The Game of Jacquet

I. Oldest Known Rules

1. Equipment

- a board with 24 points, called spaces, grouped into four quadrants of 6 points;

- 15 dark checkers and 15 light checkers;

- 2 dice (the players use the same dice);

- 2 dice cups (one per player) for throwing the dice.

The board is called a tablier in the sense that it holds the tables (an old name for checkers). The game of Jacquet is thus part of the family of table games.

A Backgammon set is suitable, even though the traditional Jacquet board has no bordering trough for storing checkers.

2. Starting Position

Each player places their checkers as shown in the figure below:

3. Movement of the Checkers

The white and black checkers move in the same counter-clockwise direction:

- the white checkers follow the circuit: quadrant I, quadrant II, quadrant III, and quadrant IV;

- the black checkers follow the circuit: quadrant III, quadrant IV, quadrant I, and quadrant II.

4. Object of the Game

To bring one's 15 checkers into the fourth quadrant of the circuit:

- quadrant IV for the white checkers;

- quadrant II for the black checkers.

Then to be the first to bear off all 15 checkers from the board

5. Priority for the Dice

To determine which player will throw the dice for the first move of the game :

- each player throws one die;

- whoever scores higher takes up both dice to throw them and begin the game.

6. Validity of the Dice

- if on a throw of the dice, at least one of them falls off the board or lands on one of the borders, the throw must be completely redone;

- if a die ends up tilted and the players cannot agree on the value shown, the throw must be completely redone. If one of the players maintains that the die is good, they may perform a test consisting of placing another die on top of the die being tested: if the test die slides off, the dice must be re-thrown; otherwise the throw is deemed good. This test may only be performed by the player claiming that the die is good, and not by whoever disputes it ;

- dice that land flat on top of checkers are good.

7. Moving the Checkers

a) On a simple throw (the 2 dice show different numbers) one may:

- either move one checker by the value of one die and a second checker by the value of the other die;

- or move a single checker by the value of one of the two dice, then from that resting position move the same checker again by the value of the second die. It is essential to mark a brief pause on the intermediate point.

b)  On a double (the value of each of the two dice is the same)

- one plays the value of one die 4 times, which allows moving anywhere from one to four checkers;

- if one moves a single checker by 2 to 4 times the value of a die, one must always mark a brief pause on each intermediate point.

c) « Checker touched: checker played »

- a player who, after throwing the dice, takes it upon themselves to touch at least one of their checkers may be forced by their opponent to play it, if it can legally be played;

- however, one may touch one of one's checkers without being obliged to play it, if one has beforehand announced « j'adoube! » ("I adjust!"). One may, however, only use this to arrange one's checkers and in no way to try out a possible move.

8. Names Given to the Doubles

Old-time players used to announce doubles as follows :
Double of  :
6: « Sonnés » ("Rung")
5: « Quines »
4: « Carmes »
3: « Ternes »
2: « Double deux » ("Double two")
Ace: « Bezas »

9. Obligation to Play the Higher Die

- if one can play either of the two dice, but not both, one is required, if possible, to play the higher one. This is why, after the dice are thrown, one must announce the dice starting with the higher one (for example « 4 and 2 » and not « 2 and 4 »). Note in passing that "1" is not called « one » but « Ace ».

- in the case of a double one must play as many points as possible (while remaining, of course, within a whole multiple of the value of one die).

10. Movement of the First of the Fifteen Checkers

- the first of each player's fifteen checkers must travel by landing on each point along the way;

- once this first checker has entered the last quadrant, it is placed at the base of the point it has reached;

- the fourteen other checkers of each player are not required to travel by landing on each point along the way.

11. Restriction on Moving the Checkers

- a checker may neither stop nor even rest (which is why one marks a pause without letting go of the checker) on a point occupied by at least one of the opponent's checkers. It may, however, do so on a point that is empty or occupied by one or more checkers of one's own colour;

- as long as a player has not brought the first of their fifteen checkers into the last quadrant of their circuit, they may not play any of their 14 other checkers.

This first checker bore no particular name in the earliest rules written at the start of the 19th century. It was only later, after 1850, that players gave it the name courrier ("courier") or, more often, that of postillon ("postilion"). These were terms from players' slang.

12. Bearing Off the Checkers

Once all 15 checkers have entered the last quadrant, they are borne off the board following these rules:

- the constraints of the general rules for moving checkers, and that of having to play the higher die, still apply;

- in this phase, the outer border of the board is treated as an additional point;

- any checker that reaches the outer border by the value of the dice (either one or the sum of both) is borne off the board;

- it is not, however, forbidden to move another checker within the board if it is to one's advantage (generally to hinder the passage of a delayed opposing checker);

- in the case where the value of a die is greater than the furthest position of one's checkers from the outer border, one bears off one of the furthest checkers (for example if the value of the die is 5, and one has no checker at a distance of either 6 or 5, one bears off a checker at a distance of 4 or, failing that, 3, and so on)

13. Blocking the Opponent's Checkers

When one occupies six adjacent points, one creates a block that completely halts the progress of the opponent's trailing checkers. This block may be created anywhere on the board and is intended to slow the opponent's advance. 

In the oldest rules of the game, no ban on blocking is mentioned.

14. Winning the Game

- the player who has borne off all 15 checkers while their opponent had begun to bear off theirs scores 1 point;

- the player who has borne off all 15 checkers while their opponent had not yet begun to bear off theirs scores 2 points.

II. Advanced Rules

The following rules were introduced to speed up the flow of the game and give it a greater tactical interest.

1. Forbidden Blocks

- a complete block (with six consecutive points occupied) of the postilion's path is forbidden;

- a complete block of the path of the opponent's other checkers by occupying the six points of the first quadrant, including the talon, is forbidden until one has succeeded in bringing at least one of one's own checkers to the last point of the last quadrant of the circuit, and even then, but this must be the subject of an agreement between the two players before starting the game, another checker on the second-to-last point. Note that J. Léchalet (see references at the bottom of the page) strongly recommends adopting this option in order to encourage a better dynamic in the game.

2. Bearing Off the Checkers

- the same rules are followed as in the original version, but the checkers, instead of being placed outside the board, are stored on the opponent's starting point (the location of their talon);

- as a result, as long as the opponent has left even a single one of their checkers on their talon, one cannot bear off any checker, even if it reaches the side border, which is no longer considered an additional point for bearing off checkers;

- during this blockage, it can happen that one is unable to play the dice rolled. One then passes one's turn, as with any blockage.

3. Winning the Game

The player who has borne off their 15 checkers first wins:

- 1 point if their opponent had begun to bear off at least one of their checkers;

But if the opponent had begun to bear off their checkers:

- 2 points, if they have all their checkers in their fourth quadrant;

- 3 points, if they still have checkers in their third quadrant, but none in the second or the first;

- 4 points, if they still have checkers in their second quadrant, but not in the first;

- 5 points, if they still have checkers in their first quadrant (that of their talon).

This system helps preserve interest in the game right to the end, by giving the losing player the chance to minimize their losses. One may, however, stick to the original system, limited to winning a single or double game.

In players' slang, the checkers not borne off by the loser were called the little pigs.

III. The Moultezim

This Turkish table game, bearing the name once given in Turkey to the collectors, usually usurers, of land taxes, closely resembles the game of Jacquet. It differs only in the two points that follow.

1. The First Checker

In Jacquet, it must have reached the fourth quadrant before the other checkers can be played. In Moultezim, this same checker need only reach the third quadrant for the other checkers to be able to be played. 

2. Blocking in the First Quadrant

In modern Jacquet, this block is conditional (one checker brought to the last point and, optionally, another on the second-to-last point). In Moultezim, blocking in the first quadrant is always forbidden (one must permanently leave one of one's first six points free for the passage of the opponent's checkers).       

References

P.M. Lepeintre, Cours complet de Trictrac avec un abrégé du Gammon, du Jacquet et du Garanguet, chez Guillaume, Paris, 1818.

J. Léchalet, Le Jacquet, le Backgammon, le Tric-Trac, le Solitaire, éditions Bornemann, Paris, 1978.

Information about this page

Published online on 19 August 2003
Proofread and reformatted on 29 November 2021

Author : Philippe LALANNE

Le Salon des jeux - Académie des jeux oubliés

 

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