Trictrac

History of the play

The trictrac is a board game which was sails very about it in France with the XVII {{E}} and 18th centuries, at the court and in the aristocratic mediums. He knew a rebirth during the Restauration before almost disappearing at the end of the 19th century. He belongs to the games of chance reasoned such as the backgammon which was known in France under name all tables or the jacquet, much simpler and which appeared only towards 1800 if one takes for reference the first known rule going back to 1818.

The oldest treaty on the trictrac was written by Euverte de Jollyvet in 1634 with an aim of standardizing the rules of the game which were to be transmitted then by Oral tradition. Since this date, only of the minor modifications were brought and the rules knew a great stability as one can note it with the reading of the various treaties of the bibliography. One of the authors had already made the observation in 1818 of it: “It is constant that it has been a hundred and fifty years that one plays it like one does it now, without its rules undergoing important variations. ”

The last consequent treaty was published in 1852 under Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte.

Seniority and geographic origin of the play of trictrac

The independent sources to determine the seniority and the geographic origin of the trictrac, as a specific Set of tables, are the treaties contained in the bibliography:

Euverte de Jollyvet in the first treaty of the history of the play of trictrac (1634 and several republications during the 17th century), written anything to know neither of the seniority play of trictrac nor of its country of consignment:

There are spirits which to appear erudite, enjoy to seek the antiquity of the things, thousand years before that they were found, but it is only one very useless vanity, I do not say inept. As for the antiquity of the play of tricque-trac, I could not say it, I acknowledge my ignorance, and afraid to be blamed, well know I am not that one will have fun today to seek the titles and movements of the true nobility, that not those of the antiquity of this play, which old or new, French or foreign must be held for most excellent of all the plays of good the company| Excellent Play of the tricque-trac , widowed Jean Promé, Paris, 1656, p. 8-9.

the anonymous author of the second treaty of the trictrac, published in Charpentier (1698, 1701, 1715), does not take party as for the seniority of the play and at its origin if it is not that it quotes two possible countries, France and Germany (makes of it, Vienna), and that it gives his feeling in favor of France:

I will not say anything the antiquity of this play and I will not undertake to decide if they are French or the Germans who were the inventors. I know that there were people who gave this glory to the Germans and whom several others allotted it to the French. But I believe that if one judges some by what appears to us daily, one is determined easily in favor of the French, and whom one will agree that one plays better this good game at the court of France that to that of Vienna| the Play of the trictrac as one plays it today , Charpentier, Paris, 1715, p. 1-2.

Laurent Soumille in 1738 and 1756 in the third treaty, and Fallavel in 1776 in the fourth, do not tackle the subject, not more than Guiton, author of the first treaty of the 19th century, 1816 and 1822, nor Julien Lelasseux-Lafosse that of the last treaty of importance in 1852.

Pierre-Marie-Michel Lepeintre, author of the second treaty of the 19th century, in 1818, does not bring more information, but it advances without providing source on the fact that it would have been introduced in France at the beginning of the 16th century:

One does not know with the Juste where this particular species of trictrac goes up, itself, nor at which time it was introduced in France. It would result only from the reading of our authors, that it has not been three centuries that it was brought on our premises, and it is constant that it has been a hundred and fifty years that one plays it like one does it now, without its rules undergoing important variations| complete Course of trictrac , Guillaume, Paris, 1818, p. 13.

Treaties written on the trictrac not allowing to go up further the beginning from the 17th century, it is necessary to turn to the Littérature to seek indices there but as the word trictrac was also given to the apron used for all the sets of tables and than of the modern versions of old texts reveal the word trictrac which did not exist in the originals, the scan for the word trictrac in its various orthographies must be accompanied by that of expressions specific to the play.

One of the surest texts makes go up the origin of the practice of the play of trictrac at the latest with 1557. It is about a piece of poetry entitled the crotestyllonnée Fricassee, modern antiques songs which begins again in particular, while sometimes exploiting the words, a great number of expressions of plays of which three come from the play of trictrac:

Large Jan, small Jan
Margot the adit, and all its people.

Tick-tock and trictrac

The tick-tock or tick-tack is a play very close to the trictrac, using part of its characteristic situations and the other specific ones. The rules of displacement of the ladies are less constraining, and the points are not counted. As soon as an outstanding situation of play is obtained by a player, it gains the part. It is thus about a very fast play, a few minutes with fifteen minutes of time of play, supporting the bets and the renvis.

Euverte de Jollyvet gives him name of small tricque-trac and by opposition that of large tricque-trac to the trictrac. He writes also quil was not played by the French.

He especially appears to be played in England where two authors give of them rules in the middle of the 17th century.

In spite of the obvious family ties between the two plays, no source makes it possible to affirm that the tick-tock is the precursor of the trictrac nor that it is a regression.

Orthographies and etymology of the word trictrac

The word trictrac knew several Orthographe S: tricque-trac , cudgel-trac , triquetrac, trictrac and more rarely tric trac or tric-trac that one finds in the literature. Nowadays, only the three last orthographies are used, the others having fallen for a long time in disuse.

As regards the etymology, today, it is mainly allowed that the word trictrac is a Onomatopée. However, all are not of the same opinion.

Euverte de Jollyvet, first author on the play of trictrac (1634), estimates that the word trictrac is an onomatopoeia before requiring of the reader to be satisfied of this linguistic origin considering “the subject is a play and not a science”:

Play of tricque-trac as I estimate for probable, comes from noise which is done without remedy in the exercise of the play, with the displacement and placement of the ladies, which in their movement make a sound continual, who seem to say to the ear Tric and Trac, or as aucuns calls it Tic and TAC, which are words really put in the sound even; with the result that this onomatopoeia can pass for true and naive definition| Excellent Play of the tricque-trac , widowed Jean Promé, Paris, 1656, p. 6.

the anonymous author of the second treaty, published in Carpenter (1698, 1701, 1715), prefers another etymology which the onomatopoeia and proposes a Greek origin, nobler and erudite:

As for the name of this play, several claim that it comes to him from the noise which is done by throwing the dice, stirring up the ladies, because this noise returns a sound which seems to repeat without delay Tric Trac or Tic TAC. But I would like better, with the example of a person who knew the play in perfection, to give him a nobler origin, and draws it as him from the two Greek words Τρις-Τραχυς which one can write in vulgar letter Tris Trakus and which means three times difficult to play and include/understand| the Play of the trictrac as one plays it today , in Charpentier, Paris, 1715, p. 4.

Laurent Soumille in 1738 and 1756 in the third treaty, affirms while quoting most known of the lexicographers that the word trictrac is an onomatopoeia:

The trictrac of which I undertake here to give the rules, draws its name from the noise which the ladies, the dice, and the horns make. Furetière, Richelet and the '' universal Dictionnaire '' of Trévoux does not give him other etymology| Large Trictrac , Giffart, Paris, 1756, p. 1.

Fallavel in 1776 in the fourth treaty, is most direct: “the play draws its name from the noise which one makes while playing there. ”

Guiton, author of the first treaty of the 19th century, in 1816 and 1822, does not tackle the subject.

Lepeintre, author, in 1818, of the second treaty of the XIXe century, takes initially a distance with respect to the onomatopoeia before adopting it:

One found nothing until now of some on the etymology of the word trictrac. Most erudite Scholiaste S of the seventeenth century thinks that this word was formed by onomatopoeia, of the noise which the dice and the ladies make; it was the opinion of Ménage, Furetière and Pasquier. This opinion appears founded to me on the very truth| complete Course of trictrac , Guillaume, Paris, 1818, p. 13.

Lelasseux-Lafosse, polytechnician and author of the last treaty of importance of the XIXe century, in 1852, quotes the two assumptions previously advanced without taking party:

Many people think that the trictrac car its name of the noise which the dice, the ladies and the horns make; others say that this name comes from two Greek words which mean three times difficult . | Play of the trictrac made easy , Ledoyen, Paris, 1852, t. 1, p. 2.

It comes out from this chronological succession of quotations that nothing comes to support any of the two theses. If that on the Greek origin appears complex, that of the onomatopoeia although tempting is not less dubious and should be used only with reserves. However another old definition of the word trictrac tends to reinforce the assumption of the onomatopoeia, trictrac being also the name given to the 17th century, century with a hunting for beaten:

Trictrac, is as, a term of hunting, and means one beaten as one makes in wood with great noise, to make leave the animals which one drives out| Dictionary of the French Academy , first edition, 1694.

A forever evoked track, that of a Latin origin, Triquetra meaning triangle which is the form characteristic of the boxes of the apron of triquetrac .

Social class of the players of trictrac and popularity of the play according to the times

Old Mode

The trictrac does not seem to be played or very little apart from the Salon S of the high society where it was practiced by the two sexes:

the complete title Excellent Play of the tricque-trac. Very Doux Esbattement be noble companies , to the treaty of Euverte de Jollyvet, sior of Votilley, would only suffice oneself for him to justify this assumption concerning the 17th century. A quotation of this book published for the first time in 1634 is without ambiguity:

Another reason of excellence can draw from what of one hundred thousand people who can know this play, one will not find ten of such condition which knows it, and the practice: or almost all the others are also common between the pages, servants and lackey, who enters the princes, lords and gentlemen But in Large Trictrac, there are only people of Honneur who still practice it and most spiritual, active and vigilant which can include/understand it| Excellent Play of the tricque-trac , widowed Jean Promé, Paris, 1656, p. 11.

At the end of the reign of Louis XIV, the trictrac guard still all its popularity in the living rooms as it is attested by it in the treaty of the Jeu of trictrac, as it today is played published in 1698, 1701 and 1715:

The excellence, the beauty and the sincerity which meet in this play make that the beautiful people which has Politesse apply to it with much care, in fact its play favorite and prefers it with the other plays. Indeed this good game has so many Noblesse and distinction, which we see that it is more with the mode than ever. The ladies have a very great fastener there | the Play of the trictrac as one plays it today , Charpentier, Paris, 1715, p. 2-3.

Under Louis XV, in 1738, the abbot Laurent Soumille in the foreword of its treaty Large Trictrac , published with Avignon, testifies to a disaffection of the players for the trictrac and allots the cause of it to the complexity of the rules and that of the scarcity of the good Masters:

Hardly in a city a good player of trictrac would be found; and to learn it from him, one would need a happy conformity of leisure, feelings, inclinations: all things so difficult to find in two people, whom it should not be astonished if this play, very noble which it is, has if little course in the world| Large Trictrac , Giffart, Paris, 1756 (republication of that of Avignon, 1738), “Foreword”.

The book of Soumille probably contributed to start again the play of trictrac and the period which followed is that of the elegant tables with trictrac which come to furnish the living rooms. Hitherto, the aprons with hinges were used.

Under Louis XVI, Fallavel in its treaty of the Play of the trictrac, or the Principles of this play is optimistic on the popularity of the play but emits in an indirect way its fears on its future:

It would be perhaps the place to make the Apologie play for trictrac and to show how much it overrides all the plays which are today the recreation companies, but he is enough known not to need not to raise of them the advantages and he supports himself since too a long time, despite everything the vicissitudes of the modes, to fear that never it is given up| Play of the trictrac , Nyon, Paris, 1776, “Warning”.

Restoration

Making following the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, the royalist emigrated families of return to France, and Lepeintre in 1818, in its treaty entitled complete Cours of trictrac, with a summary of the gammon, jacquet and garanguet , makes a financial statement relating to the play of trictrac:

Been unaware of coarse class, it supposes, in the people who play it, of the good manners and the practice of the world, except for very a small number of players of profession who pass their life in the coffees or the gambling dens. Thus, by the complication of its walk, it is all at the same time out of the range of the recreation and common people, easy for the polished part of the company; also pleasant to young people and to the old men, with the fair sex and to the philosophers, to the scientists and to the society men It is in Paris a great number of people who gave up the ladies, the failures, the charts, and especially the trictrac, to go to pass their leisures to the green carpet, that of which they have with repentance bitterly, generally all their life the trictrac, though much more widespread the ladies, counts also only veterans for principal amateurs. There are not even more the truly strong ones, since the very recent death of a character of distinction which excelled there, Mr. the duke of Laval-Montmorency, This play would thus be threatened of a total decline in the living rooms, if the restoration of the good company did not guarantee his restoration to us. Let us not doubt it, it will take again its vogue, it will become again what it was formerly: the re-creation of the decent people and the people quite born and quite high| complete Course of trictrac , Guillaume, Paris, 1818, “preliminary speech”, p. 1-3.

Lepeintre, finishing its treaty, gives an order of idea of what could represent the trictrac for impassioned, when it makes say to the old hermit Morbihan, Master of trictrac:

Ci to lie which for its good did not do anything by the way:
Bad speculator and far from political;
The trictrac composed all its Rhétorique;
It took finally '' its corner '' in the field of the rest.
Ci to lie which for its good did not do anything by the way:
Bad speculator and far from political;
The trictrac composed all its Rhétorique;
It took finally '' its corner '' in the field of the rest.
| complete Course of trictrac , Guillaume, Paris, 1818, p. 153-154.

The prediction of the return of the trictrac in the living rooms seems to be well carried out if one takes into account that the most tables with trictrac put on sale today at the Antiquaire S date from the Restoration and the place from the trictrac in works from the classic authors such as Balzac with the Lily in the valley , or Prosper Mérimée with the Part of trictrac .

20th century

The trictrac ended up not being played more in the first quarter of the 20th century and the aprons manufactured were not equipped any more with their holes, being used primarily for the play of jacquet largely practiced in the families and the coffees until the advent of television about 1960-1970. The tables with trictrac are in the antique dealers and decorate the castles and the residences deprived as a beautiful object with cabinet work. At one time when Anglo-Saxon names are often gravitational (backgammon carried name all-tables until the 19th century), that obsolete of trictrac is undoubtedly a handicap for the diffusion of the play.

Today

Without the writings left by Jollyvet, Carpenter, Soumille, Fallavel, Guiton, Lepeintre and Lelasseux-Lafosse, the trictrac today could not be played any more in the compliance with all its rules, and much of its specific expressions used in the French literature would have lost of their direction. Some amateurs disseminated throughout the world revive the trictrac and hope to give a rebirth to this play which occupied an important place in the ludic culture French.

Trictrac and policy

At the 17th century, the expression trictrac of the court was usually used to speak about the businesses Politique S. Euverte de Jollyvet to insist on the importance of the play of trictrac in the company of this time bears witness from there:

the proverb which runs, so much between the scientists than among the indoctes, when one says to any matter, the tricque-trac of the Court, the tricque-trac of the businesses of the world, to show the vicissitude and the changes of the businesses of the Court and of through world| Excellent Play of the tricque-trac , widowed Jean Promé, Paris, 1656, p. 11.

The great popularity of the trictrac and the richness of its vocabulary are at the origin of two Pamphlet S policies:

During the Sling, a Mazarinade entitled the Cudgel-trac of the court , appeared in 1652, depicts with spirit and insolence Mazarin and its entourage while diverting for each one of them, an expression of the play of trictrac.

Under the French revolution, fine 1790, the authors of the satirical newspaper , the Acts of the Apostles , takes again the same principle while publishing, in page 14 of the chapitre 170, a lampoon entitled national Trictrac which will be reprinted in several works during the 19th century in somewhat different versions.

During the Restoration, under Louis XVIII, Pierre Marie Michel Lepeintre, in the preliminary speech of its treaty complete Course of trictrac published in Guillaume in Paris in 1818, p. 3-6, attacks the ex-emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in exile on the Île Grey waxbill, showing it of the sacrifice of million French, of usurpation of being able, illegitimacy, tyranny, and cowardice in a comparison between the management of its campaigns and the decisions of a bad player of trictrac. Lepeintre is the only author to have thus included political ideas in a treaty of trictrac.

Below, entirety of the text of Lepeintre on Napoleon 1st: . The name of lady spread during the XVIIe century but that of table remained in several expressions of the play of trictrac.

The trictrac belongs to the sets of tables as well as the backgammon or the jacquet.

Rules of the game

Starting of the play

The attribution of the color of the ladies and the position of the heels are done by mutual agreement but can also be done by drawing lot.

Each player places his ladies into three or four piles on the heel located on his side. That which has its heel on its line will move its ladies in the direction of the needles of a watch, that which has it on its left will move them in opposite direction.

Each player places his peg in the hole of the edge line, side heels, nearest to him. The hole of the medium of this band receives the house . The three holes of the opposite edge line are not used.

The three tokens are aligned against the edge line between the two heels.

Vocabulary

Numérotation of the arrows

the twelve arrows in front of each player are conventionally numbered: T, 1,2,3,4… 11. Other classifications existed for reasons of editorial facilities concerning the description of examples of situations of play.

Name of the arrows

Certain arrows, or boxes, received names:

* T. Heel;

* 5. middle-class Corner;

* 6. sometimes also called corner middle-class ;

* 7. Box of the devil;

* 10. Box of the schoolboy but also box of the Devil ;

* 11. Corner of rest.

ordinary Play and play of return

the ladies traverse a circuit which make them go from the heel to the corner of rest, then by continuing unfavourable corner of rest to its heel, before leaving. Each half of the course carries a name:

* ordinary play: it is the direction outward journey of the play, of the heel to the corner of rest;

* play of return: it is the direction return of the play, of the unfavourable corner of rest to its heel.

To have a box, a half-box, a surcase

* To have a box: it is to have a minimum of two ladies on the same arrow. A box thus occupied is invulnerable;

* To have a half-box: it is to have only one lady on an arrow. A half-box is vulnerable;

* Surcase: it is any lady added on a whole box. An arrow can carry up to thirteen surcases.

the two tables of the apron of trictrac

the apron of trictrac is composed of two compartments whose bottom of each one bears the name of table:

* table of small the jans: it is that of the boxes of T to 5;

* table of large the jans: it is that of the boxes from 6 to 11.

Primacy

Two methods coexisted to determine which of the two players would have the primacy:

* one called blow and dice consisted in for one of the two players projecting the dice using the horn against the band of the unfavourable player. That which then had the highest die nearer on its weakest side than started by moving its ladies according to this first jet of die. If a doublet were obtained or that the two dice were found with the same distance from a band, the dice were started again same manner. The player having thus obtained the primacy could never start with a doublet.

*l' other consisted in for each player throwing in turn the same die, or even the two dice, and that which obtained the highest number of points had the primacy and started again the two dice for its first blow of the part. This method made it possible to the two players begin with a doublet.

The old dice cut in the ivory or the bone had acute angles and rolled little. To support the chance, they were always projected against the opposite band.

Today, the use of balanced dice with angles rounded makes it possible to avoid this noisy handling and it is enough to pour the dice in the apron. The primacy is given according to the second method, the players simultaneously launching a die in their table of right-hand side.

Indicative order of play

The player who throws the dice announces with high voice the played dice, announces with high voice the points that this result brings to him and, finally, Once plays his ladies according to the jet of Des. a touched lady it cannot modify his points more and its adversary can send it to the school lack or marked surplus of point.

As soon as the ladies were played and before playing in its turn, the adversary can mark the points which the toss of the dice brings to him. If it launches the dice after having badly counted the points which were worth to him the dice previously played, the player who had launched them can in his turn send it to the school .

The result of a jet of dice is a doublet if the two numbers are identical, and a simple blow if they are different.

The simple blows most extremely announce the number in first like “6 and 4” or “3 and Ace” (the 1 always says As).

The doublets have each one their name:

* Doublet of Ace: bezas (diminutive of ambesas), bezet;

* Doublet of 2: double two;

* Doublet of 3: terns;

* Doublet of 4: Carmelite friars;

* Doublet of 5: quines;

* Doublet of 6: sound.

With the experiment of the play, the advertisements with high voice are not systematic any more.

To move the ladies

Each die can make it possible to move a lady of a number of arrows equal to the number of points which it posts. It is necessary so that displacement is possible that the arrow of arrival is not blocked, i.e. does not contain an unfavourable lady.

If a player decides to move a lady of the full number posted by the dice, which says to play very of a , the arrow of arrival as well as (in the case of doublet) or at least one (in the case of a simple blow) intermediate arrow should not be occupied by one or more unfavourable ladies.

Contrary to the backgammon, a doublet is not played twice but only one, like a simple blow. With a doublet, it is possible to move to the maximum only two ladies of each one the value of a die. With the backgammon in the same case, it is possible to move to four ladies.

The rules of occupation of the corners of rest and those of the passage of the ladies to the play of return limit also the displacement of the ladies.

The highest rule of the play of trictrac is that it is imperative to play the points brought by the two dice when that is possible. In the event of impossibility of expressing the two dice, it is necessary if possible to play most extremely, if not weakest. If none of the two dice can be played, its turn should be passed.

The rule “rams touched, played lady” is of rigor except if one announced before: “I adoube”. Adouber can be used only to position back a not aligned lady or to slightly move a lady to see the color of the arrow below.

The expression distorts box is used to mean that lady was moved illegally. This name comes from the verb to put which was taken in the direction to move the ladies according to the brought dice. The verb to count is synonymous to put. In the event of distorts box, the adversary is Master to make play his own way the badly moved lady.

Validity of the dice

On a jet of dice:

* a die flat on a lady is good;

* a die inclined resting against a lady or a band is good if it is accepted by mutual agreement. If not, that which sees it good must pose a third die above and if this pilot die does not slip the die tested is validated;

* a die completely or partly on a token is good;

* a die which jumped in the other compartment is good subject observing the preceding conditions;

* a die out of the apron or on one of its bands is bad;

* a die posed on another is bad.

When a die is bad, the player must start again both.

Other rules:

* if a player launches the dice before the end of the displacement of the ladies of the other player, these dice are good and the player who did not finish to place his ladies can do it with full knowledge of the facts without being able to be penalized for false box, his adversary having already thrown the dice;

* if a player launches the dice and that they have suddenly touched the hand of his adversary which had finished to move its ladies, it can consider the good or bad blow with his suitability.

Today, tilted and broken are homonymous. That was not always the case: there was a rule on the validity of a die broken into two and another on that of a tilted die. The dice could break owing to the fact that they were generally in Os and that it were projected rather violently on the unfavourable tape. If a die broke into two and that only one piece let appear its points, the blow was good.

Catch of the corner of rest

The corner of rest of a player corresponds to his arrow n° 11. Its occupation is subject to the following rules:

* to be able to install more ladies on its corner of rest, it should imperatively have been beforehand taken while there having placed two ladies on the same blow. The corner of rest thus taken can receive surcases to one or two by two;

* to be able to completely leave its corner of rest, after having left all the surcases it is obligatorily necessary of them to leave the two last ladies them on the same blow;

* it is never authorized to take the corner of rest of the adversary;

* a player can however use the empty corner of rest of the intermediate adversary as arrow when it moves a lady of the sum of two Des.

There exist two manners of taking its corner of rest:

* naturally by directly bringing to it two ladies, the expressions by effect and directly is also employed;

* by power , only if the adversary does not occupy to it his, while being able to directly bring two ladies in the corner of rest of the adversary. In the same movement, the player directs his two ladies towards the corner of rest of the adversary then it brings back them on his own corner of rest.

Two rules are related to the two manners of taking the corner of rest:

* it is never authorized to make surcases in the corner of rest by power but only by effect;

* if a player can take at the same time his corner of rest naturally and by power it must obligatorily take it naturally.

To take its corner does not bring back any point. It is not obligatory to take its corner of rest, except if there is none of another means of playing.

From a tactical point of view , to be likely more to take its corner of rest it is good to do one or two surcases on the arrows n° 5 and n° 6 when the unfavourable corner is still empty, but when the adversary took it, it is preferable of not too surcaser on the arrow n° 6. Under these conditions, these surcases constitutes provisions to use the six brought by Des. These positions advantageous for the catch of the corner of rest led the players to give the name of middle-class corner to the arrows n° 5 and n° 6.

The period of play which extends between two positioning from the ladies to the heels is called raised :

* the first statement goes from the beginning of the turn with the first reference;

* the following goes from a reference to the next one;

* the last statement goes from the last reference at the end of the turn;

There exists another type of reference which is not related on the choice of a player but to the left the ladies.

The house

Also called standard, this small Drapeau is the equivalent of the token of bredouille for the whole part.

In any beginning of the whole part, or turn, the house is located between the two pegs on the tape of the heels. When a player arrives at the twelfth hole without the other marking only one of them, it gains the turn bredouille . To gain the turn bredouille says also to gain into large bredouille . If the first player is stopped in his series of twelve holes by the second player, it is not any more able to gain the turn bredouille. On the other hand the second player to be marked can from now on do it, and to testify some it seizes the house and places it in the hole of its peg on the tape of the heels which has just been released about it. As long as it is not stopped by the profit of a part by its adversary, it preserves the house and if it succeeds in finishing the turn with, it gains into large bredouille. But if its adversary stopped its series of twelve holes, then this adversary would withdraw the house to pose it beside the apron, which would mean that none of the two players could gain the turn bredouille.

Profit of the turn

The play of trictrac was associated with the money and the profit of the turn amounted to a certain number of times the amount of the stake agreed upon at the beginning between the players and there was no renvi. The multiplying factor depended on the selected method:

Oldest:

* to gain bredouille brings back 2 times the stake;

* to gain débredouillé brings back 1 time the stake.

The second:

* to gain bredouille brings back 2 times the stake;

* to gain débredouillé and the adversary not having reached the seventh hole brings back 1 time and half the stake (the adversary does not have not passed the bridge );

* to gain débredouillé and the adversary having passed the bridge brings back 1 time the stake.

The last described at the 19th century:

* to gain bredouille without the house brings back 4 times the stake;

* to gain bredouille with the house brings back 3 times the stake;

* to gain débredouillé and the adversary not having reached the sixth hole brings back 2 times the stake;

* to gain débredouillé and the adversary having reached the sixth hole brings back 1 time the stake.

This method more interests the play by the fact that the late player can hope until the end to reduce the profits of the adversary if is not to gain the turn.

Today, the stake is 1 point and the profits of a player amount in a number of points function of the selected method.

Jans rare

These jans can be realized only at any beginning of a statement. There are five:

Jan of three blows or jan of six tables
: Circumstance: the first three tosses of the dice of a player enable him to place six ladies out of the six arrows according to the heel.
: Mark: this jan brings back to player 4 points by simple and it cannot be carried out by doublet.
: Displacement: the fact of marking the points of the jan of six tables does not oblige to play the two last ladies to align them with the four previously played. This jan can be thus marked by power .
Jan of two tables
: Circumstance: the player having only two ladies left the heel, his toss of the dice allows him to reach with one his corner of rest and with the other that empties of sound the adversary.
: Mark: this jan brings back to player 4 points by simple or 6 points per doublet.
: Displacement: the laws of occupation of the corners of rest force to play only since the heel. It is a jan by power.
Against-jan two tables
: Circumstance: idem jan of two tables but the adversary occupies already its corner of rest.
: Mark: this jan brings back to adversary 4 points by simple or 6 points per doublet.
: Displacement: idem jan of two tables .
Jan of mézéas
: Circumstance: the player having left only two ladies the heel which occupy its corner of rest whereas that of the adversary is empty, its toss of the dice brings one or two aces.
: Mark: this jan brings back to player 4 points by simple or 6 points per doublet.
: Displacement: idem jan of two tables .
Against-jan mézéas
: Circumstance: idem jan of mézéas but the adversary occupies already its corner of rest.
: Mark: this jan brings back to adversary 4 points by simple or 6 points per doublet.
: Displacement: idem jan of two tables .

Jans of filling, to fill, preserve, break

The apron is composed of four quadrants of six arrows. A jan of filling is carried out when at least two ladies of the same player are on each of the six arrows of one of these quadrants.

There exist three jans of filling:

the small jan is carried out in the quadrant comprising the heel of the player;
the large jan in that containing the corner of rest of the player;
the jan of return in that containing the heel of the unfavourable player.

The filling of the quadrant comprising the corner of rest of the unfavourable player is not realizable because of prohibition to occupy its corner of rest.

When a player carries out a jan filling it makes his small jan, its large jan or its jan of return. The expression to make full sound is also used whatever the jan of filling.

To fill is obligatory when that is possible under penalty of school and of distorts box.

On a simple toss of the dice, when a player does not have any more that one half-box to cover to make full sound, it can be in situation to do it by three different means, by a direct lady, two direct ladies coming from two different arrows, or by a played lady very of a i.e. by the sum of two Des. On a doublet, it is possible to fill only by one or two means, a direct lady, or direct and another whole of one.

If a player can fill by several means, it is held to do it only by one of them, according to its choice.

If there does not remain not only one half puts to cover but two, it is possible to fill only by one means, only the last of the two played ladies filling.

Whatever the full one, it pays by possible way, with the player who carries it out:

* by simple, 4 points;

* by doublet, 6 points.

When a player filled, so during the following blows it can preserve full sound it is held to do it under penalty of school and of distorts box. When a player cannot preserve one full any more it breaks . It should not break that if it does not have any other manner of playing.

It is possible one to preserve full a which pays to the player:

* by simple, 4 points;

* by doublet, 6 points.

As always, the points must be marked before touching the ladies under penalty of school.

From a tactical point of view , the difficulty in finishing a large jan by the box n° 7 led the players to give him the name of box of the devil . To supplement a large jan by the box n° 10 can prove also very difficult if the adversary has points of remainder, owing to the fact that it is often necessary to expose a lady alone on an arrow to give a maximum of chances to make the box with the following blow. This lady isolated near from the play to return has a strong probability of being beaten with truth and the adversary can thus mark a hole or two and from to go away. In this situation the box n° 10 is also called box of the devil .

To beat the ladies of the adversary

When on his toss of the dice a player has one of his ladies which relates to an arrow occupied by a lady alone of the adversary, it beats this lady. A lady can be beaten directly if its distance to the lady which beats it is equal to the number of points of one of the two dice, or indirectly if the distance is equal to the sum of the points brought by two Des.

With the trictrac, a beaten lady remains in its place and that which beats it cannot join it because of the rules of the displacement of the ladies. To beat a lady is consequently always done by power.

A lady can be beaten in two manners:

a lady is beaten with truth if it is beaten directly, or if it is beaten indirectly and that at least one of the intermediate passages is not occupied by more than one unfavourable lady;
a lady is beaten with forgery if it is beaten indirectly and that the intermediate passages are occupied by at least two unfavourable ladies.

A lady can thus be beaten with truth by one to three means on the same simple blow, one or twice directly and once indirectly, and by one or two means on a doublet, once directly and once indirectly, while it can never be beaten with forgery but by one means on the same blow.

A beaten lady with truth cannot the being with forgery and conversely, but on the same blow it is possible to beat ladies with truth and others with forgery.

To beat with truth a lady pays to the player:

*par simple and by means, in the table of large the jans, 2 points;

*par doublet and by means, in the table of large the jans, 4 points;

*par simple and by means, in the table of small the jans, 4 points;

*par doublet and by means, in the table of small the jans, 6 points.

To beat with forgery a lady pays to the adversary:

*par simple in the table of large the jans, 2 points;

*par doublet in the table of large the jans, 4 points;

*par simple in the table of small the jans, 4 points;

*par doublet in the table of small the jans, 6 points.

The points gained by a player on his toss of the dice are marked before the adversary marks those which it gains to be beaten with forgery, so that if that which beats with truth gains a part and goes from there, thus finishing the statement in progress, its adversary cannot more mark the points to be beaten with forgery.

From a tactical point of view , occupation of the arrow n° 10 at the beginning of statement can prove to be hazardous by decreasing the chances to make the large-jan and while being able to be put in a position to beat with forgery the ladies of the adversary. Its situation close to the play of return giving more possibilities for of often beating with truth the ladies of the adversary in the table of small the jans in fact the privileged box of the beginners to the trictrac in spite of the incurred risks, which led the players to give him the name of box of the schoolboy . Circumstances, in particular when the adversary is the only to have taken its corner of rest, can make favorable the occupation of the arrow n° 10

To beat the corner of the adversary

It is interdict to occupy the corner of rest of the adversary but it is possible to beat it.

To beat the corner of rest of the adversary two prerequisites must be filled:

* it is necessary to have already taken its own corner of rest;

* the corner of rest of the adversary must be empty.

Under these conditions, so on a toss of the dice a player can virtually bring two ladies in the corner of rest of the adversary, it bldg. All the ladies carrying directly in the unfavourable corner of rest are likely to take part in beating with the restriction close for the corner of rest of the player only the surcases can contribute to it.

To beat the corner of unfavourable pays to the player:

* by simple, 4 points;

* by doublet, 6 points.

These points are gained by power, the unfavourable corner never not being able to be occupied. The unfavourable corner is never beaten with forgery and if the two corners are occupied, none of the two players to faculty to beat that of the adversary.

Jan of reward, jan which cannot, impotent lady

Jan of reward and jan which cannot are two not very used expressions.

Jan of reward gathers two manners of marking points:

to beat with truth a lady of the adversary;
to beat the corner adversary.

Jan which cannot gathers two manners of making mark points with the adversary:

to beat with forgery a lady of the adversary;
to be in the impotence to play the points of only one or two Des.

In this second case, the player is not able to play one or two ladies. Its adversary gains then:

* 2 points for a impotent lady ;

* 4 points for two impotent ladies that it is by doublet or simple.

If a player gives points to his adversary by jan which cannot for impotent lady, and which on the same blow it preserves his large jan, it must mark the points of conservation, it is what is called to preserve by impotence .

The highest rule of the play which requires to play the two dice and, if one can play only one of them, to play most extremely must always be respected even if it obliges to break full.

Exit of the ladies

When a player brought all his ladies in the last quadrant, it is able to leave them the apron. However the rules of full and its conservation must be to respect concerning the jan return.

Two methods to leave the ladies coexisted:

* slow method known as provincial;

* fast method known as Parisian.

It is the fast method which prevailed. It does not differ from that used with the backgammon which complies with these rules:

* the band of the heels is then regarded as an arrow;

* a lady which relates to the tape leaves;

* a number higher than that necessary to bring the most distant lady on the tape is known as exceeding and makes it possible to leave this lady;

* if it is not possible to leave a lady it is necessary to play inside the apron.

To be the first player to leave his fifteen ladies the apron pays:

* 4 points by simple;

* 6 points per doublet.

So on the last blow there remains nothing any more but one lady to be left and than the amount of only one die is enough, that does not change anything with marking gained points and the second die is ignored.

Once the marked points, the two players give the ladies to the heels but keep those which are on their side. They thus change color of ladies to play new a raised .

If no hole were gained on the blow, the acquired points are preserved by the two players.

The privilege to begin the following statement always returns to that which left its ladies the first.

The slow method consisted in playing in the apron all that was playable and it was not allowed to leave only the ladies furthest away from the band the heels if the dice allowed it. An exception to this rule made that a player having made a success of his jan of return could preserve it while leaving his supernumerary ladies if it related precisely to the tape of the heels. The player could thus preserve by privilege to the maximum three times.

Jans given up during the XVIIe century

Three manners of marking points were abandoned during first half of the 17th century:

the jan of meeting
: Circumstance: it could occur for the whole part only on the very first blow played by the second player. If this last obtained the same result of as soon as the first player, there was jan of meeting . This jan was justified by preoccupations with an equity while tending to restore the chances between the player who had obtained the primacy by the chance and his adversary. The following statements did not give place to the jan of meeting since the primacy is not there the fact of the chance but play.
: Mark: this jan brought back to player 4 points by simple and 6 points per doublet.
Margot the adit
: Circumstance: this expression grivoise, defining a woman of small vertue, was allotted to a manner for the adversary of marking points. When on his toss of the dice a player had a lady which related to an empty box between two isolated ladies, half boxes, of the adversary, there was Margot the adit .
: Mark: this jan brought back to adversary 2 points by simple and 4 points per doublet.
the pile of misery
: Circumstance: when a player had ended up piling up his fifteen ladies on his corner of rest because of a blocking of the adversary to pass to the return, there was pile of misery or pile of misfortune . This jan extremely rare and was intended to make open passages by the adversary.
: Mark: this jan brought back to player 4 points by simple and 6 points per doublet. The conservation of the pile of misery brought back the same number of points.

Today, these three jans can be played in an optional way by convention between the players before the beginning of the turn.

Summary table of the points marked according to the jans carried out

(n/a = nonapplicable)

Structure of a turn

Part of trictrac breaks up into periods or events:

* the turn , or left whole is composed of one with several raised ;

* a raised is composed of one with several left ;

* a left pays to a player with several holes ;

* a hole is obtained by the profit of twelve points ;

* the turn lasts time for a player to mark twelve holes .

Play of return

The play of return starts when one of the players passes at least one of its ladies on the side of the adversary. The displacement of the ladies is restricted by the rules of the passage to the play of return:

*un player cannot pass any lady to the return as long as its adversary to the possibility of making its small jan ;

*lorsque the adversary cannot carry out its any more small jan but is still able to make its large jan , it is interdict to position ladies in the third quadrant whose free passages can however be used to pass from the ladies in the last quadrant;

*lorsque the adversary can carry out neither its any more small jan nor its large jan , it is allowed to place its ladies on any free arrow of the play of return except always for the corner of rest which cannot be useful, if it is empty, that of intermediate arrow to pass.

Strategically, the play of return is played differently of the ordinary play. The objectives consist:

* to maintain more the possible for a long time one large jan all while being made beat with forgery;

* to ruin the play of the adversary by slowing down its passage to the play of return and by marking for impotent ladies ;

* to make its jan return and to preserve it more possible for a long time;

* with being the first to leave its ladies.

It is always possible to stop the play of return while from going away after the profit of a part on its own blow of Des. the ladies passed to the return can beat delayed unfavourable ladies and conversely.

Row

A row is an important series of holes successful without interruption in the same statement. One generally speaks about row from five to six holes of at a stretch.

The row is the great blow sought with the trictrac. It is at the origin of the expression, now vulgar, to be threaded or to be made thread .

It is generally carried out when a player made his large jan while having his three supernumerary ladies to sufficiently behind maintain it more the possible for a long time and to be beaten with forgery, and that in same time the adversary cannot make any more its clean large jan leaving passages to the supernumerary ladies unfavourable.

To limit the effects of a row, it is important to envisage it and sacrifice several holes to lead the adversary to from to go away and not to lose the turn on the row.

Incidents of play

The incidents of play are of two types:

the distorts box or bad displacement of the ladies;
the schools or bad calculation of the points.

The treatment of the distorts box and of the schools is made by the adversary of the author of the incidents. Each player is the referee of the other, which implies a permanent attention.

Distort box

When a player carries out an illegal displacement of his ladies, it makes distorts box . Generally, a player forever right to move back one of its ladies. This retreat always meaning that one from goes away following the profit of a part on his own toss of the dice. A player does not make distorts box by touching the ladies of his adversary.

The cases of false box take place when:

a lady was moved of a number of arrows not corresponding to the value of one of the dice;
a lady was released on a box beyond that where it should have been carried for the sum of the two dice;
the corner of rest was taken by power whereas it could the being by effect;
full was not made whereas it could the being;
the conservation of full was not made whereas it could the being;
the rules of passage to the return were not complied with by playing a lady there whereas the adversary could still fill;
a player placed a lady going only in its empty corner or that of the adversary.

Because of rule touched lady, played lady , it is not always necessary that a lady was actually moved so that there is distorts box. It is enough to see where it can succeed.

The rule released lady, lady played interdict with the player to modify itself his position.

All the cases of distort box are the subject of a correction on behalf of the adversary in the compliance with the rules of the displacement of the ladies. The adversary is only Master of the ladies which contributed to the false box.

The treatment of the false box depends on the encountered cases:

a lady was moved of a number of arrows not corresponding to the value of one of the dice:
*si on a blow, a lady is released on a box corresponding to none the displacements permitted by the dice, the adversary can either leave the lady in the state, or to move it where it should have gone;
*si on a blow, the two ladies were badly played, the adversary can leave in the state the two ladies or rectify the position of one or the other or the two ladies, but in their making undergo a minimal displacement compared to the values of Des. It can also make give the two ladies to their initial position and to make some play only one for the sum of two Des.
a lady was released on a box beyond that where it should have been carried for the sum of the two dice:
* if it is the first lady and that the second was not touched yet, the two dice are regarded as played and the adversary can prohibit the displacement of a second lady by leaving the first in the state or rectifying its position for the sum of the two dice;
* if two ladies were played and that one was it legally, the adversary can leave in the state or rectify that which was badly played for the value of the second die.
a player took his corner of rest by power whereas it could take it by effect:
*l' adversary can give a lady to its initial place and make play the other for the sum of the two dice, within the limit of the compliance with the rules of the passage to the play of return;
*si that is not possible, it must give the two ladies to their initial places and let the faulty player play his blow with its own way. The player does not have however the right to take his corner on this blow except if no other alternative is possible.
if a player did not fill whereas it could do it, its adversary has the choice to leave the play in the state or to force the player to fill. The false box is consumed as of the moment or one touches a lady which makes that one cannot fill any more. Moreover the faulty player is sent to the school.
if a player did not preserve full whereas it could do it, the adversary can leave the play in the state or reform the displacement which broke by leaving the player rejouer with his suitability without breaking. The false box is consumed as of the moment or the lady which breaks was touched. Moreover the faulty player is sent to the school.
the rules of passage to the return were not complied with:
*si a player passed a lady to the return in a quadrant corresponding to small the jan or with large the jan still realizable by the adversary, this last must if possible do it correctly rejouer if not oblige the faulty player to play another lady correctly after having given the first to its initial place. The player can after reformation of the erroneous blow be in the case of impotent ladies;
*si however the faulty player realizes of its error before its adversary launches the dice it is allowed to him to correct itself without penalty;
* if none the players would have seen distorts it box in the third quadrant, the adversary realizing some after having played its own blow could force the faulty player to play blow following the lady preventing it from filling to pass it in the last quadrant. But this last blow following, or large the jan not being possible, the adversary would not have any more any right on the faulty lady;
* if none the players would have seen distorts it box in the fourth quadrant, the adversary having launched its dice, it would not be possible any more to return there;
* if a player touched a lady which ends in its empty corner or that of the adversary, this last can force the player to pass this lady to the return if that is possible or to let the player reform his blow and rejouer with its own way.
if a player placed a lady going only in his empty corner or that of the adversary, this last cannot leave it in the state and must do it legally rejouer and Ci that is not possible it simply makes it give to its initial place letting the player move another lady.

The severe rules governing distorts it box find mainly their justification in the fact that the points brought by the dice do not concern only the player who threw the dice but also his adversary.

In the case of the backgammon, the very liberal rule concerning the displacement of the ladies makes it possible to reconsider a movement of lady as long as his dice of the apron were not withdrawn, the only constraint being which one must play in a clear way. This is made possible by the use of two pairs of dice, one by player, and by the fact that only the player who threw the dice is actor on the blow.

With the trictrac, it is not possible to use two pairs of dice owing to the fact that the player who threw the dice is not the only one to exploit the numbers which they brought and it is only the adversary which can raise the dice being the last to exploit them. Thus it cannot be the fact of raising the dice which testifies to the end of the displacement of the ladies, but that to have finished this displacement indeed.

The adversary being generally Master to take account or not of the false box, it is permissible for him to let the faulty player begin again itself, but if it wants to apply the payment to the letter, there cannot be dispute.

Schools

One calls school any error of counting of the points gained on a blow. The faulty player makes school points corresponding to the difference between those which it marked and those that it should have marked. Its adversary the sending at the school without being obliged to give the reason of it. There exist many academic cases but four are essential:

the school per less takes place when a player marks less points than it did not gain any. The school famous is consumed when the faulty player touched one of his ladies or, on a jan which cannot, when it threw Des. the adversary sends the faulty player to the school by marking for itself the missing points;
the school by too takes place when a player marks more points than it did not gain any. The school famous is consumed when the faulty player released his token beyond the points which it should have marked. The adversary sends the faulty player to the school by dissociating the surplus points and by marking them for itself;
the school related to the filling : if a player does not fill when it could do it after having marked or not the points to fill, it is at the school as soon as it touched one of his ladies positioned in such a way that it cannot fill any more on the blow. The faulty player has in this case also made distorts box and if the adversary obliges it to fill that does not change anything with the treatment school;
the school related to the conservation of full a : if a player does not preserve when it could do it after having marked or not the points of conservation, it is at the school as soon as it touched one of his ladies which breaks the full one. The adversary dissociates the points which had marked the faulty player and marks for itself the points of conservation. The faulty player has in this case also made distorts box and if the adversary obliges it to preserve full sound that does not change anything with the treatment school.

For more clearness in the play it is preferable to wait to mark the school than the faulty player has, according to the case, touched one of his ladies or jeté Des.

Any school can be disputed by that which has it sudden according to a procedure being able to comprise two phases:

the distorts school : when a player sends his unfavourable to the school by error, it does itself school. It is what one calls a false school. The adversary then sends to the school that which made distorts it school by withdrawing the points to him that it had marked unduly replaçant its own token with the initial site then by being added the points of the false school;
the increase in school : so following a declaration of false treated school, the first player maintains that there was school well, it marks an increase in school, by restoring the tokens in the state of the first school and by doubling the profits of this first school. To avoid a climbing, the player who applies the increase in school is then held to explain why there was school and if it would have been mistaken he would undergo last once the law of the false school.

The schools must always benefit that which did not make them without in so far as it can about it misuse. In this spirit, three rules are applicable during the treatment of the schools:

*il does not have there a school of school : one is never obliged to mark a school, one can be unaware of it completely;

*il is possible to correct the error of the adversary without marking the points of school;

*les points of school must be marked in their entirety, the player having made school being able to force its adversary to do it.

Effective chronology of the actions of play

The actions are done in the following order:

marking of the points for jan which cannot and of the points of school without obligation to give the detail;
to launch dice;
marking of the points gained on this blow;
displacement of the ladies.

This chronology is in particular important to know which is really in bredouille and when.

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