Sections of a Backgammon Board
The backgammon board is essentially the area where players move their checkers or pieces in an effort to bear off first. There are five basic sections of a backgammon board that make up the game's playing area. These include four quadrants and the center bar.
The board is divided into four sections or quadrants namely, your inner and outer board as well as your opponent's inner and outer board. Within these quadrants, a set of six points is laid out. These points denote the spaces or pips that checkers are moved across on during a game.
Your half of the backgammon board is basically the part of board that's closest to you as you're seated to commence a match. Your half of the board is divided into two sections with six points each by the center bar.
If you're playing clockwise, your inner board is on your left side and if you're playing counterclockwise, it's on your right. As a result, your outer board is the quadrant on the other side of the center bar. Accordingly, your opponent also has the same quadrant designation on their half of the backgammon board.
Each of these sections of the backgammon board has their own purpose as intended in any board game. Specifically it's the inner board and center bar that absorb much of the rules in the game.
Your inner board, for instance, is where all your pieces must land on before you're allowed to start taking them off the board. This section is also popularly known as your home board.
The center bar is where checkers or pieces are placed when they are hit during the game. A player's pieces or checkers that are on the bar (barred checkers) must be re-entered to any point on their opponent's inner board before that player can move the rest of their checkers. So, as long as you have pieces on the bar, you have no choice but to use dice rolls to re-enter them before you can do anything else.
The four quadrants and the center bar make up the sections of a backgammon board. You and your opponent get two quadrants that are on the half that's closest to each of you as you sit for a game. Your half is divided into two sections - your inner and outer board - that are separated by the center bar. And according to the rules, the bar's where your hit pieces are placed until they can re-enter on your opponent's inner board. And you inner board, in turn, is where your entire pieces must be on before you can start bearing them off the game board.