Board game

Backgammon Game

The ancient race game of strategy and luck. Move all fifteen checkers home and bear them off before your opponent, hitting blots along the way.

White (you)0
Pip count167 : 167
Black (computer)0

Tap one of your checkers (or the bar) to see where it can go, then tap a highlighted point or the tray to bear off. If a checker has only one possible move it moves straight away.

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to any server.

Why play backgammon here

Rules handled for you

Only legal moves are offered, including the tricky forced-dice and bearing-off rules.

A real opponent

The computer weighs pip count, safe points, blots and hits to choose its play.

Learn as you play

Highlighted destinations and the live pip count make the game easy to pick up.

How to play backgammon

  1. Roll and moveMove your checkers by the numbers on each die. Doubles are played four times.
  2. Hit and enterLanding on a single opposing checker sends it to the bar; it must re-enter before anything else moves.
  3. Bear offOnce all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board, remove them. First to bear off all wins.

Backgammon rules in brief

Each player has fifteen checkers. White moves counter-clockwise from the 24-point towards the 1-point and bears off from the bottom-right home board; Black moves the opposite way. A checker can land on any point that is empty, holds its own checkers or holds just one opposing checker, a blot, which is hit and placed on the bar. A point with two or more opposing checkers is blocked.

You must use both dice if you legally can. If only one can be used, you must use the higher one when possible. When bearing off, a die can remove a checker from the matching point, or from the highest occupied point if the die is larger than any of your checkers' distances. Winning before your opponent bears off any checker is a gammon worth 2, and if they still have a checker on the bar or in your home board it is a backgammon worth 3.

Pip count

The total distance your checkers must travel. Lower is ahead in the race.

Make points

Two or more checkers on a point make it safe and block your opponent.

Avoid blots

Single checkers within six pips of an opponent are easy to hit.

Backgammon FAQ

Why can't I move the checker I want?

The rules force you to use as many dice as possible, and to enter from the bar first. Only moves that obey these rules are highlighted.

How do doubles work?

Rolling a double lets you move that number four times, in any combination of checkers.

What is a gammon?

If you bear off all your checkers before your opponent removes any, you win a gammon worth 2 points. A backgammon, worth 3, also requires them to have a checker on the bar or in your home board.

Is there a doubling cube?

Not in this version. Each game is scored 1, 2 or 3 points and added to the match tally.

Can I play a friend?

Yes. Choose Friend (same device) and take turns rolling and moving on the same screen.

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