How to Play Backgammon

Backgammon is a game for two players, taking alternating turns. (In Skillgammon, you will be playing against a computer-controlled opponent, and you will always move first.) Each player is moving in opposite directions around the board. The starting layout of the game is always the same:

In the diagram above, red is moving counterclockwise around the board, toward red's home quadrant in the lower right corner. White is moving clockwise, toward white's home quadrant in the upper right corner.

On each turn, you have two numbers to use, as displayed on the face of the two dice. This indicates how many spaces you can move your pieces that turn. You can split the numbers between two different pieces, or use both numbers on the same pieces. For instance, if your roll was 4-3, you could move one piece four, and a different piece 3, or you could move one piece 7. Note that you cannot move once piece 5 and one 2; you must split the roll exactly as it appears on the dice.

If you have doubles, instead of moving two of that number, you can move four of that number. Doubles can be used on four different pieces, or all four on a single piece, or anything in between.

You cannot land on any point occupied by two or more of your opponent's pieces (although they may pass over such points). Likewise, if you control a point by placing two or more pieces on it, your opponent cannot land there. This is of critical strategic importance.

On the other hand, a single piece (called a blot) is vulnerable. If you land on an opponent's blot, you send that piece to the bar. If an opponent lands on one of your blots, you are knocked to the bar. If you have a piece on the bar, you must enter it back onto the board before you can move any other piece. If you have multiple pieces on the bar, you must enter all of them before you can move any pieces already on the board.

From the bar, you enter into your opponent's home court. (So, in the diagram above, if you were on the bar and brought your piece back onto the board with a 1, it would be on your opponent's 1-point, the uppermost and rightmost point on the board.)

If, because of blocks, you cannot move, your turn is forfeited and your opponent moves. If you can only take part of your move, but not all of it, you must make that partial move.

The object of the game is to be the first player to remove all 15 pieces. You can only remove a piece, called bearing off, when all of your pieces are in your home quadrant. When bearing off, you must use the exact number on the die, if possible. If all your pieces are lower than the die number, you can use the number to bear off the highest remaining piece. In the example to the right, you could use a 6 to bear off the piece on the 4-point, but not one of the pieces on the 3-point.

Glossary of Backgammon Terms

Bar - the vertical strip in the center of the board where pieces go when hit. Also called the rail.

Bearing Off - removing one of your pieces from the board. This is only possible when all your pieces are in your home court.

Block - two or more pieces on a single point, thus making it impossible for your opponent to land there. Also called controlling a point.

Blot - a piece which is by itself on a point, thus making it vulnerable to being knocked to the bar.

Doubles - when both dice display the same number. If so, the player gets four of that number, not two.

Doubling - One of the players declares "double" to double the value of a game; your opponent must resign or accept the double, continuing the game at the higher stakes. Doubling is not used in Skillgammon.

Enter - to bring a piece from the bar onto the board. If your piece is on the bar, you must enter it before moving any pieces already on the board. Also called coming in or reentering.

Hit - landing on an opponent's blot and sending it to the bar. Also called bumping or knocking off.

Piece - one of circular items that you are moving around the board. Each player starts with 15 pieces. Also called checkers, men, or counters.

Pips - the number of spaces that you must cumulatively move all your pieces to get them off the board.

Point - one of the triangular-shaped spots where pieces rest. There are 24 points on a backgammon board.

Quadrant - one of the four quarters that compose a backgammon board. Also called boards, tables, or courts. The inner boards are those where the two players bear off. (When you're playing Skillgammon, these will always be the two quadrants on the right side of the board.) The other two quadrants are called the outer boards. Your inner quadrant, the one where you must be to bear off your pieces, is sometimes called your home board or your home court. The other inner quadrant, where you must enter if you are on the bar, is called your opponent's home court.