Bearing off is the last part of every game, and small mistakes here lose games that were already won. This guide shows how to bear off in backgammon efficiently, and how to stay safe when your opponent still has checkers back.
The rules in short
You can bear off only when all 15 checkers are in your home board. A die takes off a checker from the matching point. If the die is higher than your farthest checker, you take that checker off; otherwise you must play the number inside the home board.
When there is no contact
Take a checker off whenever you can: that is almost always best. When a number can’t take one off, move a checker to fill an empty point rather than piling onto a crowded one, so that every later number has something to bear off.
Avoid stacking on the low points (1, 2 and 3). Checkers there waste high numbers: a 6 that bears off a checker from the 1-point wastes 5 pips.
When your opponent still holds a point
If your opponent has an anchor in your home board or a checker on the bar, safety comes first. A blot left now can be hit and sent around the whole board.
Clear points from the back (the highest first), keep an even number of checkers on your highest points, and don’t open gaps that leave you a blot next turn. Taking one checker less is fine if it keeps you safe.
Saving the mars
If you are losing the race badly, your goal changes: bear off at least one checker before your opponent finishes, and you lose 1 point instead of 2 (a mars). Bring your last checkers home by the quickest route, even if it leaves your home board messy.