Learn backgammon
Learn backgammon: the objective, starting position, movement, hitting and the bar, making points, and bearing off, with animated diagrams. Then practice against the AI.
Objective
Backgammon is a race between two players, each with 15 checkers. You move all your checkers around the 24-point board into your home board and then bear them off (remove them). The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins.
Starting position and direction
Each player moves their checkers in one direction toward their own home board: White moves toward points 19–24, Black toward points 1–6. The two players move in opposite directions around the board.
Movement
Roll two dice; each die is a separate move. With a 3 and a 5 you move one checker three points and another (or the same) five points. Doubles give four moves of that value. You must use both dice if a legal move exists, and the higher die if only one can be played.
Hitting and the bar
A point holding a single checker is a blot. Landing on a blot hits it and sends that checker to the bar. A player with a checker on the bar must re-enter it in the opponent’s home board before making any other move.
Making points and primes
You cannot land on a point held by two or more opposing checkers. Holding two or more of your own checkers on a point makes it; six made points in a row form a prime that the opponent cannot pass.
Bearing off
Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board you may bear off. Roll a number matching a point to remove a checker from it; roll higher than your highest occupied point to bear off from that point. A checker hit while bearing off must re-enter and travel home again.
The doubling cube
The doubling cube lets a player who is ahead offer to double the stakes. The opponent either declines (and loses the current value) or accepts and takes ownership of the cube. A gammon (opponent has borne off none) doubles the score; a backgammon (opponent also has a checker in your home board or on the bar) triples it.