Misere (Backgammon to Lose)

Would you like to lose? Think it would make you miserable? Not in the game of Misere, also known as "Backgammon to Lose" which is the objective of the game. Why in the world would you play to lose? That's a good question, but the players of Misere swear the game is really fun.

The setup and direction of movement are the identical as the regular backgammon game - just the goal is different! Your goal to "win" Misere is to be the last player to bear off the last of your checkers - and the last player is the winner. You might wonder how you could possible not win - err, lose - at Misere. The rules are all the same, so that means that if you can take a move you must - which means try as you might, you could place an enemy checker on the bar and really hurt your chances for winning by losing.

Doubling cube play can be done, by gammons and backgammons don't count, naturally, unless someone comes up with a way to pay off the loser in Misere. Games in "Backgammon to Lose" tend to run a lot longer than regular games, as players hunt for ways to lose within the rules. Over time momentum will take hold, and both players will be bearing off checkers, and it will be the one making the best of the worst decisions who will emerge the winner-loser.