For a lot of new players, the board setup for backgammon can look like a tricky thing.  And since most new players have become interested to the game through celebrity and world tour tournament matches on television, the play there is so fast it’s hard to figure out what is exactly going on.  If you fit into this category, have no fear.  The backgammon setup is actually very easy to understand and play, so you don’t need to be scared off. The backgammon board is broken into four sections with a bar running through the middle.  The bar means nothing, it’s just a resting place for the doubling dice and checkers so don’t let it confuse you.  The board should be looked at as one continuous board where the object is to race in a horseshoe like circle to the other side and get your pieces off the board first. Every section contains 12 points.  Points are the long triangles you see.  At the beginning of the backgammon setup you will choose one side of the board and your opponent will setup on the opposite.  You will then roll the dice and use those numbers to race around the board.  Your opponent’s goal will be to get to your side and you to theirs.  That’s it; backgammon is that easy.  And there’s nothing else to the backgammon setup.  You have your checkers, you have your dice, and you have the points to move on.  You will need to know the rules of backgammon in order to play beyond the backgammon set up, but those are easy as well.  Backgammon is a great game, quick to learn, so enjoy yourself!