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Learning how to play backgammon takes about ten minutes. Two players each race 15 checkers around a board of 24 triangles, moving by the roll of two dice, and the first to carry all 15 off the board wins. Along the way you can knock an opponent’s lone checker back to the start, build walls they cannot pass, and raise the stakes with a doubling cube. The rules are short. The game behind them has kept people at the table for centuries.
The quick answer: set up 2, 5, 3 and 5 checkers on your 24, 13, 8 and 6 points. Roll two dice and move checkers toward your home board by those numbers. Land on a single enemy checker to send it to the bar. Once all 15 of yours are home, roll to bear them off. First one off wins.
What do you need to play backgammon?
A backgammon set has:
- A board with 24 long triangles called points, split into four quarters of six. A raised strip down the middle is the bar.
- 30 checkers, 15 in each color.
- Dice: a pair for each player, plus a cup to shake them in.
- A doubling cube, a large die marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64.
Each player has a home board (the quarter where you finish) and an outer board next to it. Your opponent’s home board sits directly across from yours.
How do you set up a backgammon board?
Points are numbered 1 to 24 from your own side, starting in your home board. Your 1-point is the deepest point of your home board; your 24-point is the far end of the track, which is also your opponent’s 1-point. Your opponent numbers the same board in reverse.
The standard backgammon setup is easy to remember as 2-5-3-5:
| Your point | Checkers | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| 24-point | 2 | The far corner, deep in your opponent’s home board |
| 13-point | 5 | Your opponent’s outer board, called the midpoint |
| 8-point | 3 | Your outer board, two points outside your home board |
| 6-point | 5 | The edge of your home board, next to the bar |
Your opponent mirrors this exactly from their side. A quick sanity check: the four groups add up to 15.
Which way do you move? Always from your 24-point toward your 1-point, so your checkers travel in a horseshoe and the two armies pass each other head on.
How to play backgammon: how do you move?
The opening roll
Each player rolls one die. The higher number goes first and plays both of those numbers as the first move. If the dice match, both players roll again. After that, players take turns rolling two dice.
Moving checkers
Each die is a separate move. If you roll a 5 and a 2, you can move one checker 5 points and another 2, or move one checker 5 and then 2 (7 in total). Each step must land on an open point, meaning a point that does not hold two or more of your opponent’s checkers. If you move one checker the full total, the halfway stop has to be open too.
Doubles
Roll the same number on both dice and you play that number four times. A pair of 3s gives you four moves of 3, which you can split among checkers any way you like.
You must play your roll
You have to use both numbers if the rules allow it. If you can play only one, play that one. If you can play either but not both, you must play the larger. If nothing is legal, you lose the turn. With doubles, play as many of the four moves as you can.
Blots and points
A single checker alone on a point is a blot. Two or more of your checkers on a point make the point, and your opponent cannot land there.
What happens when you hit a checker in backgammon?
If your checker lands on an opponent’s blot, you hit it. The hit checker goes onto the bar in the middle of the board.
A player with any checker on the bar must bring it back into play before moving anything else. This is called entering. The checker enters in your opponent’s home board, on the point that matches one of your dice. Roll a 4 and you can enter on your opponent’s 4-point (your 21-point), as long as it is open.
If both numbers you rolled are blocked, you lose your whole turn. If you have two checkers on the bar and only one can enter, you enter that one and forfeit the rest of the roll. Once everything is off the bar, you play any dice left over as normal.
A hit costs your opponent all the distance that checker traveled, and a strong home board can leave them stuck on the bar for turns.
How do you bear off in backgammon?
You may start bearing off (removing checkers from the board) only when all 15 of your checkers are in your home board. If one of them gets hit during this stage, you must bring it all the way home again before you bear off anything else.
- A die that matches a point removes a checker from that point. Roll a 5, take a checker off your 5-point.
- If that point is empty, you must move a checker down from a higher point if you can.
- If no checkers sit on higher points, you remove a checker from your highest occupied point. Roll a 6 with your furthest checker on the 4-point, and that checker comes off.
- You never have to bear off if another legal move is available.
The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins.
What are gammons and backgammons?
How badly you lose matters, because it changes the score.
- Single game: the loser has borne off at least one checker. The winner scores 1 point, times the value of the doubling cube.
- Gammon: the loser has not borne off a single checker. The winner scores double.
- Backgammon: the loser has not borne off any checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home board. The winner scores triple.
How does the doubling cube work?
The doubling cube is what turns backgammon from a race into a game of nerve. It starts in the middle with the 64 face up, which means the game is worth 1.
- At the start of your turn, before you roll, you may offer to double the stakes.
- Your opponent can drop: they concede now and lose the current value.
- Or they can take: the game continues at twice the value, and they now own the cube. Only the player who owns the cube may offer the next double, which is called a redouble.
There is no limit on redoubles. A gammon with the cube on 4 is worth 8 points.
Two rule add-ons you will meet:
- The Crawford rule is used in tournament matches played to a set number of points. The first time a player gets within one point of winning, the next game is played without the cube. After that game, the cube comes back.
- The Jacoby rule is common in casual games for stakes or points. Gammons and backgammons count only as a single game unless someone has doubled. It stops a player in a strong position from refusing to double just to chase a gammon.
If you are just learning, play a few games without the cube. Add it once moving and bearing off feel natural.
Backgammon strategy for beginners: six habits that win games
Backgammon is a classic example of luck and skill living side by side: the dice decide what you can do, and you decide what you do with it. Our article on luck vs skill in board games explains why that mix keeps the game fresh. These six habits shift the odds toward you.
1. Make points, especially your 5-point
Points block your opponent and protect your checkers. The most valuable early point is your own 5-point: it blocks your opponent’s back checkers, and it can never be used against you. Your 7-point (the bar point) is a close second. Opening rolls that make one of these are worth taking: a 3 and a 1 played 8 to 5 and 6 to 5 makes your 5-point on the first turn.
2. Count your opponent’s shots before you leave a blot
Sometimes you have to leave a checker alone. When you do, look at how many dice combinations can hit it. A blot six points away from an enemy checker can be hit many ways; a blot eight or more points away usually only by a combined roll, which is much less likely. Leave blots where they are hardest to reach.
3. Build a prime
Six points in a row, called a prime, is a wall no checker can jump. Even four or five in a row cause real trouble. Trap an opponent’s back checkers behind a prime and they will waste whole rolls while you build up your position.
4. Know when the game is a race
Once the two armies have passed each other with no more contact, hitting is over and the game is pure running. Count the pip count: the total distance your checkers must travel to bear off. At the start each side has 167. If you are ahead in the race, avoid contact and run home. If you are well behind, keep a checker back and hope for a shot.
5. Do not stack all your checkers on one point
Five or six checkers on a single point is wasted material. Spread them so you have builders ready to make new points with your next roll.
6. Use the cube as a tool, not a dare
The basic doubling math is simple. In a casual game for points, it is usually right to take a double if you still win about one game in four, because dropping loses 1 point for sure. And double when you are clearly ahead but the game is not yet over, before your lead becomes so big that your opponent can simply drop.
Where can you play backgammon with other people?
Online play is easy to find, but backgammon was built for two people across a board. Many cities have backgammon clubs that meet weekly or monthly for casual games and local tournaments. The US Backgammon Federation’s club finder lists well over a hundred of them across the country, from Anchorage to Tampa Bay.
That is exactly the kind of group The Ludarium wants to give a home. The Ludarium is building toward a membership game lounge in Indianapolis, a place where chess clubs, backgammon clubs, and every other kind of table can meet under one roof. If two-player games are your thing, see our picks of two-player board games for date night too.
Looking for another classic for two? Learn how to play checkers or start with how to play chess.
FAQ
How many checkers does each player have in backgammon?
Fifteen. They start in a 2-5-3-5 pattern on your 24, 13, 8 and 6 points, and your opponent mirrors that setup from their side.
Which direction do you move in backgammon?
Always toward your own home board, from your 24-point down to your 1-point. Your opponent moves the opposite way around the same track, so the two sides pass each other.
What happens if you cannot move in backgammon?
You lose your turn. If you can play only one of the two numbers, you play that one. If you can play either but not both, you must play the larger.
Can you land on your own checkers?
Yes. You can stack as many of your own checkers on a point as you want. You just cannot land on a point your opponent holds with two or more.
Do you have to use the doubling cube?
No. It is part of the standard rules and of tournament play, but many casual games skip it. Learn the movement first, then add the cube when you want each decision to carry more weight.
Set up a board tonight
Backgammon is two players, ten minutes to learn, and a lifetime to get good at. If you want more games with that same depth in a small package, browse the Card Catalogue to find games by how they feel. And Ludarium Letters, just below, sends ideas for what to play and who to play it with.
The game is the reason. The people are the point.
Sources
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