Beginner’s Guide to Backgammon

Backgammon is a two-player race game with a fighting twist. Each side has fifteen checkers that travel around the board in opposite directions. You roll two dice to decide how far you can move, and you choose which checkers move. The first player to bring all fifteen checkers into their home board and then remove them from the board — called bearing off — wins.

Because the two armies pass through each other, you can block your opponent, trap their checkers and knock a lone checker back to the start. That mix of racing, blocking and risk-taking, together with the doubling cube, is what keeps players hooked for decades.

• The board has 24 long triangles called points, in four groups of six.
• The bar is the raised strip across the middle that splits the board into two halves.
• 15 checkers per player, in two contrasting colors.
• Dice: usually two per player, plus a cup to shake them in.
• A doubling cube marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64, used to raise the stakes.

Each player numbers the points from their own point of view. Your 1-point is the deepest point in your home board; your 24-point is the farthest away. Your opponent’s numbering runs the other way, so your 1-point is their 24-point. Your home board is points 1–6, your outer board is 7–12, and the other half of the board belongs to your opponent.

Each player places their fifteen checkers in the same pattern, counted from their own side:

That is 2 + 5 + 3 + 5 = 15 checkers. Your opponent mirrors the pattern on the matching points from their side.

To start, each player rolls a single die. If the numbers match, both roll again. Whoever rolls higher goes first and must play those two numbers — their own die and the opponent’s — as their first move. After that, players take turns rolling both of their own dice.

Each die is a separate move. With a 6 and a 4 you can move one checker 6 and another 4, or move one checker 10 — but only if it can legally stop on the in-between point after the first number. Checkers always move forward, toward your home board, never backward.

A checker may land on a point that is:

• empty;
• already occupied by your own checkers (any number);
• occupied by exactly one opposing checker — which you hit.

A point with two or more opposing checkers is blocked; you cannot land there, not even as a stepping stone.

You must use as much of your roll as the rules allow. If both numbers can be played, you must play both. If only one can be played, play it. If either number could be played on its own but not both together, you must play the larger one. If nothing is legal, your turn simply ends.

When both dice show the same number, you play that number four times. A roll of 3-3 lets you move four steps of 3, split among checkers however you like — one checker 12, two checkers 6 each, four checkers 3 each, and so on. Each step must still land on a legal point.

A single checker alone on a point is a blot. When an opposing checker lands on it, the blot is hit and placed on the bar. Hitting can happen in the middle of a move, too: if your 6-1 passes through a blot on the first step, that checker is hit even though you keep going.

A player with any checker on the bar must bring it back in before moving anything else. Until every barred checker has entered, no other checker may move.

A hit checker re-enters in your opponent’s home board. A die showing 1 lets it enter on the opponent’s 1-point, a 2 on their 2-point, up to 6. In your own numbering, the opponent’s 1–6 points are your 24–19 points, so an entering checker always starts the long journey again.

If both entry points shown by your dice are blocked, you cannot enter and the whole turn is lost. If your opponent has made all six home points — a closed board — you cannot enter at all until a point opens.

Once all your checkers still in play are in your home board, you can start removing them. A die removes a checker from the point matching its number: a 4 bears off a checker from your 4-point. You may also use the die to move a checker inside your home board instead.

If you roll a number higher than your highest occupied point, you bear off a checker from the highest point you do occupy. If you roll a number with no checker on that point but you do have checkers on higher points, you must move a checker from a higher point instead.

If one of your checkers is hit during the bear-off, you must enter it and bring it all the way home before bearing off again.

The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins. How much the win is worth depends on the loser’s position:

Every game begins worth one point, with the cube in the middle showing 64 (meaning 1). After the opening play, before rolling on your turn, you may offer to double the stake when the cube is centred or you own it. Your opponent then chooses:

• Take: the game continues at twice the value, and they now own the cube — only they can offer the next double.
• Pass (drop): they concede the game and lose the value it had before the offer.

This is our suggestion, not a rule: play your first game or two without the cube and say your moves out loud. Count each die separately, check that every stop is legal, and notice whenever a blot is left in reach of your opponent. Once that feels routine, bring the cube in — it changes the strategy a lot and is part of the real game.

1. Set up both sides using the table above and check you each have 15 checkers.
2. Roll one die each to decide who starts.
3. Play to the end, including the bear-off, and score single, gammon or backgammon.
4. Swap colors and play again from the other side.

Tournament and online play is usually a match to a set number of points, such as 5, 7 or 11. Games are played until one player reaches that total. Cube and gammon values all count toward the score.

Matches use the Crawford rule: the first time a player gets within one point of winning, the very next game is played with no doubling at all. After that single Crawford game, the cube is back in play. For example, when a 7-point match first reaches 6–3, the next game is Crawford. If the match continues afterward, normal doubling resumes.

The Rules of Backgammon reference covers match details and optional money-game rules such as the Jacoby rule and beavers.

Suggestions, not rules — strong players break them when the position calls for it.

• Make points, especially in your home board. The 5-point and 4-point are valuable early because they block your opponent’s back checkers.
• Count the shots. Before leaving a blot, ask how many rolls could hit it. A blot 6 pips away is hit far more often than one 11 pips away.
• Don’t leave back checkers behind forever. Your two checkers on the 24-point need to escape eventually; move them while there is room.
• Know the race. Compare pip counts before giving up contact. A player behind in the race may benefit from keeping contact; when neither side can hit or block anymore, focus on efficient racing and bearing off.
• Learn when to use the cube. A strong lead can justify a double, while meaningful gammon chances can sometimes make playing on better. Match score and cube ownership matter too.

Point

One of the 24 triangles a checker can stand on.

Made point

A point holding two or more of your checkers; the opponent cannot land there.

Blot

A single checker alone on a point. It can be hit.

Bar

The ridge dividing the board. Hit checkers wait here until they re-enter.

Home board

Your last six points (1–6). All 15 checkers must be here before you bear off.

Outer board

Your points 7–12, between your home board and the midpoint.

Midpoint

Your 13-point, where five of your checkers start.

Anchor

Two or more of your checkers on a point in the opponent’s home board.

Prime

Several made points in a row. Six in a row cannot be jumped.

Pip count

The total number of points your checkers must travel to bear off. Each side starts at 167.

Gammon

A win before the loser bears off any checker; worth double.

Backgammon

A gammon where the loser also still has a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home board; worth triple.

Cube

The doubling cube, marked 2–64, that raises the stake of a game.

Crawford game

The single game, right after a player first reaches one point short of winning a match, in which nobody may double.

How long does it take to learn backgammon?

Learn the core sequence in a first lesson, then play a complete practice game. Confidence with the cube, match scores and strategy develops over repeated play.

Is backgammon just luck?

No. Dice decide what you may move, but you choose how to use every roll, when to take risks and when to double. Over many games the stronger player wins more often, even though any single game can swing on a roll.

Do I have to use both dice?

Yes, whenever a legal move exists for both. If only one number can be played, you play it; if either could be played but not both, you must play the higher number. If nothing is legal, you lose the turn.

Can I move a checker onto a point with two or more opposing checkers?

No. A point holding two or more opposing checkers is blocked. You may land on empty points, points you already hold, or a point with exactly one opposing checker, which hits it.

Should I use the doubling cube in my first game?

We suggest leaving it out for your first one or two games so you can focus on movement. Add it once moving, hitting and bearing off feel natural; it is a standard part of the game.

What is the difference between the beginner’s guide and the rules page?

This guide teaches the game step by step with examples. The Rules of Backgammon page is a compact reference for edge cases such as forced moves, cube ownership and the Crawford game.

• Practice online at Backgammon.com ↗ — play, learn and review games against people or bots.
• Find a club through the USBGF ↗ — the United States Backgammon Federation lists clubs and events.
• Meet players with Backgammon Social Club ↗ — in-person meetups for all skill levels.
• Learn how free fantasy backgammon works — draft six real tournament players with virtual points only.
• Read the tournament rules summary before your first live event.

This guide is original Bet On Gammon writing, with original examples and diagram. The standard rules it describes were checked against these public resources on 20 October 2026. Linking to them does not imply endorsement of, or affiliation with, Bet On Gammon.

• USBGF — Beginner’s Guide to Backgammon ↗
• USBGF — Tournament Rules (effective January 2025) ↗