Backgammon piece setup

If you roll a number for which there is no checker on the related point, you must make a legal move using a checker on a higher-numbered point. For example, if you roll a three and all of your checkers are on the fourth point or higher, you must move one of them forward three points.

If no such move is possible, you must remove a checker from the highest possible point. You are never required to bear off if another legal move is available. Backgammon can be played as a series of games, with players competing to reach a certain number of points to win.

Once you learn how it is easy to use a Backgammon doubling cube. The first player to move all 15 checkers from their starting position to off the board wins the game. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content.

Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. In This Article Expand. Choosing the First Player. Moving Checkers. For instance, if a 6 and a 4 are rolled.

The player may move any checker 6 spaces, then move any other checker 4 spaces. The player may choose to move the same checker for both moves of their turn if no other move is available. Like this:. When this happens the player will get to move the number on the dice four separate times. Direction For Moving Checkers: Checkers will alway advance around the board in one direction for each player, you man not move checkers backward at any time.

Moving To Open Points: Checkers may only be moved to open points. It is important to note, if you are combining your dice to move a singe checker, the checker my not temporarily stop on a closed point. Blots and Hits: A blot is a point that has only one checker on it.

A hit is when a player moves their checker onto a blot with their opponents checker on it. When this happens the opponents checker is removed from the point, and placed on the bar. The opponents first move on their turn must be to move the hit checker back into play starting in the opponents home board. This can only happen when the player rolls a number equal to an open point in the opponents home board.

Protect Your Checkers: Since starting a checker over at the beginning of the board is undesirable, players should try to protect their checkers as much as possible by leaving as few blots open as possible. Try to make sure that each point you have checkers on has at least two checkers so they can not get hit.

Blocking: Since a player can only move their checkers onto an open point, you can control your opponents ability to move their checkers into their home board or move a hit checker off the bar, by blocking points. Learn more about Backgammon strategy here. Bear off to win: Once a player has move all of their checkers into their home board, they can begin to move them off the board. This move is called bearing off the board.

In order to bear off checkers, you must roll the number of the points the checkers are sitting on or higher. If you have two checkers on your number 6 point for example, and you roll a 6 and a 1, you can bear off the checker from point number 6, and then either move the other checker on the number 6 point to the number 5 point, or move another checker on the home board.

What does a game transcript look like? What do the asterisks mean? What do the parentheses mean? Backgammon is a game of odds and calculation, but it's also a game of patterns and vision. Because it is played with dice, many people think of backgammon as a gambling game.

Backgammon is often played for money, but it is certainly not a game of luck. There is a surprising amount of skill in the game. Backgammon is an easy game to learn. It's fast-actioned, and fun to play either face-to-face on a real board or over the Internet. You will spend many enjoyable years learning and improving at this game.

That's not true. It's essentially a game of patterns, a visual game, like chess. When I win I can claim it's due to my good skill. When I lose I can claim it's due to my bad luck.

A backgammon board. Thirty counters or checkers in two colors, fifteen of the same color for each player. A pair of dice numbered from 1 to 6. For convenience, two pairs of dice one pair for each player is best. A dice cup , for shaking and rolling the dice. Again, it is better to have two dice cups. A doubling cube for keeping track of the stakes of the game. Q: How do you set up the board? There are two ways to set up a backgammon board, both really the same.

The first illustration shows the setup when you are plaing White and your checkers move counterclockwise around the board. Red's checkers go in the opposite direction. Both players bear off to the right; you at the lower-right, your opponent at the upper-right.

The second illustration shows the setup when your checkers move clockwise around the board. Red's checkers go in the opposite direction, and both players bear off to the left. Notice when you bear off to your right, your opponent will be bearing off to their left, and vice versa.

Q: Who goes first? To decide who goes first, you and your opponent each roll one die. In the case of a tie, you both roll again. The player who rolls the higher number goes first. That player does not roll the dice again; they play the two numbers just rolled on their first turn.

Notice that the player who goes first never has doubles on their first turn because ties on the first roll are always broken. Q: What is the object of the game? The object in backgammon is to move all of your checkers around the board into your home board and then bear them off. The first player to get all their checkers off the board is the winner. Q: What is a gammon? If you bear off all fifteen of your checkers before your opponent has borne off any of theirs, you win a gammon , or double game.

If you bear off all fifteen of your checkers before your opponent has borne off any of theirs and they have one or more checkers in your home board or on the bar, you win a backgammon , or triple game.

Q: Where can I get complete rules? The full rules of backgammon are given here. Your home board and your opponent's home board are both located in the inner table. Whites rolls As much as he would like to, White cannot bear off the checker on the six-point!

Whites rolls The only checker White can move is his runner. The rules say he must to the point using the 6 rather than hit on the point using the 4. Whites rolls White may hit Red's checker on the five-point and then move his hitter to safety on the three-point.

There are some variations of backgammon, played in the Middle East, where hit-and-run is not allowed in the player's home board. But the standard game has no such restriction. Q: Is it ok to have more than five checkers on a point? Yes, you may place as many checkers as you want on a point. Pile them one on top of another if you run out of room.

There are some versions of backgammon still popular in England which allow no more than five checkers on a point see Old English backgammon , but these are not standard rules. Q: Can I play low number first when bearing off? Yes, you may play your numbers in either order, as long as each number is played legally.

Using your low number first can sometimes get you out of a sticky situation. Here are some examples: Whites rolls If White plays 4 first, he takes the checker off the four-point and is forced to hit with the 1, leaving two blots. But if he plays the 1 first, moving from the four-point to the three-point, he can then use the 4 to remove the checker from the three-point. This wastes a pip, but it leaves no shots. If he plays the 4 first, he fills the gap on the two-point and increases his chances of getting off in two more rolls.

Q: Is stalemate possible in backgammon? Stalement is a position in which neither player can ever move again. Technically, stalemate is not possible in backgammon. Here is a rough explanation why: To have a stalemate, each player would have to be blocking the other. Perhaps they each have prime in front of the other player's checkers. Both players cannot hold their primes forever unless they are stuck on the bar.

If the players are both on the bar, one of them will eventually reenter unless both players are closed out. So the only possibility for stalemate is both players on the bar and both players closed out, like this:. The home boards are the points numbered 1 to 6 in the diagram. Q: What is a closed board? A player who makes all six points of his home board is said to have a closed board.

If you get one of your checkers hit when your opponent's board is closed, you are closed out and cannot make any moves until the opponent opens a point and allows you reenter. More Information Other Common Terms anchor back game blitz blot builder chouette cocked dice dance direct shot drop fan fly shot gap hit loose holding game indirect shot joker lover's leap make a point open point pass pick and pass prime reenter runner shot slot a checker spare checker split stack steam strip a point take For a complete dictionary of backgammon terms, see the Backgammon Galore Glossary.

Q: How do you use a doubling cube? At the beginning of the game, the doubling cube is placed halfway between the players, either on the bar or at the side of the board, with the number 64 face up. The 64 means that the stakes have not been doubled yet. Most doubling cubes do not have a 1, so the number 64 is understood to represent 1.

The position of the cube, halfway between the players, indicates that both players have access to it. That is, either player can make the first double. At any point during the game, a player who thinks he has a sufficient advantage may double the stakes. He can do this only at the beginning of his turn, before he has rolled the dice. When a double is offered, the opponent may refuse the double , in which case he resigns the game and forfeits the current stakes. The current stakes is the value of the cube before the double is offered, in this case one point.

If the opponent doesn't want to resign, he may accept the double , and agree to continue play at double the previous stakes. He places the cube on his side of the board with the number 2 face up. The number 2 represents the fact that the stakes are now doubled.

The position of the cube means that player now owns the doubling cube and only he may make the next double. If the game later turns around and the player who owns the cube feels he now has an advantage, he may redouble the stakes to 4. His opponent may refuse and give up the current stakes now two units or he may accept and continue play at quadruple the initial stakes.

There is no limit to the number of doubles and redoubles in a single game, except that no player may double twice in a row. At the end of the game, the loser pays the winner the value of the doubling cube in whatever units they have agreed to play for.

For example, if playing for one dollar a point and the doubling cube shows 4, then the loser pays the winner four dollars. In the case of a gammon or backgammon , this amount is doubled or tripled. Q: Can I double if I am on the bar and closed out?