Backgammon

The board does not have to be set up as it has been in both games we have played; it can equally well be set up as in Diagram.

In this case, the White home board is on the left at the bottom and the outer board at the right. The Black inner board is at the top left and outer board at the top right. It makes no difference whatever to the way the game is played. Your (White) pieces are now moving clockwise, from left to right in Black's side of the board and right to left in your side of the board. Black's pieces are moving in the opposite direction to yours. Get used to playing with the board either way round. Soon you will be so used to it that you really can't remember which way round you played last time. But if you always play one way and then find yourself having to play the other, it can be a little disturbing at first. There is no rule about which way the board should be set up. It is sometimes said that the correct way is to set the board so that the home boards of both sides are nearer the main source of light, so the action in the home boards takes place in the light.