CODE OF BACKGAMMON
Codes have been around
for a very long time and are usually used as a message conveyor. There
are all sorts of codes, secret codes tell spies where to meet for
clandestine meetings, Morse code was the first telegraphic form of
communication, and the Enigma code was the code cracked by the British
in World War Two which played a significant role in ending the war.
The Navy still today uses one of the oldest forms of code,
semaphore for sending messages and Dan Brown has just made a fortune
out of his book The Da Vinci code.
The Horse Racing world has its own code, you can see it in action
at race courses across the country, the TIC TAC code of the bookies is
a code that lets other bookies know specific odds, and what horse is
likely to come out favourite, it is a code that uses the hands and
body, and is fascinating to watch.
In computers binary codes and algorithmic codes form the
nucleus of computer language, without them computers could not exist at
the level they operate today.
This computer language translates well in the online world and
in particular gaming. Numerical codes are a quintessential element of a
computer program and with something as complex as an online game, be it
poker, blackjack or even backgammon codes need to be devised that
register the complexity of the equations, but at the same time can be
understood by those who play the game and not just by the techies.
In backgammon's case such a code has been devised to
facilitate gaming both on and offline, it is called Notation and works
to a specific formula.
Understanding Notation is a great boost to your game and can help with your gaming patterns.
The way it works is of course based around the board; both
real and online boards are designed in the same way. 1-24, the player
holding Black pieces moves from the higher numbers to the lower
numbers, whilst the White pieces move the opposite way.
Notation begins once a piece is moved both the start and
finishing points are marked with and divided by a slash, take this
example 23/20 is shown as '23/20' . Should you move two pieces these
would show as '23/20 14/8'. One piece uing both of the dice to move is
shown as '24/14'.
When it comes to the bearing off of pieces this is indicated
with an 'off' a piece escaping from the six point would be represented
as '6/off' Coming back off the bar is written down at the point where
the piece entered the board. Pieces coming off the board on a two or
four point are notated as '2 4'.
With it so far? There's more, not only do you show the piece
movements but you need to show how the dice scored too, lets look at
this example: Note no spaces in between the two numbers, dice rolled
were 5 and 2.
Five and two = The notation '52'
Adding the colour, to illustrate whose roll it was gives a
complete picture of the roll, as in this example: White throws a three
and a two and moves from six point to five point and from eight point
to five point this is equal to :
White 31:6/5 8/5
Simple really! But, mastering this code is not a five minute
job, you need to pick up on the code from books and other backgammon
sources online to study how the code works for hitting and doubling for
example. If you are going to be a serious backgammon player, knowing
the backgammon code is one way to crack that ambition.
