How to Play Backgammon? [Beginners Guide]

Feature	Description
Players	2
Games Pieces	15 checkers
Equipment	Backgammon board with 24 points (triangles), 2 dice (optional: doubling cube)
Objective	Move all your checkers around the board and be the first player to remove them from the board.
Skill Level	It’s for strategical players

Basic of Backgammon  

Backgammon is a game played by two players on a specially constructed board.

Each player controls a set of 15 identical pieces—called checkers or chips—that are differentiated from those of his or her opponent by a contrasting colour.   

The set of chips belonging to each player moves around the board in pre-designated, opposing directions (clockwise vs counterclockwise), based on the rolls of a pair of dice.  

Board Of Backgammon Game

Backgammon is played on a rectangular board divided into four quadrants. The line that divides the card into parts is called the Bar.

The backgammon board consists of 24 long triangle shapes called “points”.

It has four sides: the player’s home board and outer board and the Opponent’s home board and outer board.

Each player gets 15 checkers of two colours to play on. Imagine a board with 24 points, like steps on a staircase.

These points start at 24 on one end, called the opponent’s home board, and go down to 1 on the other end, called the player’s home board.

Player 1 moves in an anticlockwise direction, and Player 2 moves in an anticlockwise direction.

The goal of the game is to move all of your own checkers to your home board and then remove them from the board completely.

Players take turns rolling two dice and moving their checkers accordingly.

They can move their checkers to any unoccupied point on the board or to a point where they have more than one checker already placed.

If a player lands on a point with only one opponent checker, that checker is “hit” and placed on the bar in the centre of the board.

The hit checker must be re-entered into the game before the player can make any other moves.

Backgammon Gameplay:

Objective of the Game:

Each player should, through a combination of luck (roll of dice) and offensive and defensive tactics (scoring hits, setting up blocks, etc.), attempt to move all their chips, first to their own respective home quadrants, and then bear them off the board altogether, while attempting to prevent his or her opponent from achieving the same objective. The first player to bear all his or her chips off the board wins the game. 

Direction of Movement   

Player 1 attempts to move all his darker-coloured chips, distributed around the board, in a counter-clockwise direction, first to his home – the bottom, right-hand-side – quadrant, before bearing them off the board.   

Player 2 moves his lighter-coloured chips distributed around the board, in a clockwise direction, first to his home – the top, right-hand-side –quadrant, before bearing them off the board.     

How to Play Backgammon?

1. Set up the board

The board consists of 24 narrow triangles, or “points,” arranged in four quadrants of six points each.

Each player has a “home” quadrant, with the outermost point in that quadrant being their “1” point. The board also has a bar that separates the two sides.

2. Set up the checkers

Each player has 15 checkers of one colour. They should be arranged on the board as follows:

• Two checkers on their 24-point
• Five checkers on their 13-point
• Three checkers on their 8-point
• Five checkers on their 6-point

3. Roll the dice

The player with the higher roll goes first and uses both dice to move their checkers. If both players roll the same number, they should roll again until there is a clear winner.

4. Move the checkers

On each turn, the player rolls the dice and moves their checkers accordingly. They can move a single checker to the total of the two dice or two checkers separately (one for each die).

The checkers can be moved to any unoccupied point on the board or to a point where they have more than one checker already placed.

5. Hit and enter

If a player lands on a point with only one opponent checker, that checker is “hit” and placed on the bar in the centre of the board.

The hit checker must be re-entered into the game before the player can make any other moves.

6. Bearing off

Once a player has moved all their checkers to their home quadrant, they can begin “bearing off” or removing them from the board.

The player must roll the exact number needed to bear off each checker. The first player to bear off all their checkers wins the game.

7. Doubling

Backgammon can also be played with a doubling cube, which allows players to increase the game’s stakes.

At the start of the game, the doubling cube is placed in the centre of the board with the number 64 showing.

If a player thinks they are winning and wants to increase the stakes, they can offer to double the game’s current value.

The other player can either accept the double and continue playing or resign and lose the current value of the game. The doubling cube can be used multiple times in a game.

8. Gammons and Backgammons  

At the end of the game, if the losing player cannot bear off even one of his chips, he or she is gammoned and loses two games (or twice the value of the doubling cube).   

Even worse, if the loser has not been able to bear off any of his chips and still has a chip left either on the bar or in the opponent’s home quadrant, he or she is backgammoned and loses three games (or thrice the value of the doubling cube).  

9. Blocks

A player may deliberately set up the block (multiple points in close proximity, with stacks of two or more chips) as a defensive tactic, impeding the progress of a certain number of his or her opponent’s chips.   

10. Hits And Re-Entries  

A player may deliberately attempt an offensive tactic by targeting a particular point on the board occupied by a single chip – called a blot – belonging to his or her opponent.

When the player lands on that point, he or she scores a hit against the opposing blot, sending it to the bar.    

The opponent must then roll the dice to bring the piece on the bar back into play, starting from the point farthest from its ultimate destination (home quadrant), before he or she can proceed to move any other pieces.   

Rules to Keep in Mind

• One player could not move the checker six spaces for the six rolled since player two’s checkers blocked the landing space.
• When a player lands on a space occupied by only one of the opponent’s checkers, the opponent’s checker is moved to the middle bar.
• When a player has a checker on the bar, they must return it to gameplay before moving any other checker.
• A checker on the bar returns to the board, starting with the farthest space.

A checker on the bar must be returned into play before other moves can be made.

If the checker is blocked from being returned into play, the player’s turn is over with no moves being made.

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Optional Rules Of Backgammon Game?

1. Automatic Doubles

If identical numbers are rolled on the first turn, the doubling cube is automatically turned to two. The victor in that game registers at least two wins.  

2. Beavers 

When a player redoubles immediately after accepting a double while retaining the doubling cube, the opponent then has the option of accepting and continuing, or refusing and forfeiting, the game – as with a regular double.  

3. Backgammon Glossary/Jacoby Rule

Gammons and backgammons count as a single victory unless the doubling cube is considered. This encourages players to speed up a match using the doubling cube every game.  

How to Win the Backgammon Game?

The player who bears all of their checkers off first wins the game. There are three types of win:

1. Single Game

If your opponent has already borne off at least one of their checkers, you win a single game when you bear off your last checker. 

2. Gammon

If you bear off all of your checkers and your opponent still has all fifteen of their checkers on the board, then you win a gammon and twice the stake.

3. Backgammon

If you bear off all of your checkers and your opponent still has all fifteen of them on the board, and they still have at least one checker either in your home board or on the bar, then you win backgammon and triple the stake.

How to Play Tournament?

Single-elimination matches normally decide backgammon tournaments.

Competitors are paired off, and each pair plays a series of games to decide which player will progress to the next round. 

Matches are played to a specified number of points. The first player to accumulate the required number of points wins the match.

Points are awarded in the usual manner: one for a single game, two for a gammon, and three for a backgammon.

The doubling cube is used, so the winner receives the value of the game multiplied by the final value of the doubling cube.

Thus, if the player wins a gammon with the cube on 4, they win eight points. If the players played a 7-point match, the match would be over in one game.

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Can it be played for real money?

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any dedicated site where backgammon can be played for real money in New Zealand.

While online casinos in NZ offer a wide range of casino games, backgammon is typically not one of them.

However you can consider the following places for play, but I am unsure if you’ll be able to play them for real money.

• https://nextgammon.com/
• https://www.backgammongalaxy.com/

While not for real money, there are online communities where you can play backgammon against others for fun and practice.

Editor’s Verdict

Backgammon is an easy game but unlike pokies, having a strategy while playing can be a plus.

Focus on making points early in the game. This means having two or more checkers on a point to block your opponent.

Try to control the centre of the board by occupying points 7 through 13. This gives you more flexibility when moving your checkers.

Aim to hit your opponent’s single checkers (blots) whenever possible. This sends their checker to the bar, slowing them down.

Always consider your opponent’s potential moves and how they might respond to your current move.

Remember, while playing backgammon, adaptability is the key. Always be ready to change your strategies on how the game progresses.

Like any game, practice is crucial. Play regularly to improve your skills and understanding of the game.

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