Short backgammon

1. Roll the dice and move your checkers by the numbers shown.
2. Checkers always move one way, from higher-numbered points to lower ones.
3. You can only land on points not held by two or more enemy checkers.
4. Bring all your checkers home and bear them off first to win.

Short backgammon is the standard form of the game played around the world, a race with a history going back more than 5,000 years. Each side has 15 checkers on a board split into two halves. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving checkers by the numbers shown, always in one direction around the board toward their home, where the checkers are finally borne off. A checker can only land on an open point — not one held by two or more enemy checkers. The rules are easy to learn, but winning takes both good judgment and a little luck, especially in deciding when to leave a single checker exposed.