Backgammon rules — complete and unambiguous

1. Equipment

2. Board layout

The board has 24 points divided into 4 quadrants of 6 points each, separated by the central bar. From your perspective:

Points alternate in color and are numbered from each player's own vantage. The 7-point is also called the bar point; the 13-point is the midpoint.

3. Starting position

Each player places 15 checkers as follows, from their own perspective:

The opponent mirrors this on their side. Each player's starting pip count is 167.

 13 14 15 16 17 18  |  19 20 21 22 23 24
+-------------------+--+------------------+
| O           X     |  | X              O |
| O           X     |  | X              O |
| O           X     |  | X                |
| O                 |  | X                |
| O                 |  | X                |
|                   |  |                  |
| X                 |  | O                |
| X                 |  | O                |
| X           O     |  | O                |
| X           O     |  | O              X |
| X           O     |  | O              X |
+-------------------+--+------------------+
 12 11 10  9  8  7  |   6  5  4  3  2  1

4. Objective

1. Move all 15 of your checkers into your home board (points 1–6).
2. Then bear them off — remove them from the board.
3. The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins the game.

5. Direction of movement

• Each player moves their checkers from their 24-point toward their 1-point — toward their own home board.
• The two players move in opposite directions on the same physical board.
• A checker on your 24-point is farthest from being borne off; a checker on your 1-point is one pip from off.

6. Starting the game

• Each player rolls one die.
• The player rolling the higher number plays first, using both numbers rolled as their opening move.
• If both players roll the same number, both reroll. In money play, ties may trigger an automatic double.

Once you know the mechanics, the best play for each of the 15 possible opening rolls is the first thing worth memorizing.

7. Rolling the dice

• Dice are rolled in your right-hand side of the board.
• Both dice must come to rest flat. Cocked dice (leaning on a checker or the bar) must be rerolled — both of them.
• Dice rolled outside the right-hand side or off the board must be rerolled.
• A dice cup is used to shake; this is mandatory in tournament play.
• Once you pick up your dice, your turn ends and the move stands. Pick up only when you are sure of your play.

8. Moving checkers

• The two numbers on the dice represent two separate moves.
• You may move one checker twice (first by one die, then the other — total movement equals the sum), or two different checkers, one per die.
• When moving one checker twice, the intermediate point must itself be a legal landing point — you cannot “jump over” a point you couldn't land on.

Legal landing points

A checker may land on a point that is:

• Empty, or
• occupied by any number of your own checkers, or
• occupied by exactly one opponent checker — a blot, which gets hit.

A checker may never land on a point with two or more opponent checkers.

9. Doubles

• If you roll doubles (e.g. 4-4), you play the number four times — 4-4 gives four moves of 4 pips each.
• All four moves must follow the standard legality rules.
• 6-6 means four moves of 6, 1-1 four moves of 1, and so on.

10. Using both dice

• You must play both dice if it is legally possible.
• If only one number can be played, you must play that one and forfeit the other.
• If you can legally play either die but not both, you must play the higher number.
• If neither die can be played, you forfeit your entire turn.
• For doubles: you must play as many of the four moves as possible.

11. Hitting and the bar

• A point occupied by exactly one checker is a blot.
• If an opposing checker lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar — the central ridge dividing the board.
• A player with any checker on the bar must enter that checker into the opponent's home board before making any other move.

12. Re-entering from the bar

• To re-enter, roll the dice and use one (or both) numbers to land on an open point in the opponent's home board.
• Numbers map to points 24 down to 19: a 1 enters on the opponent's 24-point, a 2 on the 23-point, … a 6 on the 19-point.
• The destination must be open — empty, your own checkers, or a lone opposing blot (which you hit).
• With multiple checkers on the bar, all of them must re-enter before any other move.
• If no number lets you enter, your whole turn is forfeited.
• Closed out: when all six points in the opponent's home board are made (2+ opposing checkers each), you cannot enter at all and must skip turns until a point opens.

13. Bearing off

Eligibility

You may begin bearing off only when all 15 of your checkers are in your home board (points 1–6). If a checker is hit during the bear-off, you must re-enter it and bring it all the way home before resuming.

How to bear off

• For each die, remove a checker from the matching point: roll a 4 → bear off from the 4-point.
• If the rolled number is higher than your highest occupied point, bear off from your highest occupied point (roll a 6 with your highest checker on the 4-point → bear off from the 4-point).
• If the rolled number matches an empty point and you have checkers on higher points, you must make a legal move within the home board instead of bearing off.
• You may always choose to move within the home board rather than bear off, if that move is legal — for example, to avoid leaving a blot.
• Doubles bear off up to four checkers under the same rules.

Hit during the bear-off

If a bear-off blot is hit by an opponent still anchored in your home board, that checker goes to the bar. You cannot resume bearing off until it re-enters and travels all the way back into your home board.

14. Winning the game

The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins. The size of the win depends on the opponent's progress:

Example: winning a gammon with the cube on 4 scores 8 points.

15. The doubling cube

Starting state

• The cube begins in the middle of the board at an implicit value of 1.
• Either player may offer the first double.

How to double

• Before rolling on your turn, you may offer to double the stakes.
• Place the cube in front of your opponent showing 2.

The opponent's response

• Take: the game continues at double the previous stakes. The cube moves to the taker's side — only they may redouble later.
• Pass (drop): the game ends immediately and the dropper loses the current cube value (1 point on a first double).

Redoubling

• Only the cube owner (the player who last took) may redouble, raising the cube to its next value (2→4→8→16→32→64).
• The same take/pass rules apply each time.

Limits and restrictions

• The cube is marked up to 64 but can in principle go higher; in practice that is vanishingly rare.
• You may never double on the same turn your opponent has just doubled, and you may not double when it is not your turn.
• In match play, cube decisions interact with the score — see the Crawford rule and cube theory.

16. Crawford rule

Used in all match play. Universal.

• When either player first reaches a score one point from winning the match, the next game is played without the doubling cube — the Crawford game.
• After the Crawford game, the cube is available again in subsequent (“post-Crawford”) games.

Why it exists: without it, a player trailing badly could double at the start of every remaining game with nothing to lose, collecting free expected value. The Crawford rule removes that — for exactly one game.

17. Jacoby rule

Used in money play. Not used in match play.

• Gammons and backgammons count only at single value (1×) unless the cube has been turned at least once during the game.
• This encourages early doubling rather than silently playing on for a gammon with the cube still in the middle.
• In matches, gammons and backgammons always count at full value. Many friendly money sessions assume Jacoby is on — agree before play.

18. Beaver and raccoon (money play)

Money play only. Never used in tournament/match play.

• Beaver: when doubled, the doubled player may immediately redouble while keeping ownership of the cube. The original doubler then takes or drops at the new value (1 → 2 → 4).
• Raccoon: the player who was beavered may double yet again, same retained-ownership rule. The cube can jump 1 → 2 → 4 → 8 before a single die is rolled.
• Some circles extend further (“otter”, “monkey”). Agree on which extensions apply before play.

19. Holland rule

Historical / rare. Not used in most modern events.

In post-Crawford games, the trailing player may not double until each side has played two complete turns. Used in some older tournaments; it fell out of favor in the late 1980s and is not the default in modern matches.

20. Automatic doubles (money play)

Money play only. Banned in tournament play.

• If both players roll the same number in the opening roll-off, the cube automatically moves to 2 (still centered) and the players reroll.
• Each subsequent tie can re-trigger another automatic double, but capping automatic doubles at one per game is conventional.
• Agree whether automatic doubles are in effect before play begins.

21. Match play vs money play

22. Tournament etiquette and procedural rules

Common to most competitive backgammon (USBGF, WBIF, World Championship rule sets):

Dice and rolling

• Both dice are shaken in a cup and rolled together into the player's right-hand side of the board.
• Dice must come to rest flat; cocked dice are rerolled, both of them.
• A roll is valid only after the opponent's move is complete — rolling early can invalidate the roll.

Clocks

• Most tournaments use a chess-style clock with Bronstein delay or Fischer increment (typically a 2-minute bank per match point plus ~12 seconds per move).
• Running out of time loses the match (or game, depending on the event's rules).

Turn completion and illegal moves

• Your turn is complete when you pick up your dice; the move then stands. Until then you may rearrange legal moves freely.
• If an illegal move is noticed before the next player rolls, it is corrected; once the next player has rolled, the illegal move stands as played (rule sets vary slightly).

Doubling procedure

• A double must be offered before rolling. Doubling and rolling simultaneously is treated as having rolled first (the double is invalid).
• Offer clearly: rotate the cube to the next value, place it in the opponent's view, and say “double.”

For where these rules get used — events, formats, champions — see tournaments. In multi-player money play (chouette), conventions vary widely; agree before play.

23. Quick rule reference

Frequently asked questions

Who goes first in backgammon?

Each player rolls one die. Whoever rolls the higher number plays first, using both rolled numbers as their opening move. If both players roll the same number, both reroll.

What happens when you roll doubles in backgammon?

Doubles are played four times. Rolling 4-4 gives you four moves of 4 pips each, all subject to the normal legality rules.

Do I have to play both dice?

Yes, if it is legally possible. If only one number can be played, you must play it. If you can play either number but not both, you must play the higher one. If neither can be played, you forfeit the turn.

When can I start bearing off?

Only once all 15 of your checkers are inside your home board (points 1–6). If a checker is hit during the bear-off, you must re-enter it from the bar and bring it home before you can resume.

What is a gammon and a backgammon?

A gammon is a win where the opponent has borne off no checkers — it scores double the cube value. A backgammon is a gammon where the opponent also still has a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home board — it scores triple.

What is the doubling cube?

A six-sided cube marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 used to raise the stakes. Before rolling on your turn you may offer a double; the opponent either takes (game continues at doubled stakes and they own the cube) or passes (they concede the current stakes).

What is the Crawford rule?

In match play, when a player first reaches one point from winning the match, the next game is played without the doubling cube. After that single Crawford game, the cube is back in play.

Can I land on a point my opponent occupies?

Only if it holds exactly one opposing checker — a blot — which is hit and sent to the bar. A point with two or more opposing checkers is blocked and you may never land there.

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Next steps: memorize the 15 opening rolls, learn the five game plans, or explore how Tavla, Plakoto, Fevga, and Long Nardy change these rules. Unsure of a term? It's in the glossary.