Backgammon
How to play Backgammon
Backgammon is a board game for two players in which each player rolls two dice to race 15 checkers around the board and bear them off, hitting the other player's lone checkers on the way.
Race your fifteen checkers home from the standard start.
About Backgammon
Backgammon starts from the standard position: two checkers on your 24 point, five on the 13, three on the 8 and five on the 6.
A single game is played without the doubling cube, and a match of 3, 5 or 7 points uses the cube with the Crawford rule.
A gammon counts double and a backgammon triple, in a single game as in a match.
The goal of Backgammon
Backgammon is played by two players, each with 15 checkers that move in opposite directions around a board of 24 points, and here you play against a computer player. Be the first to bring all your checkers into your home board and bear them off.
How to set up Backgammon
Each player numbers the points from their own side, 1 to 24, and their home board is points 1 to 6. In Backgammon each player starts with two checkers on the 24 point, five on the 13, three on the 8 and five on the 6.
To start a game each player rolls one die, and the higher number moves first, playing the two numbers rolled. Equal dice are rolled again.
Backgammon rules
On your turn you roll two dice and move a checker for each number, from a higher point towards a lower one. A checker may land only on an open point, one not held by two or more of your opponent's checkers. One checker can take both numbers if the point between is open, and a double is played four times.
You must use both numbers if you can, and all four of a double. If only one number can be played, play it; if either could be played but not both, play the larger. If no move is possible, the turn passes.
A single checker on a point is a blot. If your opponent lands on it, it is hit and goes to the bar, and it must come back in on the point of your opponent's home board that matches a die before any other checker of yours moves. If it cannot come in, the rest of your roll is lost.
Once all your checkers are in your home board, you may bear them off. A number removes a checker from the matching point. If that point is empty you must move a checker from a higher point, and if there is none higher, you remove one from the highest point you hold. You may also move inside your home board instead, and a checker hit meanwhile has to come all the way round before you bear off again.
Backgammon scoring
A win is worth 1 point. It is a gammon, worth 2, if the loser has not borne off a single checker, and a backgammon, worth 3, if the loser also still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board.
In a match of 3, 5 or 7 points the doubling cube can raise those values. Before rolling, a player may double while the cube is in the middle or their own. The other player either takes, and the game goes on at twice the value with the taker owning the cube, or drops and loses the game at its value before the double.
When a player first comes within one point of winning the match, the next game is played without the cube. This is the Crawford rule, and it applies only once in a match.
How to win at Backgammon
The first player to reach the match's points wins it. A single game is a match of 1 point and has no doubling cube. Gammons and backgammons count in a match, and points beyond the target are simply kept.
Backgammon strategy tips
Make points rather than leaving blots. Two checkers on a point cannot be hit, and a row of made points in front of your opponent's back checkers is hard to get past.
Count the shots before you leave a blot. One within six points of an enemy checker can be hit by 11 to 17 of the 36 rolls, depending on the distance, and one seven to twelve points away by only 2 to 6.
A checker on the bar against a board with one point still open comes in on only 11 rolls of 36, so closing points in your home board makes every hit you score worth more.
When you are well ahead in the race, stop hitting and bring your checkers home safely. The pip counts beside the board show who leads.
Backgammon questions and answers
How do you set up a backgammon board?
Each player places two checkers on their 24 point, five on their 13 point, three on their 8 point and five on their 6 point, counting from their own side. Here the board is set up for you, and Nackgammon and Hypergammon start from positions of their own.
Who goes first in backgammon?
Each player rolls one die, and the higher number goes first, moving with both dice of that opening roll. Equal dice are rolled again. In Portes the winner of the opening roll rolls both dice again for the first move.
Do you have to use both dice in backgammon?
Yes, when you can. You must play both numbers, or all four of a double. If only one can be played, you play that one, and if either could be played but not both, you must play the larger.
What is a gammon and a backgammon?
A gammon is a win before the loser has borne off a single checker, and it is worth twice the game's value. A backgammon is a gammon in which the loser also still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board, and it is worth three times. Portes has no backgammon, so a win there counts as a gammon at most.
How does the doubling cube work?
In a match of 3, 5 or 7 points, a player may double before rolling. The other player takes, and the game is then worth twice as much and the taker owns the cube, or drops and loses the game at its value before the double. Only the owner of the cube can double again. A single game and Portes are played without the cube.
What is the Crawford rule?
When a player first comes within one point of winning the match, the next game is played without the doubling cube. That game is the Crawford game, and it happens only once in a match; from the game after it, the cube is back.
Can you play backgammon online with a friend?
Yes. Sign in, follow the Multiplayer link and open a table for two, choosing the variant and a match of 1, 3, 5 or 7 points, then send your friend its code or list the table in the lobby. A player who takes more than 60 seconds over a decision has the computer play it for them, and a player who leaves the table loses the match.
Can you play backgammon against the computer?
Yes, every Backgammon page is you against one computer player, and you do not need to sign in. You can play a single game or a match of 3, 5 or 7 points, and Undo takes back your last decision and the computer's turns after it, with the same dice coming up again.