Backgammon vs chess
Chess and backgammon are two of the oldest and most popular two-player board games, and they could hardly be more different. One has no luck at all; the other has dice on every turn. Which is harder? It depends on what you mean by hard.
At a glance
| Backgammon | Chess | |
|---|---|---|
| Chance | Dice every turn | None |
| Information | Everything visible | Everything visible |
| Draws | None: every game has a winner | Common at high level |
| Typical game | Often 10 to 20 minutes | Anything from 1 minute to several hours |
| Stakes | Doubling cube, gammons and backgammons | Win, lose or draw |
| Positions | About 10^20 | About 10^44 |
| Choices per turn | Few moves for each roll, but 21 different rolls | About 30 to 40 moves |
| Computers | Beyond the best humans since the 1990s | Beyond the best humans since 1997 |
Luck: the big difference
In chess, the better move is always available and the stronger player wins almost every time. In backgammon, the dice decide which moves you can make. A beginner can beat a world champion in a single game, which never happens in chess.
That does not make backgammon a game of luck. It means skill shows up over many games instead of one: the stronger player wins a clear majority of long matches. We look at the numbers in is backgammon luck or skill?
Which is easier to learn?
Backgammon. Chess has six kinds of piece, each moving its own way, plus castling, en passant and promotion. Backgammon has one kind of checker, and the rules are just moving checkers by the dice, hitting, entering from the bar and bearing off. You can learn them in ten minutes (how to play) and play a whole game soon after.
The dice help beginners too. A new chess player loses nearly every game against a stronger opponent; a new backgammon player wins some, which keeps the game fun while you improve.
Which is harder to master?
Both are deep, but the skills are different.
- Chess rewards calculation: seeing many moves ahead along forcing lines, in a position where nothing is hidden or random. Top players also need vast opening preparation.
- Backgammon rewards judgment under uncertainty. You cannot calculate far ahead, because there are 21 different rolls each turn, each with its own best play. Instead you weigh risks: how many shots you leave, how the race stands, and what a gammon would cost.
- The doubling cube has no chess equivalent. Deciding when to double, take or drop is a skill of its own, and it is where much of the difference between good and great backgammon players lies (see the doubling cube).
Chess has far more possible positions (around 10^44 against backgammon's 10^20), but the number of positions is not the same as difficulty. Backgammon's randomness makes each decision a matter of probabilities, which many people find harder to judge than a concrete line.
What computers showed
Computers beat the best humans at both games in the 1990s, and in very different ways. IBM's Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov in 1997 mainly through fast, deep search. In backgammon, deep search is not practical because of the dice, so the breakthrough came from a neural network: Gerald Tesauro's TD-Gammon learned by playing itself, and developed a feel for positions much as a human does. Its choices changed how experts play some opening rolls. Read more in our history of backgammon.
Today, both games are studied with the help of engines. Backgammon players use them to check their moves and cube decisions, which has raised the standard of play at every level.
Advice for chess players
- Think in percentages. The best move is the one that wins most often, not one that wins by force.
- Accept bad dice. You will lose games you played well. Judge yourself over many games.
- Learn the openings. There are only 15 opening rolls, and the best plays are well known.
- Count. The pip count tells you who is ahead in the race, the way material does in chess.
- Learn the cube early. It is the part of the game chess has nothing like.
The best way to feel the difference is to play. Try Backgammon Lounge in your browser, free, against the computer or a friend.
Questions
Is backgammon harder than chess?
They are hard in different ways. Chess rewards deep calculation in a position with no chance; backgammon rewards judging probabilities and risk, and handling the doubling cube. Both take years to master.
Is backgammon easier to learn than chess?
Usually, yes. The rules fit on one page and a new player can play a full game in minutes. The dice also let beginners win some games against stronger players, which makes the early learning curve friendlier.
Can a chess player be good at backgammon?
Many strong backgammon players started in chess. Planning, pattern recognition and patience carry over. What chess players must learn is to think in probabilities rather than certain outcomes, and to use the doubling cube.
Which is older, backgammon or chess?
Backgammon's family of race games is much older. Games like the Royal Game of Ur date back around 4,500 years, while chess grew from the Indian game chaturanga, about 1,500 years ago.
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