Learn · Tournament variant
Classic backgammon
24 points · dice priority, primes, hits, bear-off, scoring, and cube.
Lessons in this path
- 1 What you are trying to do This is the whole game: move all 15 checkers into your home board, then bear them off before your opponent.
- 2 Board direction and points The board has 24 points. White moves from the far 24-point toward the home board; Black moves the opposite way.
- 3 Starting the game Before normal turns, each player rolls one die. The higher die starts the game, and the winner plays both of those dice as the first turn. Matching…
- 4 Dice and legal movement Each die is used once. A 3 moves one checker three points; a 1 moves one checker one point.
- 5 Using both dice When both dice can be played, you must use both. This lesson always rolls 6-4, which gives you two clean moves.
- 6 Doubles are four moves When both dice show the same number, you do not move twice. You move four times.
- 7 Made points and blocked points Two or more opposing checkers make a point blocked. You cannot land there, even if the die reaches it.
- 8 When only one die can play Backgammon has a priority order: use the most dice possible. If only one die can be used and both numbers are legal, you must use the higher die.
- 9 Blots and hitting A single opposing checker is called a blot. Land on it and it goes to the bar.
- 10 Entering from the bar When one of your checkers is on the bar, it has priority. You cannot move any other checker until it enters.
- 11 When you cannot move Sometimes the dice give you nothing. If neither die has a single legal move, your whole turn is forfeited. That happens most often on the bar, and…
- 12 Building a stronger prime A made point blocks one landing spot. Several made points in a row become a prime, which can hold an opposing checker back. The highlighted points…
- 13 Bearing in You cannot bear off until every one of your checkers is inside your home board.
- 14 Bearing off precision Once all 15 checkers are in your home board, matching dice can remove checkers from the board.
- 15 Winning, gammon, backgammon A normal win scores one point before the cube. If the loser has borne off no checkers, it is a gammon and scores two. If the loser also has a…
- 16 The doubling cube, simple version The cube changes the value of the game. You can see it resting in the middle of the board: nobody owns it yet, and the game is worth one point. When…
- 17 Taking or dropping a double When your opponent doubles, the game pauses. You must choose: take and keep playing for the new value, or drop and concede the current value…
- 18 Match flow in Boardgammon A Boardgammon match uses fair dice and a clock online. There is no undo after a confirmed move, and you get a full review after the game.