Backgammon is a game for two with 15 checkers each and two dice: the first player to bear all their checkers off the board wins. Here is how to play backgammon from the setup to the last move, with each step explained and short pictures on a real board.
What you need
A board with 24 narrow triangles called points, 15 checkers for each player (light and dark) and two dice. The board is split into four quarters of six points. Your home board is the last six points, where you bring your checkers and then take them off the board.
On ZAR the board sets itself up and shows the legal moves, so you can concentrate on the game. You can view it in 2D or 3D.
Setting up the checkers
Both players start the same way. Points are numbered from your side: the 24-point is the farthest, the 1-point is the deepest in your home board. Your opponent counts from their side, so their 24-point is your 1-point.
| Point | Checkers |
|---|---|
| 24 | 2 |
| 13 | 5 |
| 8 | 3 |
| 6 | 5 |
Who starts
Each player rolls one die and the higher number starts. On ZAR the winner then rolls both dice again for the first turn (a house rule: in official tournaments the two opening dice are played as they are).
After that you take turns, rolling both dice on each of your turns.
How the checkers move
You move your checkers toward your home board, in the direction of falling numbers. Each die is a separate move: with 5 and 3 you can move one checker 5 and another 3, or the same checker 5 and then 3 more. You cannot land on a point where your opponent has two or more checkers, because it is closed. An empty point, your own point and a point with a single opposing checker are open.
You must play both dice if you can. If only one can be played, it must be the larger. A double (both dice the same) is played four times. Any part of a roll that cannot be played is lost.
Hitting and the bar
A lone checker (called a blot) can be hit: if your opponent lands on it, it goes to the bar and has to re-enter before any other move is made. It re-enters with a rolled number into your opponent’s home board, but only on an open point. That is why it is usually good to keep checkers in pairs and to hit when it costs your opponent a lot.
Bearing off
Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you start taking them off with exact numbers. If you have no checker on the point rolled but you have checkers farther back, you move one of those. If there are none farther back, you bear off from the highest point. The first player to bear off every checker wins.
Points, gammons and the cube
A normal win scores 1 point. If your opponent has borne off nothing, it is a gammon and scores 2; if they also still have a checker on the bar or in your home board, it is a backgammon and scores 3. Before rolling you may offer a double with the cube, and play continues for twice the stake if your opponent takes. On ZAR the cube is used in backgammon only; Gulbara and Plakoto have no cube.
Ready to try? The first game against the computer can be guided step by step, and the strategy tips for beginners come next.