Chouette: A Social and Beginner-Friendly Variation of Backgammon
Chouette is a variation of backgammon that is ideal for beginners as it gives poorer players a better chance of winning. This is because even a good player can lose a high game and end up spending the rest of the session trying to make up for their loss. This can be frustrating for skilled players who may feel like they are not able to use their abilities to their full advantage.
Chouette is also a more social form of backgammon as it involves three or four players. In the case of four players, one player rolls the die to determine who is “in the box” and who is the “captain.” The third and fourth highest rolls determine the order of play.
The man in the box plays against the other three players, and if he loses a one-point game, he loses one point to each of them. If he wins, each of the other three players loses one point to him. This format makes chouette a fun and engaging way to play backgammon with friends or acquaintances.
In Chouette, if the man in the box wins, he moves on to play the next highest die player who becomes the captain. If he loses, the captain takes his place and the former man in the box becomes the low man.
The captain can ask for advice from his partners in making his moves, but ultimately has the final say in decision making. The man in the box plays alone and cannot consult with others. The captain can offer a double, which can be accepted or rejected by the man in the box.
Similarly, a double offered by the man in the box can be accepted or rejected by any of his partners. If the captain declines a double but his partners accept it, the captain loses whatever count existed before the double to the man in the box. The next player in line becomes the captain if the previous captain loses.
Chouette is typically played with no more than four players, as adding more players reduces the fun of the game since no one player gets to play frequently enough. Additional players joining the game at any time enter at the bottom of the line.
