by David Levy
updated May 10, 1998
Finally, some scoring! With five-two, Cloris is able the single checker on Damon's six point from her coin. She scores four points by moving one of the small markers along her side of the board. She then makes the eight point with checkers from her three and six points.
The play, scoring and checker movement involve many new ideas detailed below.
To hit with the sum, one of the intermediate points must be free. For example, if Damon had a blot on his four point in the diagram above, Cloris would not be able to hit with a six-three, as both the seven and ten points are blocked. This is known as battre a faux and is actually worth points to Damon. Cloris could hit with a five-four.
Hitting a blot in the opponent's petit jan (points one through six) is four points each way par simple up to three ways (one for each die and one for the sum). It is worth six points each way par doublet up to two ways.
Hitting a blot in the grand jan (points seven through twelve) is worth two points each way without doubles and four each way with doubles. We don't need to worry about the other tables in the jeu ordinaire.
A marker between the second and third points indicates a score of two, between the fourth and fifth points, four. A marker is moved to the left of the center bar to indicate six and to the right for eight. Ten points are marked at the extreme right of the board.
If a player wins the game with twelve points in a row, the player scores a partie bredouille and wins two games. Otherwise the player wins a partie simple or single game. A player can win a partie bredouille by scoring the first twelve points. The second to score can win a partie bredouille by scoring twelve consecutive points after the first player scores.
Suppose Cloris scores two points then Damon scores two. Cloris can no longer win a double game. If Cloris scores next, Damon can no longer win a double game.
The jetons are used to keep track of score and the possibility of a double game. The first player to score uses a single jeton to mark the score. If the second player scores before the first player reaches twelve, he uses two jetons to mark the score. Then, if the first player scores before the second reaches twelve, he removes one of the two jetons that mark the opponent's score.
Cloris will not actually move a checker from her coin to Damon's six point. In trictrac we distinguish between mouvements effectifs and mouvements par puissance. Mouvements effectifs are actual movements of checkers corresponding to numbers thrown on the dice. A player can only hit a blot par puissance meaning that the player rolls a number which equals the number of points to the blot, but does not (in fact cannot) make the play. Many of the scoring plays are par puissance.
(diagram repeated for convenience)
After Cloris scores four points for hitting on the six point, she moves to checkers to the eight point.
Damon rolls two-two.
