Play65 is a game server that allows you to play against backgammon fans across the world. Meet talented backgammon players that can put up an entertaining game of brains and wits. Place65 is free to anyone and just requires visiting www.play65.com to download the software. Once you have your own play65 account, you can either play for fake money or real money. Both have touraments that have money winning pots or $10,000 prizes. You can watch or participate in individual games, that allow you to place your desired bet, be it play or real money.

Click here to visit Play 65 and get up to a $20 bonus!

One of the easiest ways to play backgammon online is actually built into Windows XP, by far the most common OS.

To play Windows Backgammon go to:

1. Start (Bottom of the screen)
2. All Programs
3. Games
4. Internet Backgammon
5. … Play

And there you have it… how to play backgammon online for free.

There are other places, such as Play 65 where you will find a larger community based backgammon arena.

Outside Prime: A prime composed of points that mostly or fully exist in the Outer Board.

Own a Point: To possess a point with two or more checkers.

Own the Cube: After you have been challenged to and accepted a double, you will then retain possession of the cube and thus the ability to raise the stakes once again with another double.

Pip Count: Calculated by multiplying the number of checkers on every point by the points assigned number, and then adding each of these totals together. Each player begins the Backgammon game with a pip count total of 167.

Pips: This term has two meanings. 1) Backgammon moves are counted in these units. 2) The specific number of dots on each side of the die that total to equal the side value of the die (1 through 6).

Points: The 24 triangle-shaped dividers on a Backgammon set. There are 12 points on each side of the Backgammon board.

Prime: A strategic move in Backgammon in which a player occupies several points in a row, blocking their opponent from moving forward in the game.

Quadrant: In the Backgammon setup there are four sections of the boards. Each section is comprised of 6 points.

Re-Double: Once a player has already accepted a double challenge from his opponent, he may then turn around and immediately propose a re-double, doubling the stakes of the game once again.

Runners: The two checkers that begin the game on the opponents 1 point.

Set Up: The Backgammon set up is the way the board and its pieces are laid out at the beginning of a game. The set up is always the same, and includes 2 checkers on the opponents 1 point (Runners), a stack of 5 checkers on the 13 point in the middle of the board, 3 checkers on the 8 point, and 5 checkers immediately after that on the 6 point.

Shot: A players chance to hit an opponents blot.

Shut Out: The Backgammon strategy that involves blocking the points on your home board to ensure that your opponent cannot re-enter after a hit.

Slot: Landing a single checker on one point with the objective of making that point on the following turn.

Spare: Additional checkers located on a point that are not needed to control the point.

Split: Two separate two checkers who cover one point.

Switch Points: To forsake one point in order to make another.

White: The nickname used to describe one of the games players based on the light color of his checkers.

About the Author:

Online backgammon pro Gene Marshall works for many popular internet backgammon sites. The author contributes articles about backgammon online and internet backgammon. Other information and articles published by Gene Marshall on the matter of online backgammon are accessible online.

Resyndicated on Free Backgammon Online

Israel’s online backgammon website Play65 has launched its Georgian ( ) platform Play65.ge and came to realize that despite backgammon’s reputation as a war game, Play65 brings peace to bloodshed areas, such as the Russia-Georgia boarder. The platform enables people from both sides of the barricade to come to terms, at least when it comes to their mutual backgammon match.

One day after Play65.ge was launched, it hosted a friendly game between representatives of opposing sides: the white checkers of the backgammon board were activated by Zaza83, 29 year old backgammon fan of Tbilisi, while the Russian ( ) backgammon veteran Kirill9009 moved the black checkers.

Read the rest of the article here

“Mindgammon is a variation of Backgammon, more like a distant cousin” says Christian Bailey, co-founder of Mindgammon, Inc. Mindgammon was developed by Wayne Hulsen, Chairman of the company, after nearly two decades of thinking and planning the next generation of Backgammon. Hulsen wanted to make the game more user-friendly, especially for the beginners, and at the same time keep it a highly tactical game that would challenge the players’ intellect. He felt it was near impossible to recover from a bad roll in Backgammon, whereas in Mindgammon, there is always a chance for recovery and opportunity to win. Many games of Mindgammon come down to each player having one checker left to bear off, that makes Mindgammon much more exciting to play.

The game is available for purchase from the company’s web site (www.mindgammon.com) and will be stocked at select retail stores across the USA and Canada in late fall 2008. Mindgammon will also be available in SkyMall catalogs.

Innovation is not something new to board games. An early form of backgammon, Senet, is considered to be the oldest board game. Hieroglyphics representing a Senet game date back to 3100 BC and variations of this game have been found in many Egyptian tombs, including a flawless board in King Tut’s tomb. This game resembled the game we now know as “Backgammon“, with moves controlled by the roll of dice.

The game of Senet saw many changes over 3000 years - the Romans, Persians, the French and the Germans all contributed with some transformations to the game. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest use of the word “backgammon” was documented in 1650, and most likely derived from “back”, and Middle English “games” meaning game or play. The most recent development in Backgammon was the addition of the doubling cube in 1926-27.

For over five years, Bailey and Hulsen tinkered with the concept to ensure that it met all the requirements they had established. In 2005, they tested the game at the Chicago Toy and Fair Game (CHITAG). The reactions from the audience were more than encouraging. Hundreds of people of all ages and walks of life participated in the first Mindgammon Tournament. It lasted three days and was held at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Winners received prizes including a $500 gas card.

Next, they exhibited the game at Toy Fair 2007 in New York City. This is what Barrett Feintraub, Senior Writer Toy Fair had to say: “more than just a variant on backgammon, one that is plenty of fun, and it’s certainly more original than a lot of other ‘original’ games we saw (”it’s Risk, but in space!”, “It’s Dominoes, but the pieces bend!”, “It’s Checkers, but…”)
There is no doubt plenty of time, thought, and money has been invested in this project.”
Through 2007, Bailey and Hulsen have sought out the best manufacturing sources and planned for marketing the game board via multiple channels including traditional media, retail establishments, and the Internet.

The game will be produced in built-to-last, high quality beech wood, Polymer, and chipboard (MDF) to offer a comfortable price range. The retail prices for the game boards will range from $29.95 to $129.95 (US).

Bailey added, “Our product has received the attention of the International Montessori Council, Red Cross, and Aging Societies across the globe. Studies have shown that playing games like Mindgammon has the ability to sharpen young minds as well as curb the onset of dementia in the elderly.”

Use it or lose it. Research shows that engaging in intellectual activities, like Mindgammon, help keep a person mentally sharp in their senior years. Scientists speculate that mentally engaged people build up a “Brain Reserve” that protects them from dementia.
Also when youngsters are playing Mindgammon, they are using a part of the brain that naturally increases creative thinking by increasing right side stimulation. Once their skill level, ability and mental agility are engaged, their intelligence will slowly but surely increase.

Mindgammon Website

Online blackgammon companies are now on high alert after the recent identity theft case where Fouad Mourtada was sentenced to three years in jail by the Moroccan government for opening a false Facebook profile in the name of the Moroccan Prince, Moulay Rachid. Recently, BackgammonMasters Mexico found several users in their systems that opened accounts with names of famous persons such as Prince William, Madonna and Tom Cruise. After checking the activities and locations of these users they found them to be fake.

Spokesperson for www.backgammonmasters.com says, “We’ve seen a trend in the industry for people to register popular names, as we call them “Gold usernames” such as backgammonking, pokerking, blackjack-king and celebrity names which are just as popular. We see people in game forums even buying and selling these usernames. For these people its status, kind of like having a custom license plate. As long as the games are for fun, we are not concerned.”

Although these players only played in fun money games such as Poker, Backgammon and 21 Blackjack, companies now are keeping an eye on these types of accounts after such an extreme case involving a major company like Facebook.

Some governments on the other hand seem to be concerned and do not take lightly insults to their leaders. Mourtada was released after serving 43 days of his term due to pressure from petition signers and Human Rights groups around the world. But this case has raised awareness that in some cases, a username is no longer just a username. Mourtada’s lawyer, Ali Ammar said, “This is a cultural problem; this is the first time that a Moroccan poses as a very important personality on the internet. This is already a common practice in European countries.”

BackgammonMasters Online Game Operator has expanded their Game Lobby to include the new AstroPay Video Slot Game. The first in a series of Video Casino Games to be launched, AstroPay gives www.backgammonmasters.com players the complete casino experience in addition to their Blackjack, Poker, and Backgammon games and tournaments. All of BackgammonMasters games are home-grown, original, one-of-a-kind creations of the BackgammonMasters Game Development Team.

Backgammon Lite

Incorporating what is said to be worlds largest online backgammon community with more than 500,000 registered players, Backgammon Lite gives you the opportunity to play Backgammon against real people and gives you the opportunity to meet other people from all over the globe.

Guest Post from www.backgammonholygrail.com

Multiplayer backgammon is played online, where you can have many people from various areas of the world playing the same game, at the same time. Where will you find these types of games being played? In casinos, in game rooms, and where people like to gather to play free games. Backgammon can be played fast for those who are advanced or in a slower manner for those who are beginners.

The object of the game is to put all your pieces on the opposite side of the board, where the points without having your pieces moved off the board, and getting the most points. You can lose some of your pieces, having the opponent take some of them and still have the most points because you are taking off the other player’s pieces at the same time during strategic moves. If your moves are blocked you can lose a turn, or at the same time, if you are blocking your opponent’s moves they will miss a turn. You will always be learning the game from others and having fun.

How does a multiplayer game start? Each player is going to be given fifteen pieces, red or white, and all the pieces are the same. The inner most portion of the board is where you want your red pieces to be as these are where the points from nineteen to twenty four will be located, which will help you win the game in the long run.

The points from one to six are for the white pieces, and they are marked on the board. Moving all your pieces to the inner portion of the board, and then moving them off and out of play is going to make you the winner if you do this first. The middle of the board is also known as the vertical area.

When playing backgammon online you find many games going on at one time. Multiple games are set up so many people can play at the same time. One can find that tournaments may take place online as well. Multiple boards going at one time over the course of a few days, and then who wins on those boards will determine who plays next and what time the next match will be set at. Now this is backgammon at its most exciting stage many will say.

Multiplayer games are exciting even if you are not playing the game yourself. You can watch other games, learn strategies and find out exciting new ideas on how to play the various types of backgammon that are out there.

Once you are ready to start playing a game, you can enter a playing room online. Then you will wait for another player to enter the room. When there are two players in a backgammon room online at a game site, you then play backgammon. There are areas where one can play backgammon by yourself, but if you want a partner online is an easy way to find a partner.