Backgammon is a race for two people. Each player moves 15 checkers toward their home board, then bears them off. Dice set the distance; you choose the legal moves. Start with the board below, play one opening roll, then keep this guide beside you for your first game.
Playing on a board or in our browser? The checker rules below apply to both. Our free browser game lets you practice against the computer or a friend on the same device. It has no doubling cube, so the cube rules here are for play with a physical set.
What you need
- A board with 24 narrow triangles, called points, divided by the bar.
- 30 checkers: 15 of each color.
- Two pairs of dice and, ideally, two dice cups.
- A doubling cube marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 if you want to play with doubling.
If you are choosing a set, our board guide explains what to check in a listing.
Set up the board: 2–5–3–5
Use the diagram as if you are sitting at the bottom, playing Ivory. Your home board is the six points at bottom right. Ivory’s point numbers run from 24 down to 1. Blue sits across the board and moves the other way. A physical board may be turned around; the important parts are each player’s own home board and the opposite directions of travel.
| Own point | Checkers | Ivory location | Blue location on diagram |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 2 | 24 | 1 |
| 13 | 5 | 13 | 12 |
| 8 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
| 6 | 5 | 6 | 19 |
The four stacks add up to 15 per player: 2 + 5 + 3 + 5. On the browser board, Ivory moves from the fixed label 24 toward 1; Blue moves from fixed label 1 toward 24.
Play the first turn
Each player rolls one die. The higher roller moves first, using both numbers showing; they do not roll again. Ties mean both players roll one die again. Opening doubles cannot occur because equal opening dice are rerolled.
- Suppose Ivory rolls 3 and Blue rolls 1. Ivory starts and must play the 3 and the 1.
- Move one Ivory checker from point 8 to 5 with the 3. Point 5 is empty in the starting position.
- Move one Ivory checker from point 6 to 5 with the 1. The two Ivory checkers now own point 5, so Blue cannot land there.
This is written 8/5, 6/5. Ivory now has 2 checkers on 8, 4 on 6 and 2 on 5; every other starting stack is unchanged. Blue then rolls two dice for the next turn.
Move with both dice
Each die is a separate move. A 5 and a 3 can move different checkers, or one checker for a total of eight points if the intermediate landing point is open. An open point is empty, holds your checkers, or holds exactly one opposing checker. Two or more opposing checkers block it. A checker cannot move backward.
- Use both dice when possible. If only one number is playable, play it. If either number can be played but not both, play the larger number. You may choose the order of the dice when both can be used.
- Doubles mean four moves. With 4–4, play four moves of four points. If all four are impossible, play as many as legally possible.
- A made point protects itself. Two or more of your checkers on one point prevent your opponent from landing there.
If no legal move exists, the turn ends. The browser game shows legal checker moves, including the required dice use.
Hit a blot, then re-enter from the bar
One checker alone on a point is a blot. Landing on an opponent’s blot sends it to the bar. A player with checkers on the bar must re-enter them before moving any other checker. A 3 enters on your opponent’s 3-point, which is your own 22-point. On our fixed diagram, Ivory enters with a 3 on point 22; Blue enters with a 3 on point 3.
Example: a hit and the next turn
- In a later position, Ivory has a checker on fixed point 8 and Blue has one checker on fixed point 5. Ivory rolls 3–2. Ivory plays 8/5* with the 3, hitting Blue’s blot; the asterisk marks the hit. If fixed point 3 is open, Ivory can use the 2 for 5/3.
- Blue’s checker is on the bar. On Blue’s next turn, suppose the roll is 3–1 and fixed points 3 and 4 are open. Blue can enter on fixed point 3 with the 3, then move that checker to fixed point 4 with the 1. In Blue’s own point numbers, this is bar/22, 22/21.
If both entry points are blocked by two or more opposing checkers, Blue loses that turn. With multiple checkers on the bar, enter as many as the dice allow before moving a checker already on the board. If the final bar checker enters and a die remains, use that die if a legal move exists.
Bear off: take all 15 checkers home
Once all your unborne checkers are on your own points 1–6, you may remove them. An exact roll takes a checker off the matching point: a 4 can remove a checker from point 4. You can also make a legal move within your home board instead of bearing off.
Two rolls to check at the table
- Higher checker first: Your 4-point is empty, but you have a checker on point 5. With a 4, move 5/1; you cannot use that 4 to remove a lower checker from point 3 or 2.
- Oversized die: Your highest occupied point is 5, with no checker on point 6. On a 6–4, use the 6 to bear one checker off point 5. If a checker is on point 4, use the 4 to bear that checker off too. Both dice are used and two checkers leave the board.
An oversized die removes a checker only from your highest occupied point. If a blot is hit while you are bearing off, re-enter it from the bar and bring it back into your home board before bearing off resumes.
Win, score, and decide whether to use the cube
The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins. Without a doubling cube, the result depends on where the loser’s checkers remain when the game ends.
| Result | Losing player’s position | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Single game | Has borne off at least one checker | 1 |
| Gammon | Has borne off none | 2 |
| Backgammon | Has borne off none and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home board | 3 |
For a physical game using the cube, either player may offer the first double at the start of their turn, before rolling. The opponent may decline and concede the current stake, or accept and take ownership of the cube at twice that stake. Only the cube owner may offer the next double. Gammons and backgammons multiply the final cube value. Optional rules such as automatic doubles, beavers and the Jacoby rule need agreement before play.
Browser-game scope: Our game has no doubling cube or running match total. It scores a single game, gammon or backgammon at the base 1–2–3 values.
Printable first-game reference
Print this page and keep this box beside the board.
- Set up: Each color places 2 on its 24-point, 5 on 13, 3 on 8 and 5 on 6.
- Start: Roll one die each. Higher roll starts with both numbers; reroll ties.
- Move: Each die is a separate forward move. Use both if possible. If either die alone works but not both, use the higher. Doubles mean four moves; use as many as possible.
- Hit: Land on one opposing checker to put it on the bar. A checker on the bar must enter the opponent’s home board before other moves.
- Bear off: All active checkers must be home. Use an exact die; if its point is empty, move from a higher point. With no checker above the die, remove from the highest occupied point.
- Win: First to bear off 15 wins. Single = 1, gammon = 2, backgammon = 3, before any agreed cube multiplier.
Questions from first games
Do I have to hit a blot? No. You must use the dice as fully as possible, but you may choose among legal moves.
Can one checker use both dice? Yes, if the intermediate landing point and final point are open in that order.
Can we play without the cube? Yes. Agree on that before the first roll; the browser game plays without one.
Sources
- Backgammon Basics: How To Play, U.S. Backgammon Federation: setup, opening, legal moves, bar, bearing off and scoring.
- Beginner’s Guide to Backgammon, U.S. Backgammon Federation, by Chris Bray: point numbering and board orientation.
- Rules of Backgammon, Backgammon Galore: additional rule reference and optional cube rules.
Ready to try a roll? Take a seat at our free Backgammon table. No account or download is needed. For a physical set, continue with the board guide.