Backgammon Rules

Objective

Be the first player to bear off (remove) all 15 of your checkers from the board. White moves from point 24 toward point 1; Black moves from point 1 toward point 24.

Setup

Each player starts with 15 checkers arranged in the standard starting position: 2 on their 24-point, 5 on their 13-point, 3 on their 8-point, and 5 on their 6-point.

Movement

• At the start of each turn, roll two dice. Each die represents a separate move.
• Checkers move in the direction of decreasing point numbers for White, increasing for Black.
• You may move one checker the total of both dice, or two separate checkers each the value of one die.
• If you roll doubles (e.g. 4-4), you play four moves of that value instead of two.
• You must use as many of your dice as legally possible. If only one die can be played, you must play the higher one if possible.

Landing & Hitting

• You may land on any open point, or on a point occupied by one or more of your own checkers.
• You may land on a point occupied by exactly one opponent checker — this is called a hit. The opponent's checker is placed on the bar.
• You cannot land on a point occupied by two or more opponent checkers (a made point).

The Bar

• If any of your checkers are on the bar, you must enter them before moving any other checker.
• White enters from the bar onto points 19–24 (opponent's home board); Black enters onto points 1–6.
• If you cannot enter a checker from the bar, your turn is forfeited.

Bearing Off

• Once all your checkers are in your home board (and none are on the bar), you may begin bearing off.
• Use a die to remove a checker from the matching point number. For example, a roll of 3 removes a checker from your 3-point.
• If there is no checker on the exact point, you must move a checker from a higher point if possible.
• If no higher point has a checker, you may bear off from the next occupied lower point (overshoot rule).
• The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins.

Winning

• Single game: Opponent has borne off at least one checker — you win 1 point.
• Gammon: Opponent has not borne off any checkers — you win 2 points.
• Backgammon: Opponent still has checkers on the bar or in your home board — you win 3 points.