The Software Advantages of Playing Backgammon

We've pointed you before to such excellent backgammon software creations such as David Byrum's Absolute Backgammon or David's Backgammon. His digital versions are excellent examples of the advantages in self-teaching that computer game can give you.

For example, beginners or even novices will appreciate that in these software games you are given a visual hint or mapping to where your can move a specific piece. Let's say you roll a "2" and a "4" but it's taking you a minute or two to count up each possible move. In the software version if you click once on a the piece you intend to move and hold the mouse button down, you will see small (often green) colored glowing "bars" or slivers appear at the base of each possible landing point. Brilliant. With just one click you can see every possible combination of moves and the spacing of each.

Now, we know you veteran players are groaning right now. You might be thinking that this is "cheating" or "babysitting" or "hand-holding." But remember, this is a cool teaching tool to show less-experienced players moves they might otherwise have missed or not even thought of. That helps. It also helps in accuracy, too, keeping you from that rare but occasional counting error and wrong piece placement if your opponent missed correcting you.

And for you veteran players one other advantage from a software version is that you can print out or save your game sequence history to study (or gloat over) later.