Quick Rules
Backgammon is a race for two players. Each side has 15 checkers on a board of 24 narrow triangles called points. You move your checkers around the board by the roll of two dice, bring them all into your home board (your points 1 to 6), and then take them off. The first player to take off all 15 wins.
- Who starts. Each side rolls one die. The higher number goes first and plays both of those dice as its first roll.
- Moving. Each die is a separate move. With 6 and 4 you can move one checker 6 points and another 4, or one checker 10 points in two hops. Doubles (two of the same number) give you four moves.
- Use both dice. You must use both numbers if there is any legal way to do it. If you can use only one, and either one would do, you must use the larger.
- Blocked points. You may land on an empty point, on your own checkers, or on a point with just one opposing checker. A point with two or more of the other side's checkers is closed to you.
- Hitting. Landing on a single opposing checker (a blot) sends it to the bar in the middle. A checker on the bar must come back in through the opponent's home board before its owner can move anything else.
- Bearing off. Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you can take them off with the exact number, or with a higher number from your highest point.
- Scoring. A win is 1 point. If the loser hasn't taken off a single checker it's a gammon (2 points), and if one of theirs is still on the bar or in your home board it's a backgammon (3 points). Play one game or a match to 3, 5 or 7 points.
Dice You Can Check
Anyone who has lost a game to a lucky double six has wondered whether the dice were honest. Here you can check. Every match has a deal number, and that number decides the whole sequence of rolls before the first die is thrown. You and the computer draw from the same sequence, turn by turn; the computer cannot pick its numbers and cannot peek at the next roll. Replay the same deal and the same rolls come up in the same order. Under the board, the Dice history keeps count of every roll each side has thrown: how many doubles, how often each number came up, and the average roll. Over a long match the two sides even out, the way real dice do.
A Board Made for Easy Play
The board fills the screen, and on a phone it turns on its side so the checkers stay large. Your checkers are light and plain; the computer's are dark with a bright ring, so you can tell them apart without relying on colour. Tap a checker and every point it can reach is outlined and marked with the dice it would use. Made a slip? Undo works until you tap Done. Pip counts, the bar and both trays of borne-off checkers are always in view. Stuck? Hint shows the move it would make and says why, and Why? explains each move the computer makes.
Tips for Winning
- Make points, especially your 5-point. Two checkers together can't be hit, and a point in your home board is a wall in your opponent's way.
- Mind your blots. A lone checker within six points of an opposing checker can be hit with a single die. Leave blots where they are hard to reach.
- Hit when it's safe or worth it. Sending a checker back costs your opponent all the distance it travelled.
- Get your back checkers moving. Your two checkers on the 24-point have furthest to go. Move them out before a wall forms in front of them.
- Count the race. When the checkers have passed each other, the pip count tells you who is ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this backgammon game free?
Yes. Play as many games and matches as you like for free, with no account, no download and no ads over the board.
Does the computer cheat or get better dice?
No. Every roll in a match, yours and the computer's, comes from one random sequence that is fixed by the deal number before the first roll. The computer gets exactly the same kind of random dice you do, cannot choose them and cannot see the next roll. Replay the same deal number and the same rolls come up in the same order, so you can check this yourself. The Dice history panel under the board counts every roll each side has thrown, including doubles, so you can see that over many rolls they even out.
How do I move a checker?
Tap Roll Dice, then tap one of your checkers. Checkers that can move have a dashed ring. The points the chosen checker can reach are outlined, with a dot where it would land and the dice it would use, such as 4 or 6+4. Tap one of those points, or use the buttons under the dice. Undo takes a move back until you tap Done.
What is the pip count?
The pip count is the total number of points all your checkers still have to travel to bear off. A checker on your 6-point counts 6 and a checker on the bar counts 25. Lower is better. Both pip counts are shown above the board at all times, so you can tell at a glance who is ahead in the race.
What are a gammon and a backgammon?
If you bear off all 15 checkers before your opponent has borne off any, you win a gammon, worth 2 points. If the loser also still has a checker on the bar or in your home board, it is a backgammon, worth 3 points. An ordinary win is worth 1 point.
Do I have to use the doubling cube?
No. The cube is off unless you turn it on in Settings under House rules. With it on, the player about to roll may offer to double the stakes, and the other player either takes and plays on for twice as much or passes and loses the game at the current value. The Crawford rule is included for matches.
Can two people play on one device?
Yes, on a tablet or computer. Tap Two Players, type your names if you like, and take turns on the same board. Whose turn it is is shown in large letters above the board. On a small phone screen this option is hidden because two people cannot comfortably share it.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your game is saved in your browser after every move, so you can close the page and continue later on the same device.
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