The latest variation - SassanGammon

2008 seems to be the year for variations on backgammon. The World Backgammon Association (WBA) has announced a new variation in backgammon called SassanGammon ©. The rules have finally been changed to their final form. This game was developed by Sasan Taherzadeh and friends in California. This new variation will be a side-event at future tournaments of the WBA.

So what is SassanGammon? Well it’s very much like Backgammon but played with three dice. Here are the rules for the game.

The two players roll one die at the same time to see who goes first and then whoever has the higher die uses that combination to start. So if I rolled a 5 and you rolled a 2, I would get to use a 5-2 for my roll. I would then take both dice and put them in my opponent’s cup. You now have 3 dice in your cup. After you roll I get to choose one dice to take away, making you use the last two dice. Then after your turn you put the dice back in my cup and I roll. Then you take away and the play continues the same as backgammon with the opponent always removing one die.

This introduces a lot more strategy into the game on both players’ parts and is considered for intermediate and advanced players. To keep the game moving, players must think ahead much more than backgammon. Gammons and Backgammons are almost impossible to achieve and the game can still be played with the doubling cube, the Jacoby and Crawford rule. This new backgammon should catch on quickly as it adds an extra layer of skill to the game.