A Challenging Backgammon Variant

There are a lot of variations to the basic game of backgammon – we all know that. There are some which are more popular than others, that is true, and there are those which are not that popular but are just as much fun. There are even backgammon variants that are not widely known as they were just created by common people like you and me. Here is one interesting variation that I discovered, thanks to Phil Simborg (who is a bit of a legend when it comes to backgammon).

Decide in advance how much you want to play per point, but we generally play a 5 or 7 point match for 5 points, and every challenge is a point. Let’s say my opponent rolls a 4-5 and makes his play. Instead of rolling or doubling, I can “challenge” his play. I must declare what play I think is better, and then we go to Snowie explorer, move it back to the previous play, hit 3-ply, and see who’s play was better.

If the difference between the plays is .020 or less, we call it a tie. And we make the same bet on every cube (or no-cube) decision.

If you play with four people I suggest you play “non-consulting” on the plays, and have each player take a turn on each roll. If you have consulting, it will simply take too long to make a move. We also play non-consulting on the challenge. Only the player who has the next turn can challenge the previous play or cube decision.

This variation really puts a lot of weight on the skill of the player. Imagine winning or losing on every single play that you make – that is what is going to happen if you play this variant. Wanna try?