Board Games
How to play Backgammon
Move all fifteen checkers into your home board and bear them off first.
QUICK ANSWER
How do you play Backgammon?
Move all 15 checkers around the board into your home board, then bear them off before your opponent. Each die is a separate move, and a checker cannot land on a point occupied by two or more opposing checkers.
Jump to the step-by-step rules ↓EDITOR'S TABLE NOTES
Is Backgammon a good fit for your group?
This game works especially well for two players who enjoy probability, racing, blocking, and tactical risk. Before setting up, decide whether that matches the experience your group wants today.
Rules version covered here
This guide covers standard backgammon movement, hitting, entering from the bar, doubles, bearing off, gammons, and backgammons.
QUICK VIDEO GUIDE
Learn Backgammon in under a minute
About this video
This original mini lesson covers what you need, setup, normal play, the winning condition, and one beginner tip. Continue below for the complete written guide.
INTERACTIVE LEARN-TO-PLAY
Practice Backgammon before the first round
Walk through the setup, try a sample turn, and get a quick answer when play stalls.
Arrange checkers in the standard starting positions.
Each player rolls one die; the higher roll moves first.
Playable example turn
Step 1 of 4
Roll two dice and move checkers by the shown numbers.
What should we do now?
Start with this action: Roll two dice and move checkers by the shown numbers.
Scoring and winning
Bring every checker home before bearing them off.
Common dispute to prevent
Moving while a checker remains on the bar. Agree on any edition-specific variation before the first turn.
The objective
Your goal is to move all fifteen checkers into your home board and bear them off first. Before play begins, make sure every player can explain how the game ends and what determines the winner. That one check prevents many mid-game disagreements.
What you need
A backgammon board, 30 checkers, two dice, and a doubling cube. Lay out every required item before teaching the rules. If pieces, cards, controllers, or play space are missing, resolve that before the practice turn.
RULES AT A GLANCE
Backgammon rules in one minute
- Place all 15 checkers in the standard starting position and move in opposite directions.
- Use both dice when legal; doubles provide four moves of the rolled number.
- Land on a lone opposing checker to hit it and place it on the bar.
- A player with a checker on the bar must re-enter it before moving any other checker.
- Bear off only after all 15 checkers reach your home board.
How to set up
- Arrange checkers in the standard starting positions.
- Each player rolls one die; the higher roll moves first.
Setup check: Ask one player who did not arrange the game to compare the table, field, or screen with these steps. A fresh look often catches an incorrect starting position.
How to play: step by step
- Roll two dice and move checkers by the shown numbers.
- Land on open points or points occupied by one opposing checker.
- Hit a lone opposing checker and send it to the bar.
- Bring every checker home before bearing them off.
Example first round
You roll 3 and 5. One checker may move three points and another five, or one checker may move both numbers if the intermediate and final points are legal. The dice are separate moves, not one eight-point jump.
How scoring and winning work
- A normal win is one point.
- A gammon is two points when the loser has borne off no checkers.
- A backgammon is three points when the loser has borne off none and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home board.
Useful variations
- Ignore the doubling cube during a first teaching game.
- Use match play after learning gammons and cube decisions.
- Nackgammon changes the opening setup for a more positional game.
Beginner strategies
- Build points with two or more checkers.
- Avoid leaving unnecessary single checkers.
Choose one of these ideas for the first game instead of trying to remember every strategy at once. Afterward, identify one decision that changed the result and one move you would test next time.
STRATEGY LAB
Two decisions that improve your next game
Make points together
Two or more checkers on a point create a block. Connected points restrict the opponent and protect your own checkers.
Avoid unnecessary blots
A single checker is vulnerable to being hit. Leave a blot only when its benefit outweighs the risk and likely return shots.
Backgammon setup and bearing-off guide
Common mistakes to avoid
- Moving while a checker remains on the bar.
- Bearing off before every checker reaches the home board.
If an illegal move is discovered, pause and agree on the least disruptive correction. For casual play, consistency and a shared understanding matter more than reconstructing many turns.
Frequently asked questions
Can doubles be played four times?
Yes.
What is a blot?
A point occupied by only one checker.
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