What are the rules of Backgammon?

Backgammon is played on a board with 24 narrow triangles called points. Each player has 15 checkers. Players take turns rolling two dice and moving their checkers toward their home board. You must move according to the numbers shown on each die. If you land on a point with a single opponent checker (a blot), it is hit and sent to the bar. Checkers on the bar must re-enter before any other move. Once all 15 checkers are in your home board, you can begin bearing off. The first player to bear off all checkers wins.

What is the bar in Backgammon?

The bar is the raised ridge running down the centre of the board. When one of your checkers is hit (landed on by an opponent when it is alone on a point), it is placed on the bar. You must re-enter that checker into the opponent's home board on your next turn before making any other moves.

What does bearing off mean in Backgammon?

Bearing off is the process of removing your checkers from the board during the final phase of the game. Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board (points 1–6), you can start bearing off. You bear off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the point it sits on, or a higher number if no checker sits on a higher point.

What AI difficulty levels are available?

Three levels: Easy picks random legal moves, Medium evaluates positions using pip count and blot exposure, and Hard uses multi-ply evaluation with positional heuristics including priming, anchoring, and race strategy.

Can I play Backgammon against another person?

Yes. Choose the 'vs Human' mode to play pass-and-play on the same device. Both players take turns on the same screen.

Play Backgammon Online

Classic Backgammon with 3 AI difficulty levels or pass‑and‑play vs a friend. Roll the dice, move your checkers, hit blots & bear off first to win.

White

0 / 15

Black

0 / 15

Pip

167 / 167

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What Is Backgammon?

Backgammon is one of the oldest known board games in history, with origins dating back roughly 5,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia. It is a two-player game combining strategy and luck: players roll dice and move their checkers (also called stones, men, or counters) around a board of 24 points (narrow triangles). The objective is to be the first to bear off — remove all 15 of your checkers from the board.

Backgammon belongs to the “tables” family of board games and is played worldwide under many names, including Tavla (Turkey), Shesh Besh (Israel), Narde (Russia), and Tric-Trac (France). It remains hugely popular both in casual home play and in competitive tournament settings.

Backgammon Rules

Setup: Each player starts with 15 checkers placed on specific points — 2 on the 24-point, 5 on the 13-point, 3 on the 8-point, and 5 on the 6-point. White moves from point 24 toward point 1; Black moves from point 1 toward point 24.
Rolling Dice: On each turn, roll two dice. Move checkers forward by the number shown on each die. You may move one checker for both dice or two different checkers, one for each die.
Doubles: If you roll doubles (e.g. 3-3), you get four moves of that value instead of two.
Landing Rules: You may land on any point that is open, occupied by your own checkers, or occupied by exactly one opponent checker (a blot). Landing on a blot hits it, sending it to the bar.
The Bar: Checkers on the bar must re-enter the game in the opponent’s home board before any other move. You re-enter by rolling a number corresponding to an open point in the opponent’s home board.
Bearing Off: Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board (points 1–6 for White), you may start bearing off. Roll a number matching a point with a checker to remove it. If the roll is higher than the highest occupied point, you bear off from the highest point.
Winning: The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins the game.

Key Backgammon Terms

Point: One of the 24 narrow triangles on the board.
Checker: A playing piece (also called a stone or man).
Blot: A single checker on a point, vulnerable to being hit.
Hit: Landing on an opponent’s blot sends it to the bar.
Bar: The centre divider; hit checkers are placed here.
Home Board: The quadrant (points 1–6) where you bear off.
Outer Board: Points 7–12 on each side.
Bearing Off: Removing checkers from your home board to win.
Pip Count: The total number of points your checkers must travel to bear off completely. Lower is better.
Prime: A row of six consecutive occupied points — an impassable wall for the opponent.
Anchor: A point held in the opponent’s home board — a defensive stronghold.
Gammon: Winning before the opponent bears off any checkers — worth double.
Backgammon: Winning while the opponent still has checkers on the bar or in your home board — worth triple.

Strategy Tips

1. Build a Prime

A prime is a row of consecutive points you own. A full six-point prime is impassable — any opponent checker behind it is trapped. Building even a partial prime (four or five points) is one of the strongest strategies in backgammon.

2. Secure Anchors

An anchor is two or more of your checkers on a point in the opponent’s home board. Anchors protect you from being shut out when you’re on the bar and give you a safe landing spot behind an advancing opponent.

3. Hit Blots When Advantageous

Hitting sends the opponent’s checker to the bar, costing them tempo. Hit early in the game to gain a positional lead, especially when your opponent is exposed. But avoid leaving too many of your own blots in return.

4. Don’t Leave Blots in Your Home Board

A blot in your home board is dangerous: if hit, you lose ground in the race and potentially your ability to bear off smoothly. Prioritise making (occupying) points in your home board early.

5. Know When to Race

Once contact between the two armies is broken (no possibility of hitting), the game becomes a pure race. In a race, focus entirely on pip count — move your farthest-back checkers first and minimise waste.

6. Bear Off Safely

When bearing off, avoid leaving blots if your opponent still has a checker that could hit you. Being hit during bearing off is devastating — that checker must travel the entire length of the board again.

AI Difficulty Levels

Easy: Picks random legal moves. Great for learning the game mechanics without pressure.
Medium: Evaluates positions using pip count, blot exposure, and home-board strength. A solid challenge for casual players.
Hard: Uses multi-ply evaluation with advanced heuristics including priming strategy, anchor strength, racing advantage, and blot safety. Tough even for experienced players.

Backgammon vs Other Board Games

vs Chess: Chess is pure strategy with no randomness. Backgammon combines strategy with dice, creating a game where adapting to chance is key.
vs Checkers: Both are classic board games, but Backgammon uses dice and has no captures in the chess sense — instead you hit blots and send them to the bar.
vs Mancala: Both are ancient games, but Mancala is entirely deterministic. Backgammon’s dice element creates a different strategic landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Roll two dice, move checkers forward around the board toward your home board. Land on blots to send them to the bar. Once all your checkers are in your home board, bear them off. First to bear off all 15 checkers wins.

The bar is the centre divider on the board. When your checker is hit (landed on while alone on a point), it goes to the bar. You must re-enter it into the opponent’s home board before making any other moves.

Bearing off is removing checkers from the board to win. Once all 15 of your checkers reach your home board (points 1–6), you roll dice for the matching points to remove them.

Easy (random moves), Medium (positional evaluation with pip count and blot safety), and Hard (multi-ply search with priming, anchoring, and racing heuristics).

Yes. Select “vs Human” mode for pass-and-play on the same device.

More Puzzle & Strategy Games

If you enjoy Backgammon, try these other free games on our site:

Checkers

Classic Draughts with forced captures, multi-jumps & 3 AI levels.

Mancala

Ancient seed-sowing strategy — sow stones and fill your store.