How to play Backgammon
Backgammon is a two-player race game played with 15 checkers per side. Your goal is to move every checker around the board into your home board and then bear all of them off before your opponent.
- Roll and move. The two dice are separate moves. You may move one checker twice if the intermediate point is open, or use the dice on different checkers.
- Use open points. You may land on an empty point, a point occupied by your own checkers, or a point containing exactly one opposing checker.
- Hit blots. Landing on a lone opposing checker sends it to the bar. A player with a checker on the bar must re-enter it before making any other move.
- Play doubles four times. A roll such as 4–4 gives four moves of four spaces, using as many as the position legally allows.
- Bear off to win. Once all 15 checkers are in your home board, use the dice to remove them. The first player to bear off all checkers wins.
Game features
- Play against the computer with three difficulty levels or use local two-player mode.
- Automatic enforcement of bar entry, blocked points, doubles, mandatory dice use and legal bearing off.
- Legal destination highlights, optional move hints and undo during your active turn.
- Live pip counts, single/gammon/backgammon scoring and 1-, 3-, 5- or 7-point matches.
- Doubling cube with take/pass decisions and redoubles when the cube is owned.
- Responsive touch controls for phones, tablets and desktop browsers.
Backgammon scoring
A normal win scores the current value of the doubling cube. If the loser has not borne off any checkers, the result is a gammon and is worth twice the cube. If the loser has not borne off a checker and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board, it is a backgammon and is worth three times the cube.
Frequently asked questions
How do you win Backgammon?
Bring all 15 of your checkers into your home board, then bear them off. The first player to remove every checker wins the game.
What happens when a checker is hit?
A lone checker is called a blot. When an opponent lands on it, that checker goes to the bar. It must re-enter through the opponent's home board before any other checker can be moved.
Do I have to use both dice?
Yes, when both numbers can legally be played. If only one number can be played, you must use it; if either number can be played but not both, the higher number must be used.
What do doubles mean?
Doubles are played four times. For example, 3–3 gives four moves of three points, provided all four moves are legal.
Can I play against a friend on the same device?
Yes. Choose Two Players in the Mode menu and take turns on the same screen.