Play backgammon. This month, the Millennium Hotel Abu Dhabi will offer a lavish Iftar buffet complete with Ramadan juices for only AED135 per person for adults and AED75 for children between 6 and 12.

And while you’re waiting, enjoy a shisha with a game of chess or backgammon in the Layali Al Alfeya tent in Marakesh restaurant, open from 20:00 until Suhoor.

An Oudh player will entertain with traditional sounds of Arabia, and the a la carte menu offers oriental and authentic Ramadan food.

Sounds wonderful.

So, all of our Muslim friends, traveling to Abu Dhabi, here is a chance to not just worship but to also have some gaming fun on the side.

After all, backgammon, we know, is one of the most popular games in the mideast.

Enjoy.

So I aksed him about it. Asked him to teach me. And so he did.

His game (also common in neighboring Iran, he said) is called Takhtch. Tavla in Turkey. Both games are similar, but different from the more traditional U.S. game.

Here’s how:
First, the setup: The setup AND movement are the same as in regular backgammon. Each player starts with two checkers on the opponent’s one-point, five checkers on the opponent’s twelve-point, three checkers on their own eight-point, and five checkers on their own six point.

Object: The object of the game is to move all of your checkers into your own home board and then bear them off. The first player to bear off all his checkers wins the game.

To start: Each player rolls one die and the higher number goes first. That player then rolls the dice again to begin his first turn. After the first game, the winner of the previous game goes first.

Movement: The roll of the dice indicates how many points, or pips, the player is to move his checkers. So far, so good. Right?

The following rules apply:

• A checker may be moved only to an open point, one that is not occupied by two or more opposing checkers.
• The numbers on the two dice constitute separate moves. For example, if a player rolls 5 and 3, he may move one checker five spaces to an open point and another checker three spaces to an open point, or he may move the one checker a total of eight spaces to an open point, but only if the intermediate point (either three or five spaces from the starting point) is also open.
• Doubles are played twice. For example, a roll of 6-6 means the player has four sixes to use.
• You must use both numbers of a roll if possible, or all four numbers in the case of doubles.

Hitting: A checker sitting alone on a point is called a blot. If an opposing checker lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar.

You may not run for cover after hitting an opposing blot in your own home board. If you choose to hit within your home board, you must cover the hitting checker with another of your own checkers or leave it exposed.

Entering from the bar: Any time you have one or more checkers on the bar, your first obligation is to enter those checker(s) into the opposing home board. You enter a checker by moving it to an open point corresponding to one of the numbers on the rolled dice. If you are able to enter some but not all of your checkers, you must enter as many as you can then give up the remainder of your turn.

Bearing Off: Once you have moved all fifteen of your checkers into your home board, you may begin bearing off. You bear off rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides, and then removing that checker from the board.

No checker on the point indicated by the roll? Then you must make a legal move using a checker on a higher-numbered point. If there are no checkers on higher-numbered points, you are permitted to remove a checker from the highest point that has one.

You cannot “waste pips” during bearoff. This means you should always bear off a checker where possible rather than use a smaller number to move that checker forward.

White must use the 5 to bear off the checker on the three-point. He may not play the 2 first, for that would waste pips.

If a checker is hit during bearoff, it must be reentered and returned to the player’s finishing table before that player can resume bearing off his checkers.

Scoring: The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins the game. If the losing player has borne off at least one checker, he loses only one point. If the losing player has not borne off any checkers, he loses two points.

There is no doubling in this game.

Try it. You’ll like it.

I did.

Like how to win playing blackjack…yes, I am am an amateur card counter.

So…as an active BG player, I was wondering what most BG players are reading. I did some research.

Here’s what I found out.

Classic Backgammon Revisited is one book several top players recommend.

Ever wonder why this was called as such? The title signifies the main aim of the book, and that is to revisit some of old vital reading materials that were written about the subject of backgammon.

In the book, the author made use of sample backgammon problems.

Each sample backgammon problem was given an equivalent drawing to make the explanation a lot easier. The way by which the author explained his perspectives on each sample problem is eloquent, fit for the more advanced backgammon players. Beginners would find it harder to fully grasp some concepts.

Because of the style of this book, many experts on backgammon recommend this to more experienced backgammon players out there. However, some players  hope that another version of this book will be released, one that is designed for beginners.

Alpha Backgammon is another good one. This is easy to understand.

Unlike the Classic Backgammon Revisited, this one is written in a simpler language.

Thus, players who are just starting to learn the basics of backgammon will appreciate this better. This book makes use of drawings to help the author in explaining backgammon techniques to enthusiasts. The drawings were vital because without them, it would be far more difficult to understand fully what was being said.

A good thing about this book is that it is partitioned in such a way that next one is for more advanced skills than the last one. It simply creates the illusion of guiding the backgammon players step by step.

[It does get a bit weird when the author starts talking about ESP]

Check it out.