. Some rules consider one checker as creating a block on a point; other rules say that a backgammon board should be set-up in such a way that all the checkers are on one side. But others say that players should move their checkers round the board in the same direction, and finish at opponent sides of the board before removing them. You might find people who play backgammon according to strange rules such as Misere, where the goal of the game is to remove all your checkers last; in Swedish Tables, which is pretty similar to backgammon, both players move round the board in the same direction, and there are a few methods to win besides just removing one's checkers.
Can you believe that there are some advanced backgammon versions which include no dice at all?!
It so happens that people of different ethnical backgrounds would sit together in front of a typical backgammon board, and disagree on some of the basic rules. Some are familiar with Formal Club and Tournament Play and others are accustomed to Casual or Ethnic Play. For instance, according to the Formal rules, the player is allowed to move checkers and put them back in their original place before determining the last move. However, in Casual Games this thing is entirely unheard of - you must move what you touch.
