Backgammon

How To Play

The goal

Race all fifteen of your checkers into your home board, then bear them off. First player to bear off all fifteen wins.

The board

The board has 24 narrow triangles called points, arranged in four quadrants of six points each. A raised divider called the bar runs down the middle.

Each player has a home board (the six points nearest to where they bear off) and an outer board (the six points on the other side of the bar). Your home board is on your right; your opponent's home board is on their left, opposite yours.

Direction

Each player moves toward their own home board. You always move from higher-numbered points to lower-numbered points (from your perspective). The two players move in opposite directions around the board.

Taking a turn

Roll two dice.
Move checkers according to the numbers rolled. Each die is a separate move — you may move one checker the total, or two different checkers.
You must play both dice if there is any legal way to do so. If only one die can be played, you must play the larger one when possible.
Doubles (both dice the same) count as four moves of that number. For example, rolling 5-5 gives you four moves of five.

Where you can land

An empty point — always fine.
A point with your own checkers — always fine. Add to the stack.
A point with a single opponent checker (a "blot") — you hit the blot. Your checker takes the point; the hit checker goes to the bar.
A point with two or more opponent checkers — blocked. You cannot land there.

Making a point (stacking two or more of your own checkers on the same point) is the main way to build a defensive position, since your opponent cannot land there.

The bar

A checker on the bar must re-enter the board before you may make any other move. It re-enters in the opponent's home board, using the dice roll:

A 1 enters on the opponent's 1-point (your 24-point).
A 6 enters on the opponent's 6-point (your 19-point).

If both entry points are blocked, you dance — the whole turn is lost, and the checker stays on the bar. If only one die can be used to enter, you must use it, and any remaining die is played normally.

Bearing off

Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board (points 1-6, from your perspective), you may begin bearing them off.

A die of N bears off a checker from your N-point (a checker on the 3-point can be borne off with a 3).
If you roll higher than any checker's point number, you may bear off a checker from the highest occupied point (a 6 with your highest checker on the 4-point bears off from the 4-point).
If you have a checker outside the home board (say, one hit and now on the bar), you cannot bear off anything until it's back in the home.

Be careful bearing off: if you leave a blot in your home board and your opponent still has a checker behind you (usually on the bar or in your home board), they can hit it — and now you have to bring the hit checker all the way back around before you can resume bearing off.

Winning

The winner takes points based on how badly they beat the opponent:

Single game — the loser bore off at least one checker. Worth 1 point.
Gammon — the loser bore off zero checkers. Worth 2 points.
Backgammon — the loser bore off zero AND still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board. Worth 3 points.

The doubling cube

The doubling cube is a die with the values 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 on its faces. It tracks the stakes of the game.

At the start, the cube sits centered on the bar at 1. Either player may double.
Before rolling on your turn, you may propose a double. Your opponent must take (accept the new stakes and now own the cube) or drop (concede the game at the current stakes).
Once a player owns the cube, only they may propose the next double.
The cube multiplies your final score: a gammon at a cube value of 4 is worth 8 points.

When to double

Roughly:

Double when you're clearly ahead but not so far ahead that your opponent will drop.
Take when you have a reasonable chance to come back — say, one in four or better.
Drop when the position feels genuinely lost.

A few tips for beginners

Build your 5-point and bar-point (the 7-point) early. Made points inside and near your home board are strong.
Don't leave blots you don't have to. A single checker exposed near your opponent's checkers is an easy hit.
When ahead in the race, race. When behind, look for chances to hit and slow your opponent down.
Bring your back checkers forward early. Leaving your two starting checkers stuck in the opponent's home is a common trap.
Count pips. Add up how many total points each side needs to travel; the difference tells you whether you're racing to win or scrambling to hit.

That's enough to play. The rest is experience — backgammon rewards it, and every roll is a fresh problem.

History

Backgammon is one of the world's oldest known board games, with roots stretching back more than 5,000 years. Archaeologists have discovered game boards in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) that closely resemble early ancestors of backgammon, showing that people have enjoyed similar games since the dawn of civilization.

Over the centuries, race games spread throughout the ancient world. The Romans played a popular version called Tabula, while the Persians developed Nard, a game that strongly influenced modern backgammon. As trade and travel connected cultures, these games evolved with new rules and variations across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

The game we recognize today took shape in England during the 17th century, when the name backgammon first appeared. The combination of strategic movement and the luck of rolling dice made it popular among players of all ages, and it soon spread throughout Europe and beyond.

In the 20th century, backgammon experienced a worldwide revival as organized tournaments, clubs, and international competitions became increasingly common. Today, it is played both on traditional wooden boards and through online platforms, where millions of players continue to enjoy this timeless game of skill, probability, and strategy.