1Object of the game
Be the first to bear off all 15 of your checkers. Along the way, block and hit your opponent's checkers to slow them down. Winning while your opponent hasn't borne off any checkers is a gammon (double value), and winning while they still have a checker on the bar or in your home board is a backgammon (triple value).
2Setup
- Sit across from each other with the board between you. The points are numbered 1 to 24 from your own point of view, starting with the 1-point in your home board. Your home board is points 1 to 6, and you move from your 24-point toward your 1-point. Your opponent numbers the board the other way and moves in the opposite direction.
- Place your 15 checkers: 2 on your 24-point, 5 on your 13-point, 3 on your 8-point, and 5 on your 6-point. Your opponent sets up the mirror image on their own numbering.
- Put the doubling cube in the middle with 64 facing up. That means the game is worth 1 point and nobody owns the cube yet.
- Each player rolls one die. The higher roll goes first and uses both numbers showing as the opening roll. If the dice tie, roll again.
3The play
- Before you roll, you may offer to double the stakes if the cube is in the middle or on your side (see scoring). Otherwise, roll both dice from your cup into the right-hand side of the board.
- Move one or more checkers forward by the numbers rolled. A roll of 5-2 means you move one checker 5 and another 2, or one checker 5 then 2 (or 2 then 5), landing on an open point after each step.
- A point is open if it is empty, holds your own checkers, or holds exactly one opposing checker. You can't land on a point with two or more of your opponent's checkers.
- Doubles are played twice: a roll of 4-4 gives you four moves of 4.
- You must use both numbers if you legally can. If you can play only one, you must play it, and if either one but not both can be played, you must play the larger. If no move is possible, your turn is lost.
- Landing on a single opposing checker (a blot) hits it. That checker goes on the bar in the middle of the board.
- If you have a checker on the bar, you must enter it into your opponent's home board before moving anything else. A roll of 3 enters on your opponent's 3-point (your 22-point), and so on, as long as that point is open.
4End of a hand
Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you may start bearing off. Roll and remove a checker from the point matching a die: a 4 takes a checker off the 4-point. If no checker is on that point, you must make a legal move with a checker on a higher point. If there are no checkers on higher points, you remove one from the highest point you occupy. If one of your checkers is hit during bear-off, it must re-enter and come all the way home before you continue bearing off. The game ends the moment one player removes their 15th checker.
5Scoring
A game is worth the value on the doubling cube times 1, 2, or 3 depending on how badly the loser lost. The cube starts at 1 (the 64 face up in the middle).
| For | Points |
|---|---|
| Single game (loser has borne off at least one checker) | 1 × cube |
| Gammon (loser has borne off no checkers) | 2 × cube |
| Backgammon (loser has borne off none and has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board) | 3 × cube |
| Double refused | Current cube value, paid by the player who refuses |
| Doubling cube faces | 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 |
At the start of your turn, before rolling, you may offer a double if you own the cube or it is still in the middle. Your opponent either refuses and loses the game at the current stakes, or accepts, takes the cube at the new value, and becomes the only player who can offer the next double (a redouble). There is no limit to redoubles.
More detail: how to set up a backgammon board.
6Winning
The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins the game and scores its value. In a money game each game is settled separately. In match play, the players play a series of games until one reaches an agreed number of points, such as 7. Under the Crawford rule used in matches, when one player first gets to one point short of the match target, the doubling cube is out of play for the next game only.
7A worked hand
You win the opening roll with your 3 against your opponent's 1, so you play 3-1. The classic move is 8/5 and 6/5: one checker goes from your 8-point to your 5-point (3 pips) and another from your 6-point to your 5-point (1 pip). You now have two checkers on your 5-point, which makes that point, so your opponent can't land there. Your opponent rolls 6-4 and runs a back checker 24/14 on their numbering. It sits alone on their 14-point, which is your 11-point (25 - 14 = 11). You roll 6-2. You play 13/11* with the 2, hitting the blot, then carry the same checker 11/5 with the 6 so it lands safely on your 5-point. The hit checker goes to the bar. Since your 5-point and 6-point are both made, a 5 or 6 won't let it enter. Much later, the cube is on 2 after an accepted double, and you bear off all 15 checkers before your opponent removes any. That's a gammon, worth 2 x 2 = 4 points. If one of their checkers had still been in your home board, it would be a backgammon, worth 3 x 2 = 6 points.
8House rules
The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.
- Automatic doubles
- If the opening rolls tie, the stakes double automatically and the cube is turned to 2 but stays in the middle. Bkgm.com notes that players usually limit this to one automatic double per game. It is used only in money play, not in matches.
- Beavers
- When you are doubled, you may immediately redouble (beaver) and keep the cube on your side. Bkgm.com lists this as an optional rule for money games.
- Jacoby rule
- Gammons and backgammons count only as single games unless the cube has been turned during the game. Bkgm.com and the USBGF describe it as a money-game rule that speeds play; it is not used in matches.
- Crawford rule
- In match play, when one player first reaches one point short of the target, the cube can't be used for that one game. The USBGF describes this as standard for tournament matches.
- No cube
- Many families play without the doubling cube at all and simply count single games, gammons, and backgammons as 1, 2, and 3 points.
9Mistakes people make
- A checker on the bar must enter before you move anything else. If you can't enter it, you lose your whole turn.
- You must use both dice when you legally can. If only one can be used, and either could be, you must play the higher number.
- You can't bear off until all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, and if one gets hit it must come back home before you bear off again.
- When you combine both dice on one checker, the point where it lands after the first die must also be open.
10Playing better
- Make points in your home board and just in front of it. Each point you hold with two or more checkers is a wall your opponent can't land on, and six in a row (a prime) can't be passed at all.
- Avoid leaving blots where your opponent can easily hit them. Count how many of their rolls hit a blot before you leave it; a blot 6 pips away is hit by more rolls than one 11 pips away.
- Learn the good opening moves. 3-1 makes your 5-point (8/5, 6/5), 4-2 makes your 4-point (8/4, 6/4), and 6-1 makes your 7-point (13/7, 8/7).
- Count the race. Add up how far all your checkers must travel (your pip count) and compare it with your opponent's. If you're well ahead, avoid contact and run home.
- Double when you're clearly ahead but the game isn't over. A common beginner guideline is to accept a double if you think you'll win at least about one game in four.
Backgammon: questions people ask
- How do you set up a backgammon board?
- Each player places 15 checkers: 2 on their 24-point, 5 on their 13-point, 3 on their 8-point, and 5 on their 6-point. The points are counted from each player's own home board, so the two setups mirror each other. Put the doubling cube in the middle with 64 facing up.
- What happens when you roll doubles in backgammon?
- You play the number four times instead of twice. A roll of 3-3 gives you four moves of 3, which you can split among checkers any way you like, as long as each step lands on an open point. The one exception is the opening roll, which is two single dice and can't be doubles.
- What is a gammon in backgammon?
- A gammon is a win where the loser hasn't borne off a single checker. It counts double the value on the doubling cube, so with the cube on 2 a gammon is worth 4 points. If the loser also still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board, it's a backgammon, worth triple.
- How does the doubling cube work?
- At the start of your turn, before rolling, you may offer to double the stakes if you own the cube or it's in the middle. Your opponent can refuse and lose the game at the current value, or accept and take the cube. Only the cube's owner can offer the next double, called a redouble.
- Do you have to use both dice in backgammon?
- Yes, if there is any legal way to play both numbers you must do so. If only one number can be played, you play it. If either one could be played but not both, you must play the larger. If nothing is legal, you lose your turn.
- What happens when a checker is hit?
- The hit checker goes on the bar. On your next turn you must enter it into your opponent's home board by rolling a number that matches an open point there, before you move any other checker. If both dice land on blocked points, you can't enter and your turn is over.
- Can you bear off with a higher number in backgammon?
- Yes, when no checker sits on a higher point. If you roll a 6 and your highest checker is on the 4-point, you bear it off. But if you have a checker on a higher point than the number rolled, you must move a checker from a higher point instead of bearing off.
Sources
Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.
- Rules of Backgammon, bkgm.com. Read September 28, 2026.
- Backgammon Basics: How to Play, US Backgammon Federation. Read September 28, 2026.