Laquet is an historical Castilian

tables game Tables games are a class of board game that includes backgammon and which are played on a tables board, typically with two rows of 12 vertical markings called points. Players roll dice to determine the movement of pieces. Tables games are among ...

that was described as a new game in the 13th century. It may be the ancestor of Jacquet. Unlike

Backgammon Backgammon is a two-player board game played with counters and dice on tables boards. It is the most widespread Western member of the large family of tables games, whose ancestors date back nearly 5,000 years to the regions of Mesopotamia and Pe ...

and most other tables games, it has an asymmetrical starting position; only three of the four quadrants are used and the pieces may not be 'hit'.''Laquet''
at the ''Salon des Jeux''. Retrieved 12 November 2021.

History

Laquet is described in the ''

Libro de los Juegos The ''Libro de los juegos'' (Spanish: "Book of games"), or ''Libro de axedrez, dados e tablas'' ("Book of chess, dice and tables", in Old Spanish), was a Spanish language, Spanish translation of Arabic texts on chess, dice and Tables games, tabl ...

'', a game book written for King Alfonso of Castile between 1251 and 1283. It was described as being a "new game". It shares with the much later French game of Jacquet the

ludeme A ludeme is "an element of play" within a card game or board game, as distinct from an "instrument of play" which forms part of the equipment with which a game is played. An example of a ludeme is the L-shaped movement of a knight in chess, whereas ...

, unusual for games of the

tables family Tables games are a class of board game that includes backgammon and which are played on a tables board, typically with two rows of 12 vertical markings called points. Players roll dice to determine the movement of pieces. Tables games are among ...

that an isolated hostile man may not be 'hit'. It may therefore be ancestral to Jacquet. Golladay translates the name of the game as "Quest."

Equipment

The game was played on a tables board of 24 points (such as a

board) using 30 pieces or 'men' of two different colours, two dice and two dice cups.

Starting position

Both players start in the first quadrant at the bottom right (see picture). The board is dressed asymmetrically as follows (see illustration) assuming Player A (white) is at the bottom and Player B (black) is at the top: *Player A (white) places one man in the outer corner of the third quadrant, top left, and three on each point in the first quadrant with the exception of the leftmost, which only has two white men, and the rightmost which has none. *Player B (black) places one men at the top right (his or her bottom left) and stacks the remainder on the vacant corner point in the first quadrant.

Rules

The following rules are based on Alfonso (1251-1283) except where stated:Alfonso X (1251-1283), game no. 11.

Aim

The aim of Laquet is to move all one's men to the third quadrant and be first to bear them all off.

Direction of march

Both players move their men anti-clockwise and white always leads.

Validity of the dice

The dice are good if they land within the board and on one face. If a die comes out of the board or lands on one of its rails it is invalid. If a die is cocked and players disagree on its validity or value, the player insisting it is good may place a test die on top and, if it stays in place, the die is good, otherwise it is invalid. If either die is invalid, both dice must be rethrown.

Movement

On each throw of the dice the player may: * Move one man by the total pip count, resting on the intermediate point * Move two men: one by the count on one die and the second man by the count on the other. Doublets do not score double. A man may not be placed on a point occupied by an opposing man, nor rest on an intermediate point so occupied. If a die cannot be played by the thrower, the opponent may play it instead if able.

Bearing off

Once all fifteen men have entered the third (and, in this game, last) quadrant, the player may begin bearing them off. For this purpose: * The rail counts as an additional point. * A man that can reach the rail by the exact throw of a die may be borne off the board. * Men may also be played within the exit quadrant if the die throw permits. * If a die score is higher than the distance from a player's farthest man to the rail, that man may be borne off.

Footnotes

References

Literature

* King Alfonso X (1251-1283). ''El Libro de los Juegos'' The Book of Games"

External links

''Laquet''
by Philippe Lalanne at th

{{Tables games Historical tables games Spanish board games