Backgammon Bearing Off Rules: Examples and Edge Cases

You may bear off only when all your remaining checkers are in your home board, points 1–6. An exact die removes a checker from that point. An oversized die can remove only a checker from your highest occupied point, with no checker farther from off.

All remaining checkers must be home

A checker on your 7-point is not home yet. A checker on the bar is also outside your home board. Until neither condition exists, you cannot remove any checker—even one sitting on your 1-point with a 1 rolled.

“All remaining” matters after you have started bearing off: previously removed checkers stay off. You do not need to bring fifteen back onto the board. Each die is still a separate move, and landing on two or more opposing checkers remains forbidden.

Notation such as 6/2 means a move inside the home board, while 2/off means removal. Bearing off is not compulsory just because it is available; you may choose another sequence that meets the rules for using the dice.

Exact rolls, oversize rolls and gaps

Home-board detail · Your point numbers

Three remaining friendly checkers on 5, 3 and 2; your other twelve are already off. There is no checker on 6. With 6–4, bear off 5 with the 6, then 3 with the 4. This is an excerpt; omitted checkers are not shown.

Home-board detail · Your point numbers

Two remaining friendly checkers on 6 and 2; thirteen already off. A 4 cannot remove the checker on 2 while the checker on 6 remains. The 4 can move 6/2 instead. This is an excerpt; omitted checkers are not shown.

Choose an order that uses the legal dice

Use both dice whenever any legal sequence uses both. Do not pick a convenient first move that unnecessarily loses the second die. This is a maximum-use rule, not a rule requiring the most checkers to be removed.

Home-board detail · Your point numbers

Your two remaining checkers are on 6 and 2, thirteen already off. The opponent has a made point on your 1. Other opposing checkers are omitted. Roll 6–1. This is an excerpt; omitted checkers are not shown.

6/5 · die 1
5/off · die 6
2 remains

The opponent’s made 1-point is never a landing point in this sequence. A larger die is not automatically played first.

With doubles, apply up to four separate moves and play as many as legally possible. If your last checker is borne off, the game ends; you do not invent a move for unused dice after the game is over.

Common mistakes

Bearing off while a checker is still on 7 or on the bar.
Using an oversize die on a lower checker when a higher point is occupied.
Treating an empty rolled point as a free choice of checker to remove.
Choosing a dice order that forfeits a playable die, or assuming the most removals are always mandatory.

Reader questions

Can I move inside the home board instead of bearing off?: Yes, if the sequence is legal and uses the required dice. An available exact bear-off does not by itself force that particular removal.
What if a 6 is rolled and my highest point is 4?: You may bear off from 4 using the 6. You may not remove from a lower point with that 6 while a checker remains on 4.
Do already borne-off checkers return after a hit?: No. Only the hit checker goes to the bar. Bearing off pauses until every checker still in play is back in your home board.

Sources and further learning

Original Bet On Gammon explanations, worked examples and illustrations. Further reading and rule references are listed below.

USBGF — Beginner’s Guide to Backgammon ↗ — standard setup, checker play, bearing off, cube and results.
USBGF — Tournament Rules ↗ — the governing rules hub.
USBGF — Rules for In-Person Play ↗ — match and cube procedures; follow your event’s rules and director.

Beginner’s Guide to Backgammon brings the full game together. Use the rules reference for a compact check, or return to the learning order.