furbster: I think that only might apply when playing on live sites and both people play /look at the same board

furbster:
Currently I'm playing a "clockwise" game at another site and its driving me nuts LOL I have no option to change it tho

But I'm only there for Mancala... Will be glad when Fencer adds It here so I can quit the other site LOL
*hint*

Baked Alaskan: Everybody play backgammon clockwise here in iran. I have to edit my mind when switching between OTB and net games :)

Anencephal: .
.
.
And here in Greece where Backgammon is a little more inside our DNA compared to other countries we play both ways with no problems....
But clockwise or anti-clockwise? It doesn't matter. Human brain has he ability to adapt with no problems! You just have to try.....

Pythagoras: Well said,Its a good thing they have books and programs for playing games on game sites,Or there would be alot of lost players LOL:)

Anencephalsaid: Everybody play backgammon clockwise here in iran. I have to edit my mind when switching between OTB and net games :)

They do? How is this done? One board each, with a third person who updates your opponents board after you have made your move (and vice versa)?

whopper: I agree with this skepticism. When playing on a real board in person with someone one player goes clockwise and the other player goes counterclockwise. It is only with the computer do both people think they're going the same direction. Kind of like having the declaring hand in Bridge always played from the south seat in the newspaper, but that's not how it is in real games. I don't see any reason for not allowing the player pick the direction of travel for his pieces, but I also don't see why it would matter in the first place. It doesn't change the game, does it? Is there not a standardized direction of travel for the checkers? As in a book on Backgammon? Why not adopt that and have them go in that direction? Since the current way of notating the games is 1 to 24 instead by the table they're in, I would imagine that having the 6 to 1 inner table in the same place for both players would take care of it. If me, it's on the lower right and my pieces would go counterclockwise. If my opponent, it'd be on the upper left of my screen and my pieces would go clockwise toward the 19 to 24 inner table which would be on my side of the board in the lower left of the screen.

Walter Montego: That's how it worked here (one player clockwise and the other one counterclockwise). After protests and complaits of the majority of backgammon players on BK I decided to make it as it is now. From my point of view, I see no difference if the pieces move one way on another - it's just another view of the same position, nothing else.

Walter Montego: Actually, if the two opponents are sitting one in front of the other both will be moving their pieces in the same direction. In this case, you'll move them anti-clockwise (for instance) and it will look like your opponent is moving clockwise, though, in his/her point of view, he's moving anti-clockwise as well.

However, if the two opponents are sitting side by side, they will indeed have to move each one in opposite directions.


This said, it doesn't matter to me which way the board goes, just as long as it stays the same during the whole game

pauloaguia: You'd better think about what you just said about clockwise and how it looks to each player. That's like saying we have a clock laying face up between us with you at the 6 and me at the 12 and the second hand appears to move in opposite directions! My clockwise movements will look the same no matter where the observer is placed if he's looking down upon the game. How can we be moving them in the same direction? That's not Backgammon as I know it.

Walter Montego: Disregrad that last post... I wasn't thinking clearly

pauloaguia: OK :)