Duplicate Backgammon

Duplicate Backgammon was first tried in the late 1920s when duplicate bridge first became popular. When backgammon was rediscovered in the 1970s, the duplicate game was tried again. It is not really a different game, but simply a different way of competing at regular backgammon.

Duplicate Backgammon is played with partners (or sides), four players and two boards (or any multiple of this unit). The partners play opposite positions on different boards, one playing Black and his partner playing White on the other board.

Dice throws are made at only one board and communicated to the others where the same throw is played by an opponent. There may be as many units of two boards each as desired, half of the players on each side playing Black and the other half playing White and with the same throws being used at every board.

All players playing the same color checkers at each table receive the same dice rolls. Each player is competing against his opponent at the same table in as much as he is against each of the other players playing the exact same dice rolls at the other tables. The idea is that if you are receiving the same rolls as other player, but are able to get better results, the difference is due to skill rather than luck.

Unfortunately, this duplicate style of competition doesn't work as well in backgammon as it does it bridge. Even with expert players, the two games quickly diverge and the comparison of play between both tables becomes irrelevant. When the positions are totally different, it doesn't matter if both tables have to play the same number. For example, double 6's at Table 1 may be great, while it might spell disaster at Table 2 if the player happens to be on the bar.

Because it seems that the extra work of running a tournament utilizing this format simply isn't worth the effort, Duplicate Backgammon remains more of a novelty rather than an accepted form of competition.