How to Play Backgammon Online Free | Rules, Strategy & Tips

How to Play Backgammon

Backgammon is one of the oldest board games in the world, dating back over 5,000 years. Despite its age, it is still one of the best two-player strategy games you can play. The mix of dice luck and positional strategy means that beginners can beat experts sometimes (the dice help), but skilled players win consistently over time.

Play Backgammon free online here while you learn the rules below.

The Board Layout

A backgammon board has 24 narrow triangles called points. The points are arranged in four groups of six:

Each player starts with 15 checkers arranged in a specific pattern:

• 2 checkers on point 24
• 5 checkers on point 13
• 3 checkers on point 8
• 5 checkers on point 6

Your opponent has the mirror image of this setup. The goal is to move all 15 of your checkers into your home board (points 1 to 6) and then bear them off. First player to remove all checkers wins.

How Movement Works

On each turn, you roll two dice and move your checkers forward (toward your home board) by the number shown on each die.

Key rules:

• You can move one checker by the total of both dice, or move two different checkers, one by each die
• You can only land on a point that is open (no point with 2+ opponent checkers)
• If a point has exactly one opponent checker (a "blot"), you can land on it and send that checker to the "bar" (the center divider). That checker must re-enter from the opponent's home board before any other moves
• If you roll doubles, you get four moves instead of two. Rolling double 3s means you make four moves of 3 each
• You must use both dice if possible. If only one die can be played, you must play the higher one

Bearing Off

Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you can start bearing off:

• Roll a number that corresponds to a point with your checker on it, and remove that checker from the board
• If you roll a number higher than your highest occupied point, you can bear off from the highest point
• You must move a checker if possible rather than bear off with that roll
• If an opponent hits one of your blots during bearing off, you must bring that checker back in before continuing to bear off

The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins the game.

The Doubling Cube

Backgammon uses a doubling cube (marked with 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64) that adds a gambling element to the game. Either player can propose to double the stakes before rolling. The opponent can either accept (and the game continues at double value) or forfeit the current game.

The doubling cube adds an entire layer of strategy around when to double, when to accept, and when to walk away. For beginners, you can ignore it until you are comfortable with basic play.

5 Beginner Strategy Tips

1. Control Key Points

Points 4, 5, and 7 (called the "bar point") are the most valuable to control. When you have two or more checkers on these points, they form a barrier your opponent cannot pass easily. Building a "prime" (six consecutive blocked points) is devastating because your opponent's checkers literally cannot move past it.

2. Do Not Leave Blots in Your Home Board

A blot is a single checker on a point. If your opponent hits it, that checker goes to the bar and has to travel the entire board again. Leaving blots in your home board is especially dangerous because those checkers were almost home.

Blots in your opponent's home board or the outer boards are less risky because they have less distance to re-travel if hit.

3. Move Your Back Checkers Early

Those two checkers starting on point 24 have the longest journey. Do not leave them sitting there while you move other pieces. Use high rolls to advance them. If you wait too long, your opponent will build a prime and those back checkers will be trapped.

4. Hit When It Is Safe

Hitting your opponent's blots is powerful because it sends them backward. But only hit if you are not leaving yourself exposed. Hitting a blot and leaving your own blot next to opponent's checkers is often a bad trade.

The ideal hit is one where your hitting checker lands on a point you already control, so you are not creating a new blot.

5. Diversify Your Positions

Spreading your checkers across multiple points gives you more flexibility. If all your checkers are stacked on two or three points, many dice rolls will be wasted (you cannot move to blocked points). Balanced distribution means you can use almost any dice roll effectively.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Stacking too many checkers on one point: Having 6 checkers on a single point wastes resources
• Ignoring the back checkers: They will get trapped if you do not move them
• Always running: Sometimes building a blocking position is better than racing
• Hitting everything: Not every hit is worth it, especially if it exposes you

Practice Online

The best way to learn backgammon is to play it. Our free online version lets you practice against the computer with no signup or download.

Play Backgammon free online and start applying these strategies today.