How to play Backgammon
Backgammon is a race for two players. Each of you moves 15 checkers round the board according to two dice, heading in opposite directions. A lone checker can be hit and sent back to the start, so you try to keep your checkers in safe pairs. The first player to bring all 15 checkers home and bear them off wins.
Step by step
Set out the checkers
Each player starts with 2 checkers on their 24 point, 5 on their 13 point, 3 on their 8 point and 5 on their 6 point. You count the points from your own side.
Roll to start
Each player rolls one die. The higher number goes first and plays both numbers rolled. After that you roll two dice on each turn.
Move by each die
Move one checker by the number on one die and one checker (the same or another) by the other. Doubles let you move that number four times.
Land only on open points
You may land on an empty point, your own point, or a point with just one opposing checker. A point with two or more opposing checkers is blocked.
Hit lone checkers
Landing on a single opposing checker, called a blot, hits it. It goes to the bar in the middle and must come back in from the start before its owner moves anything else.
Use all your dice
You must use both dice if you can. If only one can be used, you must use the larger one when possible. If neither can be used, you lose your turn.
Bring them home
Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board (points 1 to 6), you can start bearing them off the board.
Bear off to win
The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins. Win before your opponent has borne off any and it is a gammon, worth double.
The full rules
What you need
Backgammon is played on a board of 24 narrow triangles called points, arranged in four quarters of six. Each player has 15 checkers of their own colour, and there are two dice. A doubling cube, marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64, is used in some games.
Setting up
Each player counts the points from their own side, from 1 to 24. Your home board is your points 1 to 6. Your checkers travel from your 24 point, round the board, into your home board. Your opponent’s checkers travel the opposite way.
Place your checkers like this:
- 2 checkers on your 24 point
- 5 checkers on your 13 point
- 3 checkers on your 8 point
- 5 checkers on your 6 point
Your opponent sets up the same way from their side.
Starting the game
Each player rolls a single die. Whoever rolls higher starts, and moves using both of those numbers. If the dice match, roll again. From then on, players take turns rolling two dice.
Moving your checkers
The two dice are two separate moves. With a 5 and a 2, you can move one checker 5 points and another checker 2 points, or move one checker 5 and then 2 more (as long as it can land after each part).
If you roll a double, you play that number four times. A roll of 4 and 4 lets you move four lots of 4.
A checker may land on:
- an empty point,
- a point with any number of your own checkers, or
- a point with exactly one of your opponent’s checkers.
It may not land on a point holding two or more of your opponent’s checkers. That point is blocked.
You must use both dice if there is any way to do so. If you can use only one die, use it, and if either one could be used on its own, you must use the larger. If neither die can be used, your turn passes.
Hitting and the bar
A single checker on a point is called a blot. If you land on your opponent’s blot, you hit it. It goes to the bar in the middle of the board.
A player with a checker on the bar must bring it back in before moving any other checker. It enters in the opponent’s home board: a 1 enters on the opponent’s 1 point (your 24 point), a 6 on their 6 point (your 19 point), and so on. If the entry points for both dice are blocked, the turn is lost.
Bearing off
When all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you can start bearing off, which means taking checkers off the board.
- A die lets you bear off a checker from the matching point: a 4 bears off from the 4 point.
- If you roll a higher number than your highest checker, you may bear off from the highest point instead.
- If a checker sits on a higher point than the number rolled, you must make a move inside your home board.
If one of your checkers is hit while you are bearing off, it must come back in and travel home before you can bear off again.
Winning and scoring
The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins.
- A single game scores 1 point.
- A gammon scores 2 points: the loser has not borne off any checkers.
- A backgammon scores 3 points: the loser has not borne off any checkers and still has one on the bar or in the winner’s home board.
Players often play a match to a set number of points, such as first to 3, 5 or 7.
The doubling cube
The doubling cube is optional. At the start of a game it sits in the middle at 1. Before rolling, either player may offer to double the stakes. The other player can take, and the game carries on worth twice as much, with the taker now owning the cube. Only the cube’s owner can offer the next double. Or the other player can drop: they give up the game straight away and lose its value before the double.
In a match, the first game after a player gets within one point of winning is the Crawford game, played without the cube.
Tips for beginners
- Make points. Two checkers together can’t be hit. Points in your home board also make it hard for a hit checker to come back in.
- Avoid leaving blots where your opponent can easily hit them, especially near your home board where losing a checker costs the most.
- Count the pips. Your pip count is the total number of points your checkers still have to travel. If you are well ahead, a straight race suits you.
- Run your back checkers early. The two checkers on your 24 point have the furthest to go and can get trapped behind a wall of your opponent’s points.
- Build a prime. Several points in a row form a wall that your opponent’s checkers can’t jump. Six in a row can’t be passed at all.
- Don’t give up too early. The dice can turn a game round quickly, so keep looking for a good shot to hit.
Common questions
What happens if I can't move?
If no legal move uses either die, you simply lose your turn. If you can use one die but not the other, you play the one you can (the larger, if either would work).
What is the bar in backgammon?
The bar is the strip down the middle of the board. A checker that is hit is placed there and must re-enter in your opponent's home board, on the point matching one of your dice, before you can move any other checker.
How does bearing off work?
When all your checkers are in your home board, a die lets you remove a checker from the matching point. If you roll a number higher than your highest checker, you may bear off from your highest point. If there is a checker on a higher point, you must move inside the home board instead.
What are a gammon and a backgammon?
If you bear off all your checkers before your opponent has borne off any, you win a gammon, worth 2 points. If they still have a checker on the bar or in your home board as well, it is a backgammon, worth 3 points.
What is the doubling cube?
The doubling cube raises the stakes. Before rolling, a player may offer to double. The other player either takes, playing on for twice the points and owning the cube, or drops and loses the game at its current value. It is optional here and off by default.
What is the Crawford rule?
In a match, when one player first gets within one point of winning, the next game is played without the doubling cube. It is called the Crawford game, and it gives the trailing player a fair chance.
Where it comes from
Backgammon is often described as one of the oldest board games still played. Race games with dice on boards of this general kind are known from the ancient world, and historians often point to finds in Mesopotamia and Persia and to the Roman game known as tabula as early relatives, though the exact line of descent is uncertain. The modern rules took shape in Europe over several centuries, and the doubling cube is a much later addition, generally dated to the twentieth century.
