How to Play Backgammon

Objective

Backgammon is a two-player board game that combines strategy and luck. Each player controls 15 checkers of their own color. The goal is simple: be the first to move all your checkers around the board and bear them all off (remove them from play). The player who bears off all 15 checkers first wins the game.

Board Setup

The backgammon board consists of 24 narrow triangles called points, numbered 1 to 24 from each player's perspective. The board is divided into four quadrants of six points each:

• Your home board: points 1–6 (bottom right)
• Your outer board: points 7–12 (bottom left)
• Opponent's outer board: points 13–18 (top right)
• Opponent's home board: points 19–24 (top left)

The standard starting position places checkers as follows (from White's perspective):

• 2 checkers on point 24
• 5 checkers on point 13
• 3 checkers on point 8
• 5 checkers on point 6

Black mirrors this arrangement from the opposite direction.

Movement

Players alternate turns. At the start of each turn, the active player rolls two dice. The numbers on each die represent two separate moves: you may move one checker the full combined distance, or move two checkers, one for each die value.

White moves checkers from higher-numbered points toward lower-numbered points (24 → 1). Black moves in the opposite direction (1 → 24). A checker may only land on:

• An open point (any point with no checkers, or with your own checkers)
• A point occupied by exactly one opponent checker — this is called a blot, and hitting it sends it to the bar

A point occupied by two or more opponent checkers is made and completely blocked — you cannot land there.

If you roll doubles (both dice show the same number), you play that number four times instead of two. Rolling double 3s, for example, gives you four moves of 3 pips each.

You are required to use both dice if at all possible. If only one die can be played, you must play the higher number if possible. If neither die can be legally played, your turn is forfeited.

Hitting and the Bar

When your checker lands on a point occupied by a single opponent checker (a blot), that checker is hit and placed on the bar — the central divider of the board.

A player with checkers on the bar must re-enter them before moving any other checker. You re-enter by rolling a number corresponding to an open point in the opponent's home board. For White, re-entering means landing on points 19–24.

If all six points of the opponent's home board are blocked (made), the player on the bar cannot move at all and loses their turn. This is called a closed board and is one of the most powerful positions in backgammon.

Bearing Off

Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board (points 1–6 for White), you may begin bearing off — removing checkers from the board.

On each roll you may remove a checker from the point matching the die number. If you roll a 4, you remove a checker from point 4. If there is no checker on that point, you must move a checker from a higher-numbered point if possible, or bear off from the highest occupied point if the die number is higher than any occupied point.

If a checker is hit during the bear-off phase, it must re-enter the board and travel all the way back to your home board before bearing off can resume.

Scoring: Single, Gammon, Backgammon

There are three possible outcomes when a game ends:

• Single game: The loser has borne off at least one checker. The winner scores 1 point (multiplied by the cube value).
• Gammon: The loser has not borne off any checker when the winner finishes. The winner scores 2 points.
• Backgammon: The loser has not borne off any checker and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board. The winner scores 3 points.

The Doubling Cube

The doubling cube is a six-sided cube marked with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64. It starts in the center and is not owned by either player.

Before rolling, a player who feels they have a significant advantage may offer a double, proposing to play the game for twice the current stake. The opponent must either:

• Accept — take ownership of the cube at the new value and continue playing
• Drop — concede the game immediately and pay the current (pre-double) stake

Once accepted, the cube belongs to the accepting player, who is now the only one who can offer the next double (a redouble). This can continue up to 64.

Knowing when to double and when to accept is the deepest strategic skill in backgammon. Doubling too early gives your opponent a free drop; doubling too late leaves points on the table.

Match Play

In tournament and serious play, backgammon is played as a match to a fixed number of points — commonly 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 points. The first player to reach the target score wins the match.

Match play introduces the Crawford rule: when one player reaches one point short of the match target, the immediately following game is played without the doubling cube. This prevents the leader from being doubled out in a must-win situation. After the Crawford game, the cube is available again in all subsequent games.

Basic Tips for Beginners

• Build your home board. Making (occupying with two or more checkers) points in your home board traps any opponent checker that gets hit. Six made points is a closed board — the most powerful structure in backgammon.
• Don't leave blots unnecessarily. A lone checker in a dangerous position is a liability. Stack or anchor whenever possible.
• Hit your opponent's blots. Sending a checker to the bar costs your opponent at least one turn and forces them to re-enter from scratch.
• Anchor in your opponent's home board. Holding two or more points in your opponent's home board (an anchor) gives you safety from attack and a launching point for a comeback.
• Count pips. The pip count — the total number of pips each side needs to bear off — tells you who is ahead in the race. This matters for deciding when to run or when to fight.
• Use the doubling cube wisely. As a beginner, a simple rule of thumb: double when you are clearly ahead, and accept when you are losing by less than 25%. Refining this judgment takes time and experience.