History
Origin
The main sources for determining the origin of trictrac are the treatises published since the 17th century:Jolyvet (1634)._ (1698, 1701, 1715). Jollivet (1634), in the earliest treatise on the history of the game knew nothing about its age or country of origin: The anonymous author of the second book on trictrac, published by Charpentier (1698, 1701, 1715) cites two possible countries, France and Germany (in fact, Vienna in Austria) as its origin and comes down in favour of France: Soumille (1738) and Fallavel (1776) do not tackle the subject nor do Guiton (1816) or Lelasseux-Lafosse who wrote the last major treatise in 1852.Soumille (1738).Fallavel (1776).Guiton (1816).Lelasseux-Lafosse (1852). Lepeintre (1818), without providing a source, advances the proposition that trictrac was introduced into France at the beginning of the 16th century: The treatises on trictrac do not go back before the early 17th century and searches of the literature are hampered by the fact that the word ''trictrac'' was also given to the board used for all tables games and modern versions of ancient texts have the word "trictrac" when it did not exist in the originals, any search on the word "trictrac" in its different spellings must be accompanied by that of expressions specific to the game. A poem entitled ''La Friquassée crotestyllonnée, des antiques modernes chansons'', the preface of which is dated 1557, notably takes up, sometimes playing on words, a large number of expressions of children's games, practised at the time inTic-tac and trictrac
Tic-tac or tick-tack is a game very close to trictrac, using some of its characteristic situations and features. The movement rules for the men are less restrictive, and points are not scored. As soon as a player achieves a winning game situation that player wins the ''partie''. It is thus a very fast game, a few minutes to a quarter of an hour of playing time, favouring bets and raising. Jollivet gives it the name of ''Petit Tricque-Trac '' and in contrast that of ''Grand Tricque-Trac'' to trictrac. He also writes that the former was not played by the French. It appears to have been played mainly in England where two authors give rules for it in the middle of the 17th century. Despite the obvious family link between the two games, no source confirms that tic-tac is either the precursor of trictrac or its successor.Spelling and etymology
Gaming material
Rules
Preparation
The allocation of the men and seating may be by mutual agreement or drawing lots. Once those are decided, the players place their men in three or fourVocabulary
Lead
Two methods were used to determine which of the two players would have the lead: * ''Coup et dés'': one of the players threw the dice from the cup against the opposing player's rail, calling "coup et dés". The player nearer the higher die went first, moving his men based on that first die roll. If a doublet was rolled or the two dice were the same distance from a player's rail, the dice were re-rolled in similar fashion. Thus player with the lead could never start with a doublet. However, the first move only required one dice throw. * Simultaneous roll: each player threw a die or both dice, in turn, and the one with the highest pip count had the lead and re-rolled the two dice for the first move of the ''partie''. This allowed both players the opportunity to start with a doublet, but meant there were three dice throws before the first turn started.Play
In turn, each player announces the pips on the dice rolled, then the points scored and finally moves the men. Once a man is touched, the player may not change the announced points and the opponent can 'send him to school' (i.e. award him or her a penalty) for any errors made. As soon as the men have been moved and before the next turn, the opponent must also score any points due from the current turn. If the opponent miscounts and rolls the dice for the next turn, the first player can send the opponent to school. A dice roll is a 'doublet' (''doublet'') if the two numbers are the same, and 'singletons' (''coup simple'') if they are different. Singletons are announced highest number first: e.g. "6 and 4" or "3 and A" (the 1 is always said to be Ace). The doublets have individual names: * doublet of Aces: ''bezas'' (diminutive of ''ambesas''), ''bezet''; * doublet of 2: double two (''doublet de deux''); * doublet of 3: ''ternes''; * doublet of 4: ''carmes''; * doublet of 5: ''quines''; * doublet of 6: ''sonnez'' ("ring the bells").Moves
The following rules apply to moving the men: * For each die a man may be moved by the number of points equal to the number of pips on the die. In order for a move to be possible, the end point must not be blocked by an opponent's man. * If a player decides to move a man the total number of pips on both dice, called "playing all on one" (''jouer tout d'une''), both the end point and the intermediate point or points must not be blocked by one or more adverse men. * A doublet is not played twice (as it is in backgammon). With a doublet, it is only possible to move a maximum of two men, each by the value of one die. * The rules on occupying rest corners and moving men on the return run must also be respected. * The overriding rule is that the pips of both dice must be used to move men when possible. If that is not possible, the higher one must be used if possible, otherwise the lower one. If neither can be used, a player misses a turn. * The rule "piece touched, piece moved" is mandatory unless the player has announced beforehand: "I dub" (''j'adoube''). Dubbing is used in trictrac to arrange men and can only be used to correct a misaligned man or move one slightly to see the colour of the point below. A "false hit" (''fausse case'') occurs when a man has been illegally moved. In the event of a false hit, the opponent may choose where the wrongly moved man is to be placed.Dice throws
Broken die
Today, a die is said to be "broken" (''cassé'') when it is severely tilted. This was not always the case: there was one rule for a broken die, and another for a cocked (tilted) die. The dice could break due because they were mostly made ofRest corners
A player's rest corner (''coin de repos'') is point number 11. Its occupation and release are subject to the following rules: * To place more than two men on a rest corner, the player whose corner it is must first take it with two men simultaneously. The rest corner may then receive extra men – one by one or two by two – during subsequent throws; * Taking the corner is not compulsory unless it is the only legal move possible; * To release the rest corner, all builders (extra men) are moved off first, and then the last two are removed on the same dice throw; * A player may retake the rest corner having released it; * A player may never take the opponent's rest corner; * An empty rest corner – of either player – may be used as an intermediate point when moving a man by the sum of two dice. There are two ways to take a rest corner: * "Naturally" (''naturellement'') by placing two men directly on it. This is also called taking it "by effect" (''par effet'') or "directly" (''directement''); * "By force" (''par puissance''), by being able to move two men directly to the unoccupied rest corner of the opponent. In the same turn, the player moves the two men to the opponent's rest corner and then immediately to his or her own rest corner. Further rules apply to taking the rest corner: * Extra men may be added to the rest corner by effect but not by force; * If a rest corner can be taken either naturally or by force, it must be taken naturally. * Taking a rest corner does not score. ''From a tactical point of view'', to have more chances of taking your rest corner, it is worth having one or two builders (extra men) on points 5 and 6 while the opponent's corner is still empty, but when the opponent has taken it, it is better not to have too many on point 6. Under these conditions, these builders enable a die throw of "six" to be used. These advantageous positions for taking the rest corner led players to call points 5 and 6 'bourgeois corner'.Points, holes and jans
A round (''partie entière'' or ''tour'') in trictrac is played over twelve holes (''parties simple'' or, more commonly, ''trous''). Each time a player scores one or more holes, the corresponding peg is moved along the side rail of the board. The first hole is marked at the base of the talon, the twelfth at the base of the rest corner. When the peg of either player reaches the twelfth hole, the match is over and that player wins. To score a hole a player must score twelve points. These points are earned in game situations called ''jans'', but also from bearing off all a player's men and from the opponent's point-counting errors called "schools" (''écoles''). Keeping track of the points scored is done on the board itself using three jetons, initially placed between the two talons against the end rail. This initial position corresponds to zero points.Point scoring
''Bredouille''
When a player starts from the talon and scores 12 points without the opponent scoring any, it is a 'lurch'Chambaud (1815), p. 55. and that player advances two holes. The lurch jeton – ''jeton de bredouille'' or simply ''bredouille'' – is a special jeton used to show when a lurch (double points) is on the cards. A player who scores points while the opponent remains on zero, is said to be 'on lurch' (''en bredouille'') and a player reaching twelve points before the opponent scores any "wins the lurch" (''gagne bredouille''). When one player scores 12 points while the other player's jeton is still on the talon, there is no need for the ''bredouille'' as it is obvious that the points have been scored without the other player getting off the mark. If, however, the first player does not reach 12 points, the second player may, in turn, be able to make a run of 12 and thus score two holes. In this case the first player's jeton will not be at the start, so to note that the second player is now 'on lurch', a second jeton, the '' 'bredouille' '', is placed alongside the first. If, subsequently, the first player were to score points before second player reaches 12, the lurch is no longer possible and the ''bredouille'' is returned to its starting point between the two talons. The second player has lost the opportunity for a lurch (''débredouille''). As the two players now each have only one jeton, whoever wins can only advance his peg one hole. The peg has to be moved forward by twelve holes to win a match of trictrac.Holding, going and games
A player winning a ''partie'' (i.e. reaching 12 points and scoring a hole) on his dice roll, has the choice between continuing the current game or starting a new one: * Holding, staying (''tenir, rester''): the player scores the remaining points and resets the opponent's to zero by replacing the opponent's jeton and, if deployed, the ''bredouille'', by the talon rail. The game continues with alternating turns and the opponent scores points acquired on the last move of the ''partie'' just ended. The decision may be announced with "I'm holding" (''je tiens'') or "I'm staying" (''je reste''); * Going, returning (''s'en aller, renvoyer''): the player places the three jetons by the talon rail, thus giving up his remaining points, and returning all men to the talon, the opponent doing likewise. The opponent cannot score any points gained on that go. The decision may be announced with "I'm going" (''je m'en vais'') or "I'm returning" (''je renvoie''). By going back the player acquires the privilege of the rolling first for the next move. Any declaration or action to stay or go must be acted upon and is not revocable. The period of play between two placements of the men on the talons is called a game (''relève''): * The first game runs from the start of the whole round to the first 'return' (''renvoi''), which is when the player chooses to "go" and start a new game; * The following ones go from one return to the next; * The last game runs from the last return to the end of the round; There is another type of return which is not related to a player's decision but to the bearing off of the men.Pavilion
Winnings
The game of trictrac was usually played for money and winning a round was valued at a multiple of the stake agreed between the players. The multiplier depended on the scoring scheme chosen: The oldest: * winning a normal game is worth a single stake. * winning a lurch pays double; The second: * winning a normal game if the opponent has crossed the bridge (''passé le pont'') is a single stake. * winning a normal game if the opponent has not crossed the bridge is pays 1½ times the stake; * winning a lurch pays double; The last one described in the 19th century: * winning a normal game if the opponent has reached the sixth hole is worth a single stake; * winning a normal game if the opponent has not reached the sixth hole pays double; * winning a lurch with the flag pays triple; * winning a lurch without the flag pays quadruple. This method is more attractive because it gives the trailing player a chance to reduce the opponent's winnings up to the end. Nowadays, the stake is 1 point and a player's winnings are counted as a number of points depending on the method chosen.Rare jans
Jans are point scoring feats. 'Rare' jans (''jans rare'') can only be achieved at the very start of a game (''relève''). The actual score depends on whether the dice throw resulted in two singletons or a doublet. There are five rare jans: # ''Jan de trois coups'' or ''jan de six tables'' #: Feat: awarded when the first three dice rolls allow the player to place one man on each of the six points after the talon. #: Score: 4 points. Note: it cannot be achieved with a doublet. #: Move: to score the player does not actually have to move the last two men to line them up with the first four. This jan can thus be scored 'by force' (''puissance''). # ''Jan de deux tables'' #: Feat: awarded if, having only moved two men out of the talon, the dice roll allows one man to be moved to the player's rest corner and the other to the opponent's empty rest corner. #: Score: 4 points if achieved with singletons (two different die scores) or 6 points with a doublet. #: Move: The rules on the occupation of resting corners prohibit actually making this move, so it is a 'force jan'. # ''Contre-jan de deux tables'' #: Feat: same as ''jan de deux tables'' but the opponent occupies his rest corner. #: Score: opponent scores 4 points (singleton) or 6 points (doublet). #: Move: same as ''jan de deux tables''. # ''Jan de mézéas'' #: Feat: awarded when, having released only two men from the talon which occupy his resting corner while that of the opponent is empty, the player rolls one or two aces. #: Score: 4 points (singleton) or 6 points (doublet). #: Move: same as ''jan de deux tables''. # ''Contre-jan de mezeas'' #: Feat: same as ''jan de mézéas'' but the opponent is already in his corner of rest. #: Score: the opponent earns 4 points (singleton) or 6 points (doublet). #: Move: same as ''jan de deux tables''.Filling jans
Hitting opponent's men
When one of a player's dice would enable a move onto a point occupied by the opponent with just one man, that man is said to be "hit". A man is hit directly if the distance to the opposing man equals the number of pips on one die, or indirectly if the distance equals the sum of the pips on both dice. In trictrac, a hit man remains in place and the one that hit cannot join it because the movement rules don't allow it. Hitting an opponent's man is therefore always done 'by force'. A man can be hit in two ways: # it is a good or true hit (''battue à vrai'') if the man is a) hit directly, or b) hit indirectly and the intermediate point is not occupied by more than one opposing man; # it is a false hit (''battue à faux'') if it is indirectly hit and the intermediate point is occupied by two or more opposing men. A man can suffer a true hit in up to three ways on a singleton throw, once or twice directly and once indirectly, and in either one or two ways on a doublet throw, once directly and once indirectly. It can never be falsely hit except in one way. For each way the opponent's man can be hit, the player earns the relevant points (see below). A man that suffers a true hit cannot suffer a false hit and vice versa, but in the same throw there can be a true hit and a false hit. A true hit earns the player: * by a singleton in either ''grand jan'' quarter, 2 points; * by a doublet in either ''grand jan'', 4 points; * by a singleton in either ''petit jan'', 4 points; * by a doublet in either ''petit jans'', 6 points. A false hit earns the same points for the opponent as per the table above. The points gained by the player who rolled the dice are scored before any false hits are scored by the opponent, so that if the player who made the true hit wins a ''partie'' and "goes", thus ending the current game, his opponent can no longer score the points for false hits. ''From a tactical point of view'', the occupation of point no. 10 at the start of a game may prove hazardous, reducing the chances of making a ''grand jan'' and being able to hit the opponent's men. Its situation close to the return run, giving more possibilities to 'truly hit' the opponent's men in the ''petit jan'' quarter, often makes it the preferred point for beginners in trictrac despite the risks involved, which has led the players to christen it the "schoolchildren's point". Circumstances, in particular when the opponent is the only one to have taken his rest corner, can make the occupation of the point no. 10 favourable.Hitting opponent's corner
While a player may not occupy the adverse rest corner, it is possible to 'hit the corner' (''battre le coin''). To do so, the player's own rest corner must be taken and the opponent's rest corner must be empty. Subject to these preconditions if, on a dice roll a player can 'virtually' move two men to the opponent's rest corner, the corner is hit. All the men able to move directly into the opponent's rest corner are eligible to participate in the hitting, except those occupying the player's rest corner. For the latter, only the builders (extra men) can contribute. Hitting the opposite corner earns the player 4 points on a singleton throw and 6 points for a doublet. These points are gained by force, the opponent's corner can never actually be occupied. The opponent's corner is never falsely hit, so if both corners are occupied, neither player is able to hit the opponent's.Bonus and powerless jans
Bearing off
A player who has moved all men to the last quarter, may 'bear off' i.e. take them off the board. However, the rules of filling and its preservation must be respected concerning the ''jan de retour''. Two methods of bearing off coexisted: * The 'provincial' or slow method; * The 'Parisian' or quick method. The quick method prevailed. It is the same as in Backgammon and follows these rules: * The end rail next to the talons is considered as a point; * A man landing on the rail is borne off; * A die roll greater than that necessary to move the furthest man to the rail is said to be 'overshooting' (''excédant'') and allows this man to be borne off; * If it is not possible to bear a man off, the player has to make normal board moves. Being the first player to bear off fifteen men scores 4 points (singleton) or 6 points (doublet). If on the last move there is only one man left to go out and the amount of one die is sufficient, it does not affect the scoring and the second die is ignored. Once the points have been scored, the two players replace the men on the opposite talons. They therefore change the colour of their men with each game. If no hole was immediately won, the points acquired are retained by both players. The privilege of starting the next game goes to the one who bore his men off first. The provincial method consisted in playing all that was playable on the board and only the men furthest from the talon were allowed to be borne off if the dice permitted. An exception was that a player who had made a ''jan de retour'' could preserve it by taking out his extra men if they could be moved exactly onto the end rail. The player could 'preserve by privilege' (''conserver par privilège'') in this way up to three times.Obsolete jans
Three ways to score points were abandoned in the first half of the 17th century: # ''Jan de rencontre'' ("En man Jan") #: Feat: it could only occur on the very first move of the round made by the second player. If the latter obtained the same result of the dice as the first player, there was a ''jan de rencontre''. This was justified by a concern for fairness by trying to restore the odds between the player who had obtained the lead by chance and his opponent. The ''jan de rencontre'' was not possible during the following games since the lead was not due to chance but to play. #: Score: 4 points (singleton) or 6 points (doublet).. # ''Margot la fendue'' ("Saucy Margot") #: Feat: This saucy expression, meaning a woman of low virtue, was attributed to an opponent’s way of scoring points. When, on his roll of the dice, a player had a man on an empty point between two isolated men, half-points, of the opponent, it was a ''Margot la fendue''. #: Score: the opponent scores 2 points (singleton) and 4 points (doublet). # ''La pile de misère'' ("The pile of misery") #: Feat: a player who stacks 15 men on his or her rest corner due to an opponent's blocking the return run, this was a 'pile of misery' or 'pile of misfortune' (''pile de malheur''). This jan was extremely rare and intended to make an adversary open the way. #: Score: the player scores 4 points (singleton) and 6 points (doublet). Preserving the misery pile scored the same. Today, these three jans can be played optionally by agreement between the players before the start of the round.Scoring summary table
The following summary table is based on Lalanne:''Trictrac''Game structure
A game of trictrac breaks down into elements or events: * The round (''tour'') or match (''partie entière'') is made up of one or more games totalling 12 holes; * A game (''relève'') = one or more parties. It starts when all men are returned to the talon because: :: – a player "goes" having won a partie; :: – a player bears off all his men; * A partie (''partie'' or ''partie simple'') is when a player scores one or more holes; * A hole (''trou'' aka ''partie simple'') is obtained by scoring twelve points;Return run
The return run (''jeu de retour'') begins when one of the players moves at least one of his men to the opponent's side. The movement of the men is restricted by the rules of the passage on the return run: * A player may not move any man onto the return run as long as the opponent has the chance of making a ''petit jan''; * When the opponent can no longer make a ''petit jan'' but is still able to make a ''grand jan'', men may not be placed in the third quarter, but any free points may be used to move men to the last quarter; * When the opponent can no longer achieve a ''petit jan'' or a ''grand jan'', the player may place his men on any free point of the 'return run' with the exception of the rest corner which can only be used, if empty, as an intermediate point.Enfilade
An enfilade is a significant run of successful holes in succession in a single game, typically about five to six holes in a row. It is the most sought after achievement in trictrac. It is the source of the French expression, now vulgar, 'to be enfiladed' (''être enfilé'' or ''se faire enfiler''). It is most often realised when a player has made a ''grand jan'' while having three extra men far enough back to preserve it as long as possible and to score false hits, and at the same time the opponent can no longer make his own ''grand jan'' leaving gaps for the opposing extra men. To avoid being enfiladed, it is important to plan for it and sacrifice several holes to get the opponent to "go" and not lose the "turn" on the enfilade.Lepeintre (1818), p. 102: "So we're enfiladed. This expression has passed around the world and in the familiar style."Infringements
False hit
When a player makes an illegal move, it is a "false hit" (''fausse case''). Generally speaking, a player is never allowed to retract a move. Picking up the men always signifies that you are 'going' after winning a ''partie''. A player cannot make a false hit by hitting his opponent's men. False hits occur when: # a man has been moved by a number of points that do not match the value of one of the dice; # a man has been moved to a point beyond the one where it should have been moved for the sum of the two dice; # the rest corner was taken by force when it could have been taken by effect; # a quarter was not filled when it could have been; # a filled quarter was not preserved when it could have been; # the rules of passage on the return run were not respected in that a man was played into a quarter that the opponent could still fill; # a player has placed a single man in either of the rest corners. Due to the "piece touched, piece played" rule, it is not always necessary for a man to have actually been moved for a false hit to occur. One just has to work out where it can end up. The rule "piece released, piece played" prohibits the player from changing the situation once the man has been let go of. All false hits must be corrected by the opponent in accordance with the rules of movement. The opponent is only master of those men that contributed to the wrong move. The treatment of the false hit depends on the situation: # A man has been moved a number of points that do not match the value of one of the dice: #: – If a man is placed on a point that does not correspond to any of the moves allowed by the dice, the opponent may leave the man where it is, or move it to where it should have gone; #: – If two men were wrongly played together, the opponent can leave them where they are or rectify the position of one or both men, by moving them by the minimum amount allowable by the values of the dice. The opponent can also return the two men to their initial position and have only one played for the sum of the two dice. # A man has been placed on a point beyond where it should have been for the sum of the two dice: #: – If it is the first man and the second has not yet been touched, the two dice are considered played and the opponent can prohibit the movement of a second man leaving the first as it is or by correcting its position for the sum of the two dice; #: – If two men have been played, one legally, the opponent may leave the other as it is or rectify the incorrectly played one based on the value of the second die. # A player took the rest corner by power when it could have been taken by effect: #: – The opponent can return a man to its original place and have the other moved for the sum of the two dice, subject to the rules around the return run; #: – If that is not possible, the opponent must return the two men to their original places and let the offender move as desired. However, the player is not allowed to take the rest corner on this go unless no other solution is possible. # If a player has not filled a quarter when able, his opponent has the choice of leaving things as they are or forcing the player to fill it. The false hit is counted the instant a man is touched and the quarter can no longer be filled. In addition, the offender is 'sent to school'. # If a player did not preserve quarter when able, the opponent can leave things as they are or let the offender replay as desired without breaking the quarter. The false hit is counted the instant the breaking man is touched. In addition, the offending player is sent to school. # The rules of passage on the return run have not been respected: #: – If a player has moved a man on the return run into a quarter (''petit jan'' or ''grand jan'') that the opponent could still fill, the latter must if possible make the offender replay correctly #: – If, however, the offender realises his mistake before the opponent rolls the dice, it may be corrected without penalty; #: – If neither player has seen the false hit in the third quarter and the opponent only realises it after having thrown the dice, the offender may be forced to play the offending man on the next turn into the last quarter. But once this next move is over, or the ''grand jan'' is no longer possible, the opponent can no longer enforce this; #: – If neither player has seen the false hit in the fourth quarter, the opponent having rolled his dice, it is no longer possible to take action; #: – If a player has touched a man that ends up in his empty rest corner or that of the opponent, the latter may force the player to move this man to the return run if that is possible or else let the player rethrow and replay as desired. # If a player has placed a single man in either empty rest corner, the opponent cannot leave it as it is and must have it replayed legally. If this is not possible the opponent simply puts it back in its original place and lets the player move another man. The strict rules governing false hits are due to the fact that points scored by the dice roll affect the opponent as well as the player who rolled.Schools
See also
*Footnotes
References
Literature
;Treatises on trictrac: * de Jollivet, Euverte, sieur de Votilley (1656), ''L’Excellent Jeu du Tricque-trac'', Paris: Jean Promé's widow, revision of the new 1st edn. of 1634).External links