Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 3.djvu/215

Rh The table assumes that the board is open for every possible throw. If part of the throw is blocked by an intervening point being held by adverse men, the chance of being hit may be less. Thus, a blot may be hit on an eight with dueces ; fours ; cinque, trois (twice) ; or six, deuce (twice). If the fourth point is blocked, the blot cannot be hit with deuces or fours, and consequently the chance of its being hit is reduced from 30 to 6 to 32 to 4, or from 5 to 1 to 8 to 1.

Two principles, then, have to be considered in moving the men : (1.) To make points where there is the best chance of obstructing the opponent; (2.) When obliged to leave blots, to choose the position in which they are least likely to be hit, i.e., either as near as possible to an adverse man, or as far as possible from any adverse men ; or where the intervening points are blocked by the player's own men. At the beginning of the game it is advisable, if possible, to secure the cinque point in your own inner table, or the cinque point in your adversary s inner table, or both. If you succeed in this, you should then play a bold game in hopes of winning a gammon. The next best point to gain is your own bar point ; and the next to that the quatre point in your own inner table. If you are fortunate enough to secure all these points, and your adversary s inner table is less favourably made up, it is then to your interest to open your bar point (in expectation of compelling your adversary to run out of your inner table with a six), and also to keep any men you may have in the outer tables spread (i.e., not to crowd a number of men on one point). In this case you have a good chance of hitting the man your adversary brings out, and also of hitting the man he has left on your ace point. If you succeed in taking both these men, and your adversary has a blot in his inner table, it will be to your interest not to make up your own table, but to leave a blot there on purpose, in hopes of his entering on it. You will then have a probability of hitting a third man, which, if accomplished, will give you considerable odds (according to Hoyle, 4 to 1) in favour of winning a gammon; whereas if you have only two of his men up, the odds are against your gammoning him. 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em 1em

The laws of backgammon (as given by Hoyle) are as follows:— 1em

Russian Backgammon or Trio-Trac is played with the same implements as backgammon. The men are not placed on the board, but both black and white are entered in the same table by throws of the dice, and both players move 