Step 1 · Forced pass
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 players call it dancing.
Coach narration
Step 2 · The entry roll
White is on the bar, and Black guards four of the six entry points. Only a 1 or a 6 gets in this turn.
Tap roll to reveal 3-4.
The roll: 3-4
Coach narration
Step 3 · No legal move
The 3 needs one guarded door and the 4 needs another, so the bar checker cannot enter. What happens to White's turn?
Choose what the rules say.
Quick check
- The turn is forfeited; Black rolls next
- White moves a different checker instead
- White rolls again for a better number
Show the correct answer
Correct answer: The turn is forfeited; Black rolls next — Correct. With no legal move anywhere, the turn simply passes. White danced on the bar.
- White moves a different checker instead — The bar has priority: until that checker enters, nothing else may move — and it cannot enter this roll.
- White rolls again for a better number — There are no re-rolls. A roll with no legal move costs the whole turn.
Coach narration
Step 4 · Why home boards win
This is why strong home boards win games: every point your opponent makes is a door slammed shut. Before you hit a checker, glance at their home board and count the open doors.
Coach narration
What you learned
You can now recognize a forced pass: when no die has a legal move — most often while dancing on the bar — the turn is forfeited.
Coach narration