Game Objective

Whether you play backgammon online, or offline, the object of the game is the same: To remove or "bear off" all of your checkers from the backgammon board before your opponent. During the game, players can also prevent each other from advancing.

  Board Setup

Each player has 15 backgammon pieces or “checkers” in a different color from their opponent. The doubling cube appears to the left of the board on the side of whichever opponent has doubled the stake. The dice color always matches the checker color.

The backgammon board consists of 24 narrow triangles. Each of the triangles is represented by a number; the first triangle in your home board is point # 1, and the last point, counting clockwise, is #24, which is in your opponent's home board.

The initial board is set up as follows, and you opponent's checkers are set up in a mirror image of yours.

 Two checkers on #24,
 Five checkers on #13,
 Three checkers on #8,
 Five checkers on #6.

 Beginning the Game

To decide who goes first, each player throws a die (this throw is automatic in the online version). The player who throws the highest number goes first, using the numbers thrown to make his first move. If the first throw is a double, the game is automatically doubled and the dice are thrown again. The direction of play is counterclockwise, moving from point # 24 to point # 1.

When the game opens, the value of the game is one point (equal to the basic stake, which is stated in play money points or in dollar amount depending on if you are playing in play money or real money mode). Either player can offer to double the stake by turning the doubling cube, which starts out with the number 64 showing, to the side showing the number 2. The other player can either accept the double, or resign (forfeit) the game. The last person to accept a double may double next. Doubling can significantly raise the stakes of the game.

  Playing the Game

Players take turn rolling the dice. A player may move his/ her checkers based on the number rolled on the dice. Each die has a separate value, meaning that a player may move two different checkers in one roll, as long as each checker is moved exactly the number of points shown on a die.

Checkers can land on one of three types of "open" points:


 an empty point,
 a point occupied by the player's own men,
 a point occupied by a single checker (a blot) owned by your opponent.


If you land on a blot (your opponent’s unprotected checker) that opponent's checker goes to the bar. The checker stays on the bar until its owner successfully returns it to the game. To return his/her checker to the game, your opponent must roll a number which corresponds to an open point in their home board. If not, their turn is forfeited.

When all of your checkers are in your home board, you can start bearing off. The home board are like your last six points (triangles) on the board. The first player who bear’s off all of his checkers wins. If you are hit by an opponents checker while you are bearing off, you must reenter with your checker from the bar into your opponent's home board, and move it back into your home board before you can resume bearing off. If you bear off all of your checkers before your opponent begins to bear off, you have "gammoned." A gammon earns you double the stake of the game.

If all of your checkers have been removed from the board and your opponent has not removed any and still has a checker in your home board, then the stakes are tripled. This is known as backgammon. Added to the doubling that may have been done using the doubling cube, gammons and backgammons can make a high-stakes game!

  Winning Tips

Keep your checkers in pairs to protect them from hits. Don't hit your opponent when there are two or more blots in your home board. Stake out six points in a row to keep your opponent from progressing. Make sure not to leave any blots in the row of six. This is known as forming a "prime". Set up protected points on your opponent's home board as potential safe places to land if you are hit. These are known as "anchors". Start out with small stakes until you are sure of your backgammon strategy.

 Related Pages

 Backgammon Features
 Backgammon Glossary