Backgammon

Race your checkers home before your opponent races theirs.

How to play

Race all fifteen of your checkers around the board and off it before your opponent gets theirs home.

How a turn works

1. Roll two dice and move your checkers the numbers rolled — split the two dice between different checkers or play both on one.
2. Checkers move only in one direction, toward your home board, so every move advances the race.
3. Doubles are a gift: matching dice give you four moves of that number instead of two.
4. Land on a point held by a single opposing checker to hit it and send it to the bar.
5. Use as many dice as you legally can each turn — a move that would waste a die isn’t offered when a fuller sequence exists, and when only one die fits you must play the higher one.
6. When no legal move exists for your roll, your turn simply passes.

Key rules

• A point with two or more of your checkers is yours — your opponent may not land there, which is how you build a blockade.
• A lone checker on a point is exposed: any opposing checker landing exactly on it knocks it to the bar.
• A checker on the bar must re-enter through your opponent’s home board before you may move anything else; if every entry point is blocked, the roll is lost.
• The opening roll works differently: each player rolls one die, the higher number plays both dice first, and ties are rolled again.
• Bearing off begins only once all fifteen of your checkers are inside your home board.
• Bearing off removes a checker from the point matching the die you rolled; a higher die may take a checker off a lower point as long as no checker of yours sits farther back.
• The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins — no exact landing needed for the final checker.

Glossary

Point

One of the 24 numbered triangles; checkers land on them, and a point holding two or more of your checkers is blocked to your opponent.

Blot

A point holding exactly one checker — yours or theirs — exposed to being hit by any landing checker.

Bar

The ridge down the middle of the board where hit checkers sit out until they can re-enter.

Home board

Your last six points, where you gather your checkers before bearing off.

Bear off

Remove a checker from the board once all fifteen are home; the first player with all fifteen off wins.

Click or tap one of your checkers, then a highlighted destination point. Legal moves for your current dice are highlighted automatically.

More Backgammon rules questions →

Questions

Do I need a real board or dice to play backgammon online?

No — dice are rolled for you and the board is fully interactive, with your legal moves highlighted for the roll you got.

What happens if I roll doubles in backgammon?

Doubles give you four moves of that number instead of two — rolling double-fives, for example, lets you move 5 four separate times.

How long does a game of backgammon take?

About 20-30 minutes for a casual race to bear off all fifteen checkers.

Strategy guide

Backgammon Strategy for Beginners — Backgammon strategy basics: the best opening moves, when to hit and when to play safe, how to build a prime, and bearing off efficiently.

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