Backgammon Rules

The complete guide to playing backgammon — from setup to winning strategies.

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Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Board Setup
  3. Objective
  4. Rolling the Dice
  5. Movement Rules
  6. Hitting and Entering
  7. Bearing Off
  8. The Doubling Cube
  9. Gammons and Backgammons
  10. Match Play and Crawford Rule
  11. Basic Strategy Tips
  12. Play Now on Roll-Cube

1. Overview

Backgammon is one of the oldest known board games, dating back roughly 5,000 years. It's a two-player game that combines strategy and luck — each player moves their checkers around the board according to dice rolls, with the goal of being the first to remove all 15 checkers from the board.

What makes backgammon endlessly compelling is the balance: dice introduce randomness, but expert players consistently beat beginners because strategic decisions at every turn determine the outcome over time.

2. Board Setup

The backgammon board has 24 narrow triangles called points, numbered 1 through 24. The points alternate in color. The board is divided into four quadrants of six points each:

A vertical strip called the bar divides the home and outer boards. The bar is where hit checkers are placed.

Starting Position

Each player starts with 15 checkers arranged as follows:

13──14──15──16──17──18───BAR───19──20──21──22──23──24 ○○○○○ ○○○ ○○ ····· ··· ·· ····· ··· ····· ●●●●● ●●● ●●●●● 12──11──10───9───8───7───BAR────6───5───4───3───2───1 ○ = 5 on point 13, 3 on point 8, 5 on point 6, 2 on point 24 ● = 5 on point 12, 3 on point 17, 5 on point 19, 2 on point 1

Specifically, each player places:

3. Objective

The objective of backgammon is to move all 15 of your checkers into your home board (points 1–6), and then bear them off (remove them from the board). The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins the game.

You move your checkers in opposite directions around the board — you move toward your home board (decreasing point numbers), while your opponent moves toward theirs (which are your high numbers).

4. Rolling the Dice

Opening Roll

Each player rolls one die. The player with the higher number goes first, using the two numbers rolled as their first move. If both players roll the same number, they roll again until the numbers differ.

Subsequent Rolls

After the opening roll, players alternate turns. On each turn, you roll two dice and must move your checkers according to the numbers shown.

Doubles: If you roll the same number on both dice (e.g., double 4s), you get to move four times that number instead of two. For example, rolling 4-4 means you can make four moves of 4 points each.

5. Movement Rules

Each die represents a separate move. You must use both numbers if legally possible. Key rules:

  1. Move to open points: A checker can only move to a point that is not occupied by two or more of your opponent's checkers.
  2. Separate moves: The two dice values are separate moves. You can move one checker twice or two checkers once each.
  3. Use both dice: You must use both numbers if possible. If only one can be used, you must play the larger number. If neither can be used, you forfeit your turn.
  4. Direction: Checkers always move forward (toward your home board). You cannot move backward.

Example: If you roll 5-3, you can move one checker 5 points and another checker 3 points. Or you can move one checker a total of 8 points — but it must land on an open point after both the 5 and the 3 individually.

6. Hitting and Entering

Hitting

A point with only one checker on it is called a blot. If your checker lands on an opponent's blot, that checker is hit and placed on the bar.

Entering from the Bar

If you have any checkers on the bar, you must enter them into the opponent's home board before making any other moves. To enter, you must roll a number corresponding to an open point in the opponent's home board (points 19–24 for you, if your home is 1–6).

If you cannot enter because all relevant points are blocked (occupied by 2+ opponent checkers), you forfeit your entire turn.

Strategic note: Hitting is a key tactic. Sending an opponent's checker to the bar forces them to re-enter from the farthest point, costing them significant ground. Building a prime (6 consecutive points with 2+ checkers) can trap an opponent's checker behind it.

7. Bearing Off

Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board (points 1–6), you can begin bearing off.

  1. You bear off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the point it's on. Rolling a 4 bears off a checker from the 4-point.
  2. If there are no checkers on the point corresponding to a die, you must move a checker from a higher point. If there are no checkers on higher points, you may bear off from the highest occupied point.
  3. You can still move checkers within your home board instead of bearing off.
  4. If a checker is hit during bearing off, it must re-enter and travel back to the home board before you can resume bearing off.

8. The Doubling Cube

The doubling cube is a die with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 on its faces. It's used to raise the stakes of the game.

  1. Before rolling, a player may propose to double the stakes.
  2. The opponent can accept (take the cube at the new value) or decline (forfeit the game at the current stakes).
  3. The player who accepts the double now owns the cube — only they can propose the next double.
  4. The cube starts in the center (both players can double). After a double is accepted, it moves to the accepting player's side.

When to double: Offer a double when you have a significant advantage. A common guideline is to double when your winning chances are around 70% or higher. Accept a double if you estimate your chances at 25% or better (because losing a doubled game costs the same as declining two games).

9. Gammons and Backgammons

The type of win affects scoring:

10. Match Play and the Crawford Rule

In match play, players compete to be the first to reach a set number of points (e.g., a 7-point match).

Points are scored based on the game result multiplied by the doubling cube value:

The Crawford Rule

When one player reaches one point away from winning the match, the Crawford Rule applies: the doubling cube cannot be used in the next game. After that one game, the cube is back in play.

This rule exists to prevent the trailing player from immediately doubling (since they have nothing to lose), which would make the cube meaningless in match endings.

11. Basic Strategy Tips

Opening Moves

The most common opening rolls have well-studied best plays. For example:

General Principles

  1. Make points (anchors): Two or more checkers on a point create a safe position. Build consecutive points to form primes.
  2. Hit when it helps: Hitting sends opponents backward, but don't leave yourself exposed for a return hit.
  3. Don't leave blots in your home board: Blots in your home board are vulnerable and expensive to recover from.
  4. Balance your position: Spread your checkers to cover multiple points rather than stacking on a few.
  5. Race when ahead: If you're ahead in the pip count (total pips to bear off), run. If behind, build a blockade and try to hit.
  6. Use the doubling cube: Don't forget to double when you have a clear advantage. Also, know when to accept or decline an opponent's double.

Want to go deeper? Read our backgammon strategy guide for cube decisions and middle-game plans, or jump straight into the opening guide for the standard 15 opening replies.

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