ULTRASOFT BACKGAMMON DOOR GAME HELP FILE

To operate the UltraSoft Animated Backgammon Door:
Insure that NUM LOCK is on. This is required for piece movement.

From the Main Menu you may:
V>iew any/all Games in progress, or Join any game that needs another player 
P>lay any game where it is your turn 
B>egin a new game
Turn S>ound Effects on or off
Display I>nstructions (this help file)
R>ank the Top Players

Once a Game is entered, one must P>lay the game which creates a Dice Roll.
White pieces move Counter-Clockwise and Black pieces move Clockwise. To move
a piece, simply move to the position above the piece and tap [enter]. This
picks up the piece to move. Then move to the destination and tap [enter] 
again, dropping the piece into position. A player may U>ndo his moves in the
current turn, as long as he has not exited the game. Players may also V>iew
their opponent's last turn, in action, by using the V>iew Last Moves command.

When all pieces are in their Inner Table, pick up a piece and use the 
R>emove command to remove it (Bear Off) from the board. When all pieces are
gone, the game has been won. Proper movement is shown in the figure below.
         
          ┌────────────────────┐            ┌────────────────────┐
          │ Board view for the │            │ Board view for the │
          │ Player using White │            │ Player using Black │
          └────────────────────┘            └────────────────────┘
      Direction of     Black Inner        White Inner     Direction of
    ┌── movement -<   ┌── Table ──┐      ┌── Table ──┐   >─ movement ──┐
    │ ┌─────────────┬┬─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┬┬─────────────┐ │
    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
    │ │             ││             │    │             ││             │ │
    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │    │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
    │ └─────────────┴┴─────────────┘    └─────────────┴┴─────────────┘ │
    └────────>        └White Inner┘      └Black Inner┘        <────────┘
                          Table              Table

                    
                       BACKGAMMON STANDARD RULES
SETUP

The board is divided into four tables, containing 6 points each.
The bar down the middle divides the sides.
                                                       
From the WHITE SIDE VIEW....                        
        Bottom Right side - White's inner table.    ┌─────────┬─────────┐
        Bottom Left side - White's outer table.     │   BOT  ┌──  BIT   │
        Top Left side - Black's outer table.        │--------│|---------│
        Top Right side - Black's inner table.       │   WOT  └─>  WIT   │
        Piece Movement is Counter Clockwise..       └─────────┴─────────┘ 

From the BLACK SIDE VIEW.....
        Bottom Left side - Black's inner table.     ┌─────────┬─────────┐ 
        Bottom Right side - Black's outer table.    │   WIT  ──┐  WOT   │
        Top Right side - White's outer table.       │---------|│--------│  
        Top Left side - White's inner table.        │   BIT  <─┘  BOT   │   
        Piece Movement is Clockwise..               └─────────┴─────────┘ 

OBJECT

The object of the game is for each player to move his piece from
point to point around the board until he has brought all of his
pieces to his inner table.  He then removes them from the game,
(see BEARING OFF).

PLAY

Players take turns throwing both dice and moving their pieces a
number of points corresponding to the numbers thrown.  It is
IMPORTANT that players consider each turn as being made up of two
parts, or moves, as indicated by the throw of the dice - one
part corresponding to the number of spots on one die, and the
other part corresponding to the number of spots on the other die.
        
White and Black pieces move in opposite directions.  Each player 
moves his piece according to the following path:  from the
opponent's inner table to the opponent's outer table and from
there to his own inner table.  Because of the arrangement of the
pieces at the beginning of the game, not every piece will pass
through all four tables.  There is no limit to the number of the
same player's pieces which may occupy a point at once.

MOVES

A player may move his pieces in any order he chooses.  When a
player has made his throw, he may move one piece the number of
spots on one die and for the total of the two, but the play must
be treated as two moves, for a BLOCK).  For example, if 5-3 is
thrown and the player wishes to move one piece for the total of
8, he must move the piece first 5, then 3 (or 3, then 5), without
touching down or landing on a blocked point after either part of
the total move.

DOUBLES

When duplicate numbers, or doubles, are thrown, the play is
doubled.  Thus if 5-5 is thrown, two pieces may be moved two
moves of five points each, or the throw may be divided into four
moves of five points each by one or more pieces.

BLOCKS

A block is a point which contains two or more opponents pieces,
and no piece may move to such a point.  A piece may pass over,
but may never touch down or land on, a blocked point.  Any part
of the throw of the dice which cannot be played is lost, but the
whole of a throw must be played if possible.

BLOTS

A blot is a point occupied by a single piece.  If a player moves
a piece to a point occupied by a single opponent, he removes the
opponent piece and places it on the bar.

BAR

The separation between the inner and outer tables is called the
bar.  When a player has a piece on bar, he may move no other
pieces.  A piece on the bar (bar man) must be reentered in the
opponent's inner table onto a numbered point corresponding to the
throw of the dice.  The number shown on either die may be used
for reentering, and the number on the other die may be used to
move another piece or the reentered piece.  The spots on each die
must be counted separately; they may not be combined to reenter a
bar man.

BEARING OFF

To bear off one's pieces is to eliminate them from the game
according to throws of the dice.  The spots on each die must be
counted separately; they may not be combined in bearing off.

NOTE: Numbering of points is the position from the end of the inner 
table, or the corner of the Board. The point in the corner is the 1 
point and the point nearest the bar is the 6 point.

When a player has moved ALL of his pieces onto his own inner table, 
he proceeds to bear them off.  For examble, if 6-3 is thrown, he 
may remove a piece from each the 6 and 3 point.  Or he may remove 
the piece from the 6 point, then move up (toward the 1 point) any 
piece resting on a higher point than the 3 point. If there are no 
pieces on the point corresponding to or higher than the number thrown, 
a piece on the inner table farthest from the 1 point may then be borne 
off.  For example, if 6-3 are thrown, and there are no pieces on the 
six point, then it is legal to remove one from the five point (or the 
next lowest point that is occupied). If all your pieces are on the 2 
and 1 points and you roll a 6-5, then you would remove two pieces 
from the 2 point.

Should one of his pieces be taken up and placed on the bar after 
player has started bearing off, the bar man must be reentered on the 
opponent's inner table and moved around the board to his own inner 
table before player may again proceed to bear off his piece.

In bearing off, as in regular play, the play is doubled when doubles 
are thrown.
        
The player who first bears off ALL his pieces wins the game....

                --- END OF INSTRUCTION FILE ---
