How to play backgammon
Backgammon is a race for two players. You roll two dice, move your fifteen checkers around the board and into your home, and bear them off before your opponent does. This guide covers every rule you need for a first game, with live boards that play each move.
The goal in one sentence
Move all fifteen of your checkers into your home board and then off the board before your opponent does. Everything else in backgammon, from hitting to blocking, is about speeding up your own race or slowing down theirs.
The board and setup
The board has 24 narrow triangles called points, in four quarters of six. The bar down the middle splits the board in half. Each player has fifteen checkers, and the boards on this page are drawn from White's side: White's points are numbered 1 to 24, with White's home board (points 1 to 6) at the bottom right.
- 2 checkers on the 24-point, deep in your opponent's home. These are your back checkers.
- 5 checkers on the 13-point, across the board on your opponent's side.
- 3 checkers on the 8-point.
- 5 checkers on the 6-point, in your home board.
White moves from 24 down to 1, counterclockwise on these boards. Black moves the other way, from White's 1-point up to the 24-point, and Black's home board is White's 19 to 24. Both players race the same horseshoe path in opposite directions, which is why the checkers keep running into each other.
Taking a turn
To decide who starts, each player rolls one die. The higher number goes first and plays those two dice as the first move. Ties are rolled again. After that, players take turns rolling both dice.
- Roll both dice.
- Move one checker the number on one die, then a checker the number on the other die. It can be the same checker twice or two different checkers.
- Each die is a separate move. A 6 and a 1 is a move of 6 and a move of 1, never one move of 7, and the checker has to be able to stop on the point in between.
Moves are written from/to, so 8/5 means a checker moves from the 8-point to the 5-point. You may land on an empty point, on a point you already hold, or on a point with a single opposing checker. You may never land on a point your opponent holds with two or more checkers. That point is blocked.
Doubles and using the whole roll
Rolling the same number on both dice is a double, and you play that number four times. Double 6 lets you move 24 pips in one turn, the biggest roll in the game.
- You must use both dice if any legal way to do it exists, even when you would rather not move.
- If only one die can be played, you must play the higher one when you can.
- If no move is legal, your turn passes. Our board says so and hands the dice over.
Hitting and the bar
A single checker alone on a point is called a blot. If your checker lands on your opponent's blot, you hit it. The hit checker goes to the bar in the middle of the board and has to start its journey again.
Hitting is never compulsory. You hit when it helps your race or costs your opponent ground, and a checker sent back from deep in your home board loses a lot. Two or more of your checkers on a point make it safe, which is why players talk about making points rather than just moving checkers.
Coming back in from the bar
While you have a checker on the bar, you can't move anything else. It has to come back in first, onto your opponent's home board. For White, a 1 enters on the 24-point, a 2 on the 23-point, and so on down to a 6 on the 19-point. A point your opponent holds with two or more checkers is closed to you.
If both dice point at closed points, you can't enter and your turn passes. When your opponent holds all six home points, called a closed board, you stay on the bar until one of them opens.
Bearing off
Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board, you start bearing them off. A roll of 6 takes a checker off the 6-point, a 3 off the 3-point, and so on. You can still use a roll to move checkers inside your home board instead.
If you roll higher than your highest occupied point, you bear off from the highest point instead. A 6 with nothing above the 4-point takes a checker off the 4-point. If one of your checkers is hit while you're bearing off, you have to bring it back around to your home board before you bear off again.
Winning: single game, gammon and backgammon
The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins. How much the win is worth depends on how far behind the loser is.
| Single game | The loser has borne off at least one checker | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Gammon | The loser has borne off no checkers | 2 |
| Backgammon | The loser has borne off no checkers and still has one on the bar or in the winner's home board | 3 |
Tournament and money games add a doubling cube that raises the stakes mid-game. Our tables play without it, so every game is worth 1, 2 or 3 points, and the result screen shows which. Resigning concedes a single game.
A few habits that win games
- Make points in your home board, the 5-point first. Each one you hold is a place your opponent can't enter after being hit.
- Build a prime. Six points in a row form a wall no checker can jump, and even four or five in a row trap your opponent's back checkers.
- Count the race. Add up the pips each side needs to bear off. When you're well ahead, stop hitting and run home; when you're behind, keep checkers back to hit a late blot.
- Leave blots out of direct range. A blot within six points of an opposing checker can be hit by a single die, so it gets hit far more often than one further away.
- Get your back checkers moving early, before your opponent builds a wall in front of them.
Playing backgammon on Play Face to Face
Our backgammon table follows every rule on this page and does the bookkeeping for you.
- Checkers that can move get a ring, and selecting one shows where it can go. Illegal moves aren't offered.
- Undo takes back a checker you moved this turn, up to three times a game.
- Each turn has a 60-second timer. If it runs out, the computer plays the turn for you.
- Play a friend in a private room from an invite link, or practise against the computer on your own.
Who moves first in backgammon?
Each player rolls one die and the higher number starts, playing both of those dice as the first move. Ties are rolled again.
Do you have to hit in backgammon?
No. Hitting is always optional. What you can't skip is using your dice: if both dice can be played, you must play both.
Can a checker on the bar move before it enters?
No. While you have a checker on the bar, entering it is the only move you can make. If neither die lets it enter, your turn passes.
What happens if I roll a number I can't use when bearing off?
If the die is higher than your highest occupied point, you bear off from the highest point. If it's lower, you must move a checker inside your home board by that number if you can.
How many checkers does each player have?
Fifteen each, set up as 2 on the 24-point, 5 on the 13-point, 3 on the 8-point and 5 on the 6-point.
You know the rules. Roll the dice.
Private rooms with friends and optional video chat, or a practice game against the computer. No download, no sign-up.
