Backgammon blends luck and skill: roll the dice, race fifteen checkers home, and outsmart your opponent. A free browser version is planned, with no sign-up intended.
The History of Backgammon
Backgammon belongs to the family of tables games, race games that go back many centuries. The Royal Game of Ur from Mesopotamia, dated to about 2600 BC, is considered ancestral to this family, and Egyptian Senet shows that race games on tracks are just as ancient. Closer relatives include the Byzantine game tabula, and nard, which is thought to have emerged in Persia in late antiquity.
The English name backgammon is first recorded in the 1640s, and the game grew out of an earlier English game called Irish. In the eighteenth century Edmond Hoyle published a short treatise on it. The biggest modern change came in the 1920s, when players in New York gaming clubs introduced the doubling cube, turning a pastime into a game of risk and nerve. Greek tavli and Turkish tavla survive today.
How to Play Backgammon: Basic Rules
Backgammon is played by two people on a board of 24 narrow triangles called points. Each side has 15 checkers and moves them in opposite directions around the board toward their own home board, the last six points. The goal is to bring all your checkers home and bear them off first.
- Setup: each player starts with two checkers on their 24-point, five on the 13-point, three on the 8-point and five on the 6-point.
- Opening roll: each player rolls one die. The higher roll goes first and plays both numbers.
- Moving: roll two dice and move forward by each number separately, with one checker or two. Play both numbers if legally possible.
- Doubles: if both dice match, you play that number four times instead of two.
- Blocked points: you cannot land on a point holding two or more opposing checkers. A lone checker, called a blot, can be hit.
- Hitting: landing on a blot sends it to the bar. Its owner must re-enter it in your home board before moving anything else.
- Bearing off: once all 15 checkers are in your home board, remove them with matching rolls, or higher rolls when no checker sits further back.
- Winning: the first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins the game.
Backgammon Scoring, Gammon and the Doubling Cube
A normal win is worth one point. If the loser has not borne off a single checker, that is a gammon and counts double. If the loser also still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board, that is a backgammon and counts triple.
The doubling cube is a die marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 that starts in the middle, meaning the game is worth one. On your turn, before rolling, you may offer a double. Your opponent either accepts, taking the cube at the doubled stakes, or declines and loses the game at the current value. Only the cube holder may redouble later.
Scoring varies by format. In match play, the first to reach an agreed target wins, and under the Crawford rule the game after a player reaches one point short of the target is played without the cube, once only. Under the money-play Jacoby rule, gammons count only if the cube has been turned. The Greek games Portes and Fevga are played without a cube, and Fevga starts with all checkers on one point.
Backgammon Strategy: Tips to Win More Games
Dice decide single rolls, but skill decides games.
- Make your 5-point early. It blocks many of your opponent's escaping numbers and anchors your home board.
- Build points in pairs, not blots. Two checkers together are safe, and connected points form a wall.
- Count the pips, the total distance left to travel. The lower count leads the race, telling you whether to run or fight.
- Hit when it gains something. A hit costs your opponent pips and tempo.
- Take an advanced anchor on your opponent's 20-point or 21-point for a safe base.
- Build a prime. Six points in a row cannot be passed.
- Avoid leaving blots within range of enemy checkers; each hit can swing the game.
- Use the cube with care. Double when you clearly lead, and pass when truly hopeless.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Backgammon a game of luck or skill?
It is both. The dice decide what moves are available each turn, but choosing how to use them, when to hit, and when to use the doubling cube is pure skill. A beginner can win a single game, but over many games the stronger player prevails.
How many checkers does each player have in Backgammon?
Each player has 15 checkers in one color. They begin on four points: two on the 24-point, five on the 13-point, three on the 8-point and five on the 6-point, then travel around the board toward home.
What is a gammon in Backgammon?
A gammon is a win where the loser has not borne off any checkers by the time the winner finishes. It scores two points instead of one. A backgammon, worth three, also leaves a loser checker on the bar or in the winner's home board.
How does the doubling cube work?
The cube raises the stakes of a game. Before your roll, you may offer to double. Your opponent can accept and take the cube at the higher value, or decline and concede the game at the current value. Afterwards only that player may redouble.
What is the Crawford rule?
The Crawford rule is used in match play. When one player reaches a score one point short of the match target, the very next game is played without the doubling cube. After that single game, the cube returns. It stops the trailing player from doubling as a free gamble.
Can I play Backgammon online for free?
Not yet. Backgammon Online is being built, and the plan is a free browser game with no sign-up and no download. We intend to let you play the computer or invite a friend. The site is coming soon, and the rules and strategy guide above is available now.