The Never Finishing Game

The Never Finishing Game was invented by Nicholas Frantzis, and combines many of the features of standard backgammon, (such as checkers that are hit), and Plakoto (where checkers are trapped.) Like many other backgammon variants, The Never Finishing Game starts with all fifteen checkers piled up on the opponent's one point. The object of the game is also familiar: you must move all of your checkers around the board to your one point area and bear them off - the first to manage to do so is the winner.

The game starts with the player rolling the highest number with one die going first, this time rolling both dice and taking his or her first go. If a match is being played, then the rule is "winner goes first" on the subsequent game. Moving is standard as in backgammon - you must use all the moves if you can, you can't land on a point with two or more opposing checkers, doubles are used twice, etc.

You hit like in backgammon - landing on a lone checker, or blot, but you have a choice of what to do with the opposing checker: to trap or hit. Hitting is as normal (you put that checker on the bar), but to trap means you move your checker on to the blot, on top of the opposing checker. You now own the point, so your opponent can't touch down or land on it - furthermore that checker can't move off the point as long as you leave yours on top of it. As you can imagine by the name of the game, this version of backgammon can last quite a long time per round.