Backgammon24 points, 15 checkers

Goal of the game

Bring your fifteen checkers into your home board, then bear them all off before your opponent.

You race in opposite directions: what is progress for you is a step back for them, and your checkers cross each other.

The board

• Twenty-four points, split into four quadrants of six.
• Your home board is the quadrant where you must gather your checkers before bearing them off. Your opponent’s faces it.
• Fifteen checkers per player, in the classic starting position: 2 on the 24-point, 5 on the 13, 3 on the 8, 5 on the 6.
• The bar, in the middle, holds checkers that have been hit.

Moving your checkers

• You roll two dice. Each die is a separate move: a 5 and a 3 let you move one checker 5 then 3, or two different checkers.
• A double plays four times. A double 4 gives four moves of 4 points.
• You can only land on a point that is empty, holds your own checkers, or holds a single opposing checker.
• A point with two or more opposing checkers is closed: you cannot land there, not even in passing.
• If only one of the two dice can be played, you play that one. If neither can, you lose your turn.

Hitting and entering

• A single checker on a point is a blot. Landing on it hits it: it goes to the bar.
• As long as one of your checkers is on the bar, you can do nothing except bring it back in.
• You enter in your opponent’s home board, on the point matching the die: a 3 enters on the third point.
• If every matching point is closed, the turn is lost. That is what keeps a game reversible to the very end.

Bearing off

• Bearing off only starts once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board.
• A 6 bears off a checker from the six-point, a 4 from the four-point, and so on.
• If the die is higher than the furthest occupied point, it bears off that checker. Otherwise you must move within your home board.
• A checker hit during the bear-off goes back to the bar, and you have to rebuild everything: it is the main source of late reversals.

Scoring

• Single game: your opponent has borne off at least one checker. 1 point.
• Gammon: they have borne off none. 2 points.
• Backgammon: they have borne off none and still have a checker on the bar or in your home board. 3 points.
• The doubling cube multiplies these points; it is used in matches, not in a single game.

Playing well

• Do not leave a blot within reach. Count the dice combinations that hit you: a checker 6 points away is hit by eleven rolls out of thirty-six.
• Take the key points. The 5-point and the 7-point (the bar point) are the most valuable: they hamper your opponent’s race.
• Build a prime. Six consecutive closed points completely trap an opposing checker.
• Know which game to play. If you are ahead in the race, trade off and simplify. If you are behind, keep contact and play the blocking game.

Controls

Keyboard and mouse

• Click the dice to roll, click a checker then the destination point.
• Legal moves show up as soon as you select a checker.
• A button undoes the last move until the turn is confirmed.

Touch screen

• Tap a checker: its possible destinations light up.
• A double tap automatically plays the most obvious move.
• The bar and the bear-off area are a tap away on the edges of the board.

Frequently asked questions

What happens when you roll a double?

You play the number four times instead of twice. A double 6 gives four moves of six points, spread over one or more checkers.

Can you refuse to play a die?

No. If a move is legal, you must make it. You only lose your turn when neither die can be played.

What happens to a checker that is hit?

It goes to the bar and must enter your opponent’s home board before you can play anything else. If every entry point is closed, you lose your turn.

When can you start bearing off?

Only when all fifteen checkers are gathered in your home board. A single straggler is enough to block everything.

Is backgammon a game of chance?

The dice add variance, but over time the better player wins clearly more often. The decision — which checker to move, which risk to accept — weighs far more than the roll.

More classics, free as well

• Battleship — two grids, five ships, hit and sunk
• Belote — trumps, contracts, belote and rebelote
• Blackjack — twenty-one with virtual chips, no real money