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Backgammon Rules - How to Play Backgammon and Online Backgammon

Basic Backgammon Rules

Backgammon is a battle game where two players compete and their goal is one - to remove all their checkers ("soldiers") off the backgammon board. Players are black or white. There are complexities to the game this article does not cover, but a player interested in a friendly game or interested in playing online backgammon would be well served to walk before he runs.

Each player has 15 checkers and he must get them off the table (which is called "bear off") before his opponents manages to do so. A player moves by rolling two dice, which determine how far he can move his checkers. The players must move all his checkers to his home board and then bears them off the board.

The backgammon board itself is divided into two halves by a bar, in each half of the board there are 12 triangles, or "points". The points are lined in 6-groups, facing one another from each side of the board.

All in all there are 24 points on the backgammon board, 12 points at each half, six points facing the other six points.

Backgammon Board Structure

The far right half of the board is the player's "home board" while the near right half of the backgammon board is his opponent's "home board" according to the backgammon rules. In short, your "home" is the first 6 points. You want to end up on the last 6 points.

Your opponent is trying to do the same thing, but is starting on the opposite end of the board. His home board is your destination. Your home board is his.

The Backgammon Initial Board Positioning

Note that this is unnecessary in online backgammon, since the board is automatically set up.

• Place 2 checkers on your 24th point.
• Place 5 checkers on your 13th point.
• Place 3 checkers on your 8th point.
• Place 5 checkers on your 6th point.

How to Move the Checkers

Before the backgammon game starts, an opening player must be chosen. Each player rolls a die and the one with the highest number get to start the game. If the two players roll the same number then they roll again to break the tie.

The player who wins the roll begins the game by moving one checker according to the first die and then moves a second checker according to the second die. After the first move, the player may opt to move the same piece again with the value of the second.

Then it is the other player's turn.

As you probably noticed the order of the checkers' movement stands in line with the numerical numbers of the points. Meaning you can only move "up" and not down. For example, the backgammon rules allow you to move your checker from point 3 to 7, but not to move it from point 7 to 3.

Online backgammon makes this matter simple, as it will not permit a player to make an illegal move.

To summarize this issue: according to the backgammon rules, the movement of the checkers is clockwise if you play White and counterclockwise for Black.

A player can move his checker to anywhere he would like on the board if he has enough pips, but he cannot move a checker into a point that has more than 1 enemy checker present. If there's at least 2 enemy checkers this point is "blocked" and he cannot move his checker there.

A player can also split his move into two: he can choose to move two different checkers, each one according to the number of pips rolled on each die. If a player rolled 4-2, he can move one checker four points from his current position and move a different checker two points.

If that's sufficient information perhaps you would like to play in reliable online casinos to see if you have learned enough. If not you may view the rest of our backgammon rules.

Hitting

A player may choose to move his checker to a point where there's only one enemy checker present, this is called "hitting". Notice that a checker that is exposed for such action is called a "blot".

When a checker is hit he must be physically placed on the bar. Then a player cannot move any checker before he returns his checker back to the board.

A player may enter his checkers back onto the board and resume his game by doing the following:

• The player rolls the dice, and if the given number fits a point in his opponent home board then the player can move his checker there, but only if it's not blocked by his opponent's checkers.
• If the player does not roll a corresponding number then he forfeits his turn and moves it to his opponent.
• Notice that the opponent's points are numbered opposite. What you would consider as the 24th point would be your opponent's 1st point.

Doubles

When a player rolls the dice and receives the same number it is called "a double" and is entitled to play four moves. This means that he can may move his checker up to 4 moves or to play four-split moves for 2,3 or 4 checkers in one turn.

For example, if a player rolls a 3-3 (double 3) he may move one checker four times or he may choose to move two-four different checkers and to split his four moves as he wishes.

Final Note about the Movement Rules

A player may sometimes unable to move his checkers. His checkers are on the bar, or all the nearest points available from the dice roll might be occupied by his opponent's checkers. According to backgammon rules, if a player cannot use the dice for a legal move he must forfeit his turn.

There could be other cases when a player may not fully move his checkers. He then may split his move and to move according to the high-number die. For example if a player rolls 3-6 and cannot make a full move of 9 points and he cannot split his move into two different checkers moves, he then can only move one checker by 6 points, forfeiting one move.

Bearing Off

A player may bear off his checkers only when they are all present in his home board. He then bears off his checkers by rolling a corresponding number to the point they reside on. If a player has a checker on the 6th point he must roll a 6 in order to take it off the board.

A player can decide not to bear off if he can make any other legal move. For example, if a player has a checker on the 6th point and rolls a 2-1 he may them simply move it the 3rd point even if he has checkers in the 2nd and 1st points.

If at any time during the bearing off a player's checker is hit, he cannot remove any other checkers before the hit-checker is re-inserted into the game and makes his way back into the player's home board.

Online backgammon is a good way to learn basic backgammon rules, since it won't allow an illegal move. A dedicated student of the game should avail himself all the functions of the online backgammon program, such as the chat function. When playing against an online backgammon opponent, it doesn't't hurt to ask questions about backgammon rules and what is permissible and what is not. In this way, a player can quickly get good without the need of a live partner to play with.

James Anderson - Editor-in-chief