The board and setup
The board has 24 triangles called points, split into four quarters of six. Each player has fifteen checkers and two dice. You count the points from your own side: your home board is points 1 to 6, and your checkers travel from point 24 down to point 1, then off the board. Your opponent travels the other way round.
Each player starts with two checkers on their 24-point, five on their 13-point, three on their 8-point and five on their 6-point. The opponent’s setup is a mirror image.
Who goes first
To begin, each player rolls one die. The higher number plays first and uses both dice as the opening move. If the dice match, they are rolled again, so a game never opens with doubles (who goes first). After that, players alternate turns, rolling two dice each time.
How to move
Each die is a separate move. A 5 and a 3 let you move one checker five points and another three points, or one checker eight points by playing both dice in turn. Checkers only move toward your home board, and you may land on:
- an empty point,
- a point where you already have checkers, or
- a point with exactly one opposing checker, which you hit.
You may not land on a point holding two or more opposing checkers. That point is blocked, and building blocked points is how you hem your opponent in.
Doubles
When both dice show the same number, you play that number four times instead of two. A 3-3 gives you four moves of three points, split among checkers or all with one, as long as each landing is legal (rolling doubles).
You must use both dice
You must play as many of your dice as you legally can. If you can play either die but not both, you must play the higher one. If neither can be played, your turn passes (use both dice). Where one die could be played first only by wasting the other, the game offers only the plays that use both.
Hitting and the bar
A single checker alone on a point is a blot (what is a blot). If your opponent lands exactly on it, it is hit: it is removed from the point and placed on the bar, the ridge down the middle of the board. Two or more checkers on a point are safe.
Example: your checker on the 24-point and a single opposing checker on your 18-point. Rolling a 6 lets you hit it.
While you have a checker on the bar you may not move anything else. You must enter it first, on the point in your opponent’s home board that matches a die: a roll of 4 enters on their 4-point. If that point is blocked, that die cannot be used to enter. If both are blocked, you lose the turn (how to enter from the bar).
Bearing off
Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board, you may start bearing them off. A checker comes off with a die that matches the point it sits on: a 4 removes a checker from your 4-point. If you roll a number higher than your farthest-back checker needs, you may use it to bear that checker off. A higher die cannot take a checker off a lower point while you still have a checker on a higher point.
If you are hit while bearing off, you must bring that checker around and back into your home board before you can bear off again. Details: bearing off rules.
Winning the game
The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins. The game here is a single race: there is no doubling cube, and no extra credit for winning by a larger margin. A win is a win.
Backgammon rules for two players
Backgammon is always a two-player game. Trindo Games plays the standard game described above. To put the rules to work, read the backgammon strategy guide, or play backgammon free with a friend or the computer. No sign-up.
Backgammon rules questions
What is a blot in backgammon?
A blot is a single checker alone on a point. If your opponent lands on it, it is hit and sent to the bar, while two or more checkers make a safe point.
Read the full answer →How do you enter from the bar in backgammon?
Roll and enter on the point matching a die in your opponent’s home board. A point with two or more enemy checkers is blocked, and nothing else can move first.
Read the full answer →Do you have to use both dice in backgammon?
Yes, whenever a legal play uses both dice you must make it. If only one die can be played you must play the higher one, and if neither can, your turn passes.
Read the full answer →What happens when you roll doubles in backgammon?
Doubles give you four moves of the number shown instead of two. A 3-3 lets you play four 3s, split among checkers or all with one, if each landing is legal.
Read the full answer →When can you bear off in backgammon?
Only when all fifteen checkers are in your home board. Bear off with an exact roll, or a higher one from your farthest-back point if nothing is behind it.
Read the full answer →Who goes first in backgammon?
Each player rolls one die. The higher number starts and plays both dice as the opening move. Ties are rolled again, so a game never opens with doubles.
Read the full answer →Play Backgammon free →Invite a friend or practice with the computer. No sign-up.