Learn the fundamentals, make every move count, and discover how the doubling cube and Crawford rule shape competitive play.
Each player starts with 15 checkers arranged on a board of 24 triangular points, divided into four quadrants. The players move in opposite directions toward their own home boards.
The objective is to move all 15 checkers into your home board and bear them off before your opponent.
The standard starting position is 2 checkers on your 24-point, 5 on your 13-point, 3 on your 8-point, and 5 on your 6-point.
To start a game, each player rolls one die. The higher roll plays first, using both opening numbers. A tie is rerolled. On later turns, the player rolls two dice.
Each die is a separate move. You may move one checker twice or two different checkers, provided every intermediate landing point is legal.
Doubles: rolling 4–4 gives four moves of four points each.
You may land on an empty point, a point occupied by your own checkers, or a point containing exactly one opponent checker (a blot).
Landing on a blot hits that checker and sends it to the bar. A point with two or more opponent checkers is blocked.
If you have checkers on the bar, you must re-enter them first into the opponent's home board using your dice. You cannot move other checkers until all your checkers have left the bar.
If no legal re-entry is possible, you lose the corresponding move or turn.
You may start bearing off only after all 15 checkers are in your home board.
An exact die may remove a checker from its matching point. A larger die may remove a checker from a lower point only if no checkers remain on any higher point.
If one of your checkers is hit during bear-off, you must re-enter it and return it to your home board before you can continue bearing off.
Your opponent's position determines whether a completed game counts as a single win, gammon, or backgammon.
You bear off all your checkers and your opponent has borne off at least one checker.
You bear off all your checkers before your opponent has borne off any checkers.
Your opponent has borne off none and still has a checker on the bar or in your home board.
Completed-game score = win multiplier × current cube value. The initial cube value is 1.
The cube shows 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64. It multiplies the result; it is not an ordinary die.
Before rolling on your turn, you may offer to double the current cube value. Initially either player may double from 1 to 2.
After a double is accepted, only the cube owner may offer the next redouble, on their own turn.
The opponent accepts the proposed value and the game continues. The opponent now owns the cube and has the right to offer the next redouble.
The game immediately ends. The player who offered the double wins points equal to the cube value before the offer.
When a player first reaches exactly one point away from winning the match, the next game is the Crawford game.
Neither player may request a double during that game. The doubling cube is temporarily unavailable.
If the match continues afterward, the cube becomes available again for all remaining games. The Crawford restriction is applied only once per match.
Players agree on a target such as 3, 5, 7 or 9 points. Game results accumulate until a player reaches or exceeds the target, winning the match.
Scores earned beyond the target do not carry into another match.
A fresh board begins the next game, and the score carries forward. The doubling cube resets to its initial value of 1, except that it cannot be used during a Crawford game.
On Backgammon Online: the winner of the previous round starts the next one.
From the opening roll to the final checker, every decision counts.
