Backgammon Rules
The complete, standard international rules of backgammon — from the opening setup to the final bear-off — plus a quick-reference cheat sheet you can use while you play.
1. The Setup
A backgammon board has 24 narrow triangles called points, divided into four quadrants of six. Each player has 15 checkers. In the opening position, your checkers sit: two on the opponent's 1-point, five on the 12-point, three on the 8-point, and five on the 6-point. Your checkers travel in one direction around the board; your opponent's travel the opposite way.
2. Moving Your Checkers
Each turn starts with a roll of two dice. Each die is a separate move — you may move one checker twice or two checkers once. Checkers always move forward, toward your home board. Roll doubles and you play the number four times. You cannot land on a point held by two or more opposing checkers: those points are blocked. If you cannot play either die, your turn ends.
3. Hitting and the Bar
A lone checker on a point is a blot. Land on it and you hit it onto the bar. While you have a checker on the bar, you must re-enter it into your opponent's home board before making any other move — rolling a 3, for example, re-enters it onto the opponent's 3-point, unless that point is blocked.
4. The Doubling Cube
The cube shows 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64. Before rolling, you may offer a double of the current stakes. Your opponent either accepts — taking ownership of the cube and the right to redouble later — or resigns and loses the current value. Cube decisions are the heart of expert backgammon.
5. Bearing Off and Scoring
Once all 15 of your checkers are inside your home board, you bear off: roll a number matching a checker's point to remove it from the board. The first player to bear off all 15 wins. If the loser has borne off nothing, it's a gammon (double); if the loser still has a checker on the bar or in your home board, it's a backgammon (triple).
Backgammon Rules Cheat Sheet
Everything above, in one table — keep it open while you play.
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Players | Two; each has 15 checkers moving in opposite directions. |
| Starting setup | 2 on the opponent's 1-point, 5 on the 12-point, 3 on the 8-point, 5 on the 6-point. |
| Dice | Two dice per turn; each die is one move. Doubles are played four times. |
| Moving | Checkers always move toward your home board, from higher points to lower. |
| Blocked point | Two or more opposing checkers close a point — you cannot land there. |
| Blot & hit | A single checker is a blot; landing on it sends it to the bar. |
| The bar | A hit checker must re-enter into the opponent's home board before any other move. |
| No legal move | If neither die can be played, your turn ends and your opponent rolls. |
| Doubling cube | Offered before your roll; the taker owns the cube and may redouble later. |
| Bearing off | Once all 15 checkers are in your home board, dice rolls remove them. |
| Gammon | The loser bore off nothing — the game counts double. |
| Backgammon | The loser still has a checker on the bar or in your home board — the game counts triple. |
Test Yourself: The Backgammon Rules Quiz
Five quick questions. Every answer links back to the cheat sheet, so you can brush up on anything you miss.
1. How many checkers does each player start with?
2. You roll double 5s. How many moves of 5 do you get?
3. A single checker alone on a point is called…
4. One of your checkers is on the bar. What can you do?
5. Your opponent bears off nothing before you win. That's a…
Practice the Rules Against Real Players
The fastest way to learn backgammon rules is to play them. On Backgammon Premium the board sets itself up, legal moves are enforced automatically, and the doubling cube is built in — so you can focus on strategy instead of bookkeeping. Read our guide to playing backgammon online or jump straight into a match.
Ready to Play? It's Free.
Start a real match in seconds — no download needed.