Learn How To Play Backgammon Online

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Backgammon is a game for two players, played on a board consisting of twenty-four narrow triangles called points. The triangles alternate in color and are grouped into four quadrants of six triangles each. The quadrants are referred to as a player’s home board and outer board, and the opponent’s home board and outer board. The home and outer boards are separated from each other by a ridge down the center of the board called the bar.
Figure 1. A board with the checkers in their initial position.
An alternate arrangement is the reverse of the one shown here, with the home board on the left and the outer board on the right.

The points are numbered for either player starting in that player’s home board. The outermost point is the twenty-four point, which is also the opponent’s one point. Each player has fifteen checkers of his own color. The initial arrangement of checkers is: two on each player’s twenty-four point, five on each player’s thirteen point, three on each player’s eight point, and five on each player’s six point.

Both players have their own pair of dice and a dice cup used for shaking. A doubling cube, with the numerals 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 on its faces, is used to keep track of the current stake of the game.

Playing backgammon online is a good way to learn and improve your skill, but nothing will ever replace the feeling of playing a game on a beautiful physical board. If you are interested, you can find a great selection of backgammon sets and accessories at the shop of our partner GammonVillage by clicking the button below. Explore for free Backgammon online-one of the most played board games and test your knowledge now! Read the complete Backgammon rules and start playing with your friends. Play Backgammon with real opponents and choose your preferred game options. Try advanced tips, learn how to play and prepare yourself against online adversaries.

Object of the Game
The object of the game is move all your checkers into your own home board and then bear them off. The first player to bear off all of their checkers wins the game.
Figure 2. Direction of movement of White’s checkers. Red’s checkers move in the opposite direction.
Movement of the Checkers
To start the game, each player throws a single die. This determines both the player to go first and the numbers to be played. If equal numbers come up, then both players roll again until they roll different numbers. The player throwing the higher number now moves his checkers according to the numbers showing on both dice. After the first roll, the players throw two dice and alternate turns.The roll of the dice indicates how many points, or pips, the player is to move his checkers. The checkers are always moved forward, to a lower-numbered point. The following rules apply:
  1. A checker may be moved only to an open point, one that is not occupied by two or more opposing checkers.
  2. The numbers on the two dice constitute separate moves. For example, if a player rolls 5 and 3, he may move one checker five spaces to an open point and another checker three spaces to an open point, or he may move the one checker a total of eight spaces to an open point, but only if the intermediate point (either three or five spaces from the starting point) is also open.
Figure 3. Two ways that White can play a roll of .
  1. A player who rolls doubles plays the numbers shown on the dice twice. A roll of 6 and 6 means that the player has four sixes to use, and he may move any combination of checkers he feels appropriate to complete this requirement.
  2. A player must use both numbers of a roll if this is legally possible (or all four numbers of a double). When only one number can be played, the player must play that number. Or if either number can be played but not both, the player must play the larger one. When neither number can be used, the player loses his turn. In the case of doubles, when all four numbers cannot be played, the player must play as many numbers as he can.
Hitting and Entering
A point occupied by a single checker of either color is called a blot. If an opposing checker lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar.Any time a player has one or more checkers on the bar, his first obligation is to enter those checker(s) into the opposing home board. A checker is entered by moving it to an open point corresponding to one of the numbers on the rolled dice.For example, if a player rolls 4 and 6, he may enter a checker onto either the opponent’s four point or six point, so long as the prospective point is not occupied by two or more of the opponent’s checkers.
Figure 4. If White rolls with a checker on the bar, he must enter the checker onto Red’s four point since Red’s six point is not open.

If neither of the points is open, the player loses his turn. If a player is able to enter some but not all of his checkers, he must enter as many as he can and then forfeit the remainder of his turn.After the last of a player’s checkers has been entered, any unused numbers on the dice must be played, by moving either the checker that was entered or a different checker.

Bearing Off
Once a player has moved all of his fifteen checkers into his home board, he may commence bearing off. A player bears off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides, and then removing that checker from the board. Thus, rolling a 6 permits the player to remove a checker from the six point.If there is no checker on the point indicated by the roll, the player must make a legal move using a checker on a higher-numbered point. If there are no checkers on higher-numbered points, the player is permitted (and required) to remove a checker from the highest point on which one of his checkers resides. A player is under no obligation to bear off if he can make an otherwise legal move.
Figure 5. White rolls
and bears off two checkers.

A player must have all of his active checkers in his home board in order to bear off. If a checker is hit

  • during the bear-off process, the player must bring that checker back to his home board before continuing to bear off. The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins the game.
    • Doubling
    Backgammon is played for an agreed stake per point. Each game starts at one point. During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a sufficient advantage may propose doubling the stakes. He may do this only at the start of his own turn and before he has rolled the dice.A player who is offered a double may refuse, in which case he concedes the game and pays one point. Otherwise, he must accept the double and play on for the new higher stakes. A player who accepts a double becomes the owner of the cube and only he may make the next double.Subsequent doubles in the same game are called redoubles. If a player refuses a redouble, he must pay the number of points that were at stake prior to the redouble. Otherwise, he becomes the new owner of the cube and the game continues at twice the previous stakes. There is no limit to the number of redoubles in a game.
    Gammons and Backgammons
    At the end of the game, if the losing player has borne off at least one checker, he loses only the value showing on the doubling cube (one point, if there have been no doubles). However, if the loser has not borne off any of his checkers, he is gammoned and loses twice the value of the doubling cube. Or, worse, if the loser has not borne off any of his checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home board, he is backgammoned and loses three times the value of the doubling cube.
    Optional Rules
    The following optional rules are in widespread use.
    1. Automatic doubles. If identical numbers are thrown on the first roll, the stakes are doubled. The doubling cube is turned to 2 and remains in the middle. Players usually agree to limit the number of automatic doubles to one per game.
    2. Beavers. When a player is doubled, he may immediately redouble (beaver) while retaining possession of the cube. The original doubler has the option of accepting or refusing as with a normal double.
    3. The Jacoby Rule. Gammons and backgammons count only as a single game if neither player has offered a double during the course of the game. This rule speeds up play by eliminating situations where a player avoids doubling so he can play on for a gammon.
    Irregularities
    1. The dice must be rolled together and land flat on the surface of the right-hand section of the board. The player must reroll both dice if a die lands outside the right-hand board, or lands on a checker, or does not land flat.
    2. A turn is completed when the player picks up his dice. If the play is incomplete or otherwise illegal, the opponent has the option of accepting the play as made or of requiring the player to make a legal play. A play is deemed to have been accepted as made when the opponent rolls his dice or offers a double to start his own turn.
    3. If a player rolls before his opponent has completed his turn by picking up the dice, the player’s roll is voided. This rule is generally waived any time a play is forced or when there is no further contact between the opposing forces.

    Common Questions:

    Q: Who goes first?

    To decide who goes first, you and your opponent each roll one die. In the case of a tie, you both roll again. The player who rolls the higher number goes first. That player does not roll the dice again; they play the two numbers just rolled on their first turn.

    Notice that the player who goes first never has doubles on their first turn because ties on the first roll are always broken.

    Q: What is the object of the game?

    The object in backgammon is to move all of your checkers around the board into your home board and then bear them off. The first player to get all their checkers off the board is the winner.

    Q: What is the ace-point?

    The ace-point is another name for the one-point, the last point you can move your checkers to before bearing them off. Your two farthest back checkers start on the opponent’s ace-point.

    Q: Can I pass when it’s my turn?

    No, you must play your roll if there is any legal way to do so. If you can’t play all of your numbers, you must play as many as you can. So if you roll and can only play three of your four 6’s, that’s what you must do.

    Q: Is hit-and-run allowed (also known as “pick and pass”)?

    Yes, if you hit a checker, you are allowed to run your hitter to safety. Here is an example:

    Whites rolls 5-2: White may hit Red’s checker on the five-point and then move his hitter to safety on the three-point.

    There are some variations of backgammon, played in the Middle East, where hit-and-run is not allowed in the player’s home board. But the standard game has no such restriction.

    Q: What is a doubling cube?

    A doubling cube is a cubical block, a little larger than a regular die, with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 printed on its faces. It is sometimes simply called the cube. The purpose is to allow players to bet on the game as they are playing.

    Q: How do you use a doubling cube?

    At the beginning of the game, the doubling cube is placed halfway between the players, either on the bar or at the side of the board, with the number 64 face up. The 64 means that the stakes have not been doubled yet. (Most doubling cubes do not have a 1, so the number 64 is understood to represent 1) The position of the cube, halfway between the players, indicates that both players have access to it. That is, either player can make the first double.

    At any point during the game, a player who thinks he has a sufficient advantage may double the stakes. He can do this only at the beginning of his turn, before he has rolled the dice.

    When a double is offered, the opponent may refuse the double, in which case he resigns the game and forfeits the current stakes. The current stakes is the value of the cube before the double is offered, in this case one point.

    If the opponent doesn’t want to resign, he may accept the double, and agree to continue play at double the previous stakes. He places the cube on his side of the board with the number 2 face up. The number 2 represents the fact that the stakes are now doubled. The position of the cube means that player now owns the doubling cube and only he may make the next double.

    If the game later turns around and the player who owns the cube feels he now has an advantage, he may redouble the stakes to 4. His opponent may refuse and give up the current stakes (now two units) or he may accept and continue play at quadruple the initial stakes.

    There is no limit to the number of doubles and redoubles in a single game, except that no player may double twice in a row.

    At the end of the game, the loser pays the winner the value of the doubling cube in whatever units they have agreed to play for. For example, if playing for one dollar a point and the doubling cube shows 4, then the loser pays the winner four dollars. In the case of a gammon or backgammon, this amount is doubled or tripled.

    Yes, you can double at the start of any turn. You have to be alert, though; your opponent, seeing that you can’t move, may roll his dice without waiting to see what you do. Just ask him to “wait, please” as he picks up his dice while you decide whether or not to double.

    Some people play that if the two players roll the same number on the first roll of the game, then the doubling cube is automatically turned to 2. The cube stays in the middle but now the first voluntary double of the game will be offered at 4. If the players roll the same number again, then the cube is turned up another notch, though players often agree to limit the number of automatic doubles to one per game.

    Introduction

    Q: What is match play?

    When backgammon tournaments are held to determine an overall winner, the usual style of competition is match play. Competitors are paired off, and each pair plays a series of games to decide which player progresses to the next round of the tournament. This series of games is called a match. Match play is also popular on backgammon play sites.Matches are played to a specified number of points. The first player to accumulate the required points wins the match. Points are awarded in the usual manner: 1 for a single game, 2 for a gammon, and 3 for a backgammon. The doubling cube is used, so the winner of each game receives the value of the game multiplied by the final value of the cube. Automatic doubles, beavers, and the Jacoby rule are not used in match play.

    Q: What is the Crawford rule?

    If you are playing a match up to n points and one player reaches n − 1 points, the Crawford rule says that the doubling cube is out of play for one game. This one game without doubling is called the Crawford game. After the Crawford game, the doubling cube is back in play again. The Crawford rule is a standard part of match play.

    Match to 5Score
    White Black
    Game 1: White wins 2 points 20 Doubling Allowed
    Game 2:Black wins 1 point21
    Game 3:White wins 2 points41
    Game 4:Black wins 1 point42 Crawford Game
    Game 5:Black wins 2 points44 Doubling Allowed
    Game 6:White wins 2 points64

    In this example, White and Black are playing a 5-point match. After three games, White has 4 points, one short of what he needs for the match. That triggers the Crawford rule, and no doubling is allowed in the next game, Game 4.

    The idea behind the rule is that without restrictions on doubling, the player who is behind in the match would double at his first opportunity every game. This reduces the number of games needed to win the match, lessening the value of the points held by the player who is winning. On the other hand, if the cube were taken out of play completely, the player who is behind in the match would have to win all his remaining points without any help from the doubling cube at all. The Crawford rule is an intelligent compromise. The Crawford rule was devised by John R. Crawford, co-author of The Backgammon Book.

    Q: What is a chouette?

    Chouette is a social form of backgammon for three or more players. One player, the box, plays on a single board against all the others who form a team lead by a captain.

    To determine the order of play, players each throw one die, and rerolls are used as needed to break ties. The player rolling highest becomes the box; second highest becomes the captain of the team playing against the box. The captains plays for the team, and has the final say on all checker-play decisions.

    When the box wins a game, he collects from each team member and retains his position as the box. The captain goes to the back of the line and the next player on the team becomes the new captain.

    When the team wins a game, the box pays off to each team member and goes to the end of the line. The captain becomes the new box, and the next player in line becomes the new captain.

    Players can leave or join a chouette at any time. A new player starts at the bottom of the rotation.

    Q: What is a multiple-cube chouette?

    A chouette may be played with either a single doubling cube or multiple cubes. In a single-cube game, the only decision that the members of the team make individually concerns takes. If the box doubles, each team member can decide on his own whether to play on or drop out. Those who drop out each pay off to the box and no longer participate as team advisers. If the captain drops out while there are others on the team who wish to play on, the captaincy is assumed by one of these players and the previous captain drops to the bottom of the rotation.

    Most chouettes today use multiple cubes. Each member of the team has his own doubling cube. The box can double the individual team members, and each team member can decide whether and when to double the box. With multiple cubes in play, it is possible for the box to win against some players while losing against others. So the question arises, when does a player get to keep the box? The usual rule is that a player retains the box if he defeats the captain.

    Q: When is consulting allowed?

    Customs vary as to the rights of the team. In some chouettes, they may consult freely as to how rolls should be played. Too much consulting, however, can really slow the game down, so many chouettes ban consulting. A popular compromise permits consultation only after the cube has been turned.

    Used with permission from Backgammon Galore, http://www.bkgm.com.

    Backgammon is one of the oldest games known on earth, but not many people actually know what the backgammon rules are. Learn how to play backgammon and the key steps to start a game right here.

    Learn

    The main principle of the backgammon rules

    Backgammon is basically a race game between two players.

    Each player has 15 checkers (or men) that he needs to bring home faster than his opponent.

    The checkers move on a board composed of 24 triangles, also known as point.

    The board is divided into 4 parts of 6 points.

    One player moves his checkers clockwise, while the other plays counterclockwise.

    The movement of the checkers is determined by the roll of 2 dice.

    The number on the dice indicates the number of points a checker is allowed to advance.

    During the game, the players try to bring all their checkers into their home board and to bear them off, which means taking them out of the board.

    Beginning of a game of Backgammon

    At the beginning of every game, the checkers of both players are placed symmetrically on the board as you can see in the example below.

    The white checkers will move clockwise to reach the top right part of the board (also called white inner board), while the black checkers move counter clockwise to reach the bottom right of the board (black inner board).

    In no circumstances is a player allowed to move a checker backward.

    The game starts with each player throwing one die. The player with the highest number on his die makes the first move (therefore, a game cannot start with a double).

    The dice can be used to move the same checker or two different one.

    From that point, the players are moving their checkers by playing one after the other.

    The movement of the checkers obey some rules:

    • A checker can land or pass freely on a point with no other checker on it ;
    • A player can have as many checkers as he wants on a specific point ;
    • If a player rolls a double, he has to play 4 times ;
    • It is not possible for a checker to land, or pass on a point already occupied by two or more of his opponent checkers ;
    • A lone checker on a point is called “a blot” and can be hit by his opponent.
    • If there is a way to play a roll it must be done even at the disadvantage of the player ;
    • When a checker is hit, it is put “on the bar” and will have to start back on its opponent’s inner board.
    • A player cannot move any other checkers as long as he has one on the bar.

    To re-enter in his opponent’s inner board, a player has to roll a number not covered by two or more of his opponent checkers.

    You can consider every point in the inner board as a gate numbered from 1 to 6.

    In this example, black has a checker on the bar and must roll a 1 or a 5 to re-enter, because the point 2, 3, 4 and 6 of his opponent’s inner board are occupied by at least 2 checkers.

    One of the main strategies on how to play backgammon well is thus to close all the points in your inner board and hit an opponent’s blot in order to keep him off the game.

    The end of the game

    Once all your checkers are inside your inner board, the last part of the game is starting. This part is called the “bear off” and consists of taking out your checkers off the board as quickly as possible.

    To do so, you have to take checkers out according to the numbers you are rolling.

    Consider that your inner board is also composed of gates from 6 to 1 (1 being the point on the far right).

    For every roll, you can take out the checker corresponding.

    If you have checkers on every gate and you roll 6-1, it means you can take one checker out from the 6th point and one checker out from the 1st point.

    If you roll a 6 but don’t have any more checkers on this particular point, you can use this roll to take out a checker from the next highest point.

    But if you roll for example a 4 without any checkers on this point and still having some on the 6th and the 5th point, you cannot use this roll to bear off a checker and must move it to the 2nd or the 1st point.

    In this example, with a 5-2 roll, black can use the 5 to take out a checker from the 4th point because the 5th and the 6th point are empty.

    With the same roll, white cannot use the 5 to bear off one checker because he still has 2 on the 6th point. White only possibility is to play the 5 by moving a checker from the 6th point to the 1st point (this is what is called a forced move).

    Instructions For Backgammon Easy

    The first player to remove all of his checkers is declared the winner and a new game can start.

    You are now familiar with the basic backgammon rules ! There are still so many things to know about this fabulous game mixing pure skill and luck.

    Learn How To Play Backgammon Online

    The best way to understand and enjoy the game is by practicing with a friend or play backgammon online on different websites.

    Stay tuned on Backgammon Rules for more information about how to play backgammon, how to use the doubling cube, more strategic articles, online backgammon websites reviews and more.

    May the dice be with you !

    Backgammon Tutorial

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