Backgammon: Is the Game a Clue to the Meaning of “LOST”?
It’s been the subject of speculation for years now.
What significance, if any, is the backgammon reference in LOST’s very first episode.
This year, the last year of LOST, we could find out.
Allow me this one week to talk a little about LOST.
I know not everyone thinks it is a cool show, but I love it. And to think that there may be something about backgammon as a clue to what it all means?
Awesome.
I just read a quote by Damon Lindelof, who co-wrote the pilot with JJ Abrams, in which he asked if the backgammon scene was an attempt to plant a flag for the series end game.
This is what he said:
“We can’t rewrite history and say that at the time the pilot was being constructed we were using phrases like “The Man In Black” and “Jacob,” but we can say that the overriding theme of The Island and what an endgame might look like — and that Locke was the character that was tapped into this almost instantly — was all sort of calibrated. Looking back on that scene, its intention at the time that it was written and its intention today is exactly the same, which is to basically set the stakes for the entire series. At the time that we wrote it, we didn’t think that there was going to be an episode two. At the time that we wrote it, it was a conversation about the good and evil internal in the people themselves. But obviously, as the show grew and blossomed out, that same conversation grew to encompass the nature of The Island and The Island’s affect on those people.”
We’ll get back to talking about the game next week.
But I just had to bring this up, as the last season began tonight and like many other geeks, I was glued to the tube.
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Posted on February 2, 2010 by doclotto | Filed Under Backgammon, Events, news
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Pick Your Strategy: Why Not Play a Holding Game?
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Posted on January 28, 2010 by doclotto | Filed Under Backgammon, Basics, Strategy
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The Best Game Ever? Backgammon has a 5,000-year History as Rich as the Game Itself
I laugh when I come across people who have just come across backgammon and act as if it is a new game.
Fact is, it’s an ancient game. And one of the most popular games ever.
But now it’s becoming popular online and in casinos.
The game’s history dates back five thousand years ago but it is uncertain to whom the invention of the game can be attributed.
I’ve written about this before because I find it so fascinating. Particularly since I fell in love with the game years ago and had no awareness of how popular it was…even in ancient biblical times.
Since no written records of the rules of backgammon had not yet been found, it is hard to tell if the rules of playing backgammon during the ancient times are similar to the way it is being played in modern times.
But the fact that the basic layout of the board, consisting of twenty four points, fifteen checkers, and the dice, were integral elements of ancient backgammon proves that there is a resemblance between the original game and the backgammon being played today.
The popularity of backgammon was boosted by the Romans and was a favorite of Emperor Claudius.
In fact, the fate of an opponent who allows the emperor to lose is quite unimaginable. Tabula, the Roman variation of backgammon, was believed to be the first to incorporate gambling in backgammon. During that time, playing backgammon for entertainment was not a part of the culture of that era.
During the fall of the Roman Empire, backgammon continued to spread to other parts of the world.
However, it was only until the 1740s that backgammon rules were introduced. Likewise, the availability of backgammon sets at an affordable price paved the way for the game to become accessible to people from different parts of the world.
Now, the boom of online backgammon has brought on huge interest in the game, and led to an awareness of the game among the younger generation.
Now, of course, you don’t have to go out and buy a board, you can just download one.
Now, you can compete against a backgammon computer and against other players from around the world.
Ain’t the internet wonderful?
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Posted on January 21, 2010 by doclotto | Filed Under Backgammon
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Strategy Session: The End Game
I had an email the other day from a new player who said I have been concentrating too much on the starting moves but not enough on the end game.
For him…and thousands like him, here are some thoughts about the Grand Finale.
I hope those of you who read this for tournament news will forgive me this week, but there is a whole world of players out there who need to know more about the basics of the game.
You can start bearing off your checkers if all of them are in your home board area.
You take out your checkers by continuing rolling your dice.
You may take out the checker that is on the point corresponding to the numbers on the dice, also you can move them towards point 1 if the number rolled is not big enough. Also you must not necessarily bear off if you can make a legal move. You may do this if you want to avoid being hit while in your home board area.
If you roll a 3-2, you may either bear off one checker form point 3 and one from 2, or you can move two of your checkers from point 6 to point 4 respectively 3.
You may choose other moves depending on your strategy and game context. While bearing off it might happen that you get hit. In this case you may not bear off any of the remaining checkers before getting all the checkers again onto your home board. The winner is the one who succeeds first to bear off all his/her 15 checkers.
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Posted on January 14, 2010 by doclotto | Filed Under Basics, Strategy
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Online Backgammon, the Next “Big Thing”; We Look Forward to 2010 Play and Tournaments
First, to everyone who views this weekly blog (about the GREATEST game in the world, bar none…sorry roulette), I wish you a most happy New Year and many hours of successful playing, whether on a real board in a club or in an online casino.
Backgammon really is the coming “big thing,” and I plan to document this explosion of interest during the rest of this year and many years to come.
There must be a reason why the game has transcended generations. Hell, since the Persian Empire.
Because it’s cool. And it’s always been cool.
Now, there are many online casino sites that offer a myriad of games, from poker to casino slots to backgammon…and one of the things I do on a regular basis is test drive backgammon sites and report back on the ones that I like.
I LOVE the idea that I can play virtually, don’t you?
This post is about players and strategies and where to play. We often run strategy posts, so check them out. But for beginners reading this blog, I urge you to FIND out how to play. And many online casinos and backgammon sites show you how.
Yeah, there is a certain level of skill required to play online. You need to know strategies. Probabilities. In order to be successful.
Play, in the beginning, at your level of skill.
And have fun.
Of course, there are ways to make money. Hell, that’s part of the fun.
For all you beginners, you might want to check out MSN Games…just google it…and play.
Right now, for example…. on Jan. 7, 9 a.m., there are close to 600 people playing.
It’s a good place to hone your skills.
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Posted on January 7, 2010 by doclotto | Filed Under Backgammon
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Recent Articles
- Backgammon: Is the Game a Clue to the Meaning of “LOST”?
- Pick Your Strategy: Why Not Play a Holding Game?
- The Best Game Ever? Backgammon has a 5,000-year History as Rich as the Game Itself
- Strategy Session: The End Game
- Online Backgammon, the Next “Big Thing”; We Look Forward to 2010 Play and Tournaments
- A Happy New Year to You All; And Another Strategy Session
- Backgammon for Beginners. Second in a Continuing Series: How the Checkers Move on the Roll of the Dice
- Online Power Play: Greek Company, Intralot, Expanding into Backgammon
- A Slight Diversion This Week: Do You Know How Old the Game of Backgammon Is? No? Well it Surprised Me Too.
- Details of the World Series of Backgammon Championship: the Big “Shootout,” are Announced
