Backgammon doubling
cube
THE DOUBLING CUBE
Announcing a double increases the value of the stake twice and the
re-double quadruples respectively.
When to issue a double?
When you are cock sure of yours being in an advantageous position, only
then will you issue a double.
How?
Turn the doubling cube, (which should already be placed on the bar) to
announce a double. When a double is announced and the opponent accepts
then the value of the stake becomes double. E.g. 1 will become 2, 2 will
become 4, 3 will become 6 and so on. Remember that if a double is
announced and the opponent refuses, the game gets terminated immediately
and the opponent concedes the game.
Once the double is announced by the first player and the second player
(opponent) accepts the double, then the doubling cube is handed over to
the second player who has accepted the double. This is a compensatory
strategy by which the second player gets the chance to take the
exclusive control of announcing the next double. The next double implies
‘redouble’, which means the stake has been further doubled. However the
second player will again announce also the double, if and only if he
feels that the game has turned into his favour.
The announcement of the redouble by the second player will be obligatory
to the first player as stated above. If the first player refuses, then
they will concede the game. A redouble simply quadruples the original
value of the stake i.e. 1 will become 4, 2 will become 8, 3 will become
12.
The double and redouble do not have any limits. Only exclusive rights of
the doubling cube swing between the two players, as well as the value of
the stake increasing following the arithmetic rules. The double and
redouble actually make the game more attractive by increasing the speed.
Now, let’s discuss one very relevant term over here; 'Beavers'. In the
normal course of the game, when a double is announced and the opponent
accepts the double, the first player loses the exclusive right of the
doubling cube. If the first player does not want to lose the possession
of the doubling cube, he immediately announces the redouble. When a
beaver occurs,, the ball is pushed to the opponent’s court so to speak,
for acceptance or conceding a defeat of that game by refusal. However,
this rule is applied mostly in money play, not in matches or
tournaments.
The doubling cube in a nutshell:
A cube, with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 printed on its faces. Its
shape is slightly larger than the original dice.
It is essentially used to keep track of the enhanced value of the stake.
The cube is positioned in the middle of the bar at the beginning to
signify impartiality, which means none of the players control it.
Initially the cube is placed with the face showing 64 at the top, which
represents the initial status of the stake as 1, and then it is switched
between the players with the face showing increased value depending upon
the progress of the game.
The custom is to place a nice looking doubling cube in the middle of the
board to indicate the status, but it is not compulsory. Simply a pen and
paper may suffice.
By Backgammon for
real money. |
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