The backgammon rules for beginners fit on one page: checkers travel from one side of the board to the other, the dice tell you how far, and the first player to bear off every checker wins. Here is what matters most, without the extra detail.
The goal in one sentence
Bring all 15 of your checkers into your home board (the last six points), then bear them off the board before your opponent does.
The five rules you need
1. You roll two dice and move your checkers by those numbers; each die is a separate move.
2. You cannot land on a point where your opponent has two or more checkers.
3. If you land on a lone opposing checker you hit it: it goes to the bar and must re-enter first.
4. A double (both dice the same) is played four times.
5. You may start bearing off only when all your checkers are in your home board.
What not to miss
You must play both dice if you can. If you cannot play both, you must play the larger one when only that one is possible. If no move is possible at all, your turn is skipped and your opponent plays.
The most common beginner mistake is to leave lone checkers where the opponent can reach them easily. Start with the idea of keeping your checkers in pairs.
How you win
You win when you have borne off all 15 checkers. A win is worth 1 point; if your opponent has borne off nothing, it is a gammon worth 2. The doubling cube is optional and you will learn it later, when you play matches.
| Win | Points |
|---|---|
| Normal | 1 |
| Gammon (opponent has borne off nothing) | 2 |
| Backgammon (and a checker on the bar or in your home board) | 3 |
Where to go next
The fastest way to learn the rules is to play them: the first game against the computer on ZAR is guided step by step and free. Gulbara and Plakoto follow different rules: see their rules pages and the difference between the three games.