Overview

Backgammon is the world’s oldest board game, over 5,000 years old. It is a two-player race game combining skill and luck. Each player has 15 checkers that must be moved around the board and then borne off. The first player to remove all their checkers from the board wins. The game uses two standard dice and optionally a doubling cube for stakes.

Components

• 1 backgammon board with 24 narrow triangles (points), numbered 1-24
• 30 checkers (15 per player, two different colours)
• 2 standard dice (one per player)
• 1 doubling cube (faces: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64)
• Dice cups (optional)

Setup

The board has four quadrants of 6 points each: each player’s home board and outer board. The center divider is called the bar.

Starting position (each player places 15 checkers):

Point	Checkers
Player’s 24-point	2 checkers
Player’s 13-point	5 checkers
Player’s 8-point	3 checkers
Player’s 6-point	5 checkers

Players sit opposite each other; their home boards are on the right side. Checkers move in opposite directions around the board toward each player’s home board (points 1-6).

The doubling cube is placed in the centre, with 64 facing up, signifying a stake of 1 point.

Turn Structure

Opening Roll

Each player rolls one die. The player with the higher number goes first, playing the combination of both dice. If doubles are rolled, both players re-roll.

Normal Turn

1. Roll two dice.
2. Move checkers according to the numbers rolled.
3. Pick up dice to signal end of turn.

Actions

Checker Movement

• Each die represents a separate move. You may move one checker for both dice (as two separate moves) or two different checkers.
• Checkers always move forward (toward your home board / lower-numbered points).
• A checker may land on any point that is: unoccupied, occupied by your own checkers, or occupied by exactly 1 opponent checker (a hit).
• A checker may not land on a point occupied by 2 or more opponent checkers (a “blocked” or “made” point).
• If only one die can be legally played, the higher number must be played.
• If no legal move exists, the turn is forfeited.
• You must play both numbers if legally possible.

Doubles

When doubles are rolled, you get 4 moves of that number instead of 2. You may distribute these among any combination of checkers.

Hitting

• Landing on a point occupied by exactly 1 opponent checker (“blot”) is mandatory — you must hit it.
• The hit checker is placed on the bar (centre divider).
• A player with checkers on the bar must re-enter them before moving any other checkers.

Re-entry from the Bar

• A checker re-enters into the opponent’s home board (points 24-19 from your perspective, or 1-6 from your opponent’s).
• The die roll determines which point the checker enters on (e.g., rolling a 3 enters on the opponent’s 3-point).
• If the destination point is blocked (2+ opponent checkers), that number cannot be used for re-entry.
• If neither die allows re-entry, the turn is forfeited (“dancing”).

Bearing Off

• You may only begin bearing off once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board (points 1-6).
• To bear off, roll the dice and remove checkers from the corresponding points (e.g., roll a 5 to remove from the 5-point).
• You may choose to move a checker forward within the home board instead of bearing off.
• If you roll a number higher than any occupied point, you must bear off from the highest occupied point.
• If a checker is hit during bearing off, it goes to the bar and must re-enter and travel back to the home board before bearing off can resume.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Result	Condition	Points
Single	Opponent has borne off at least 1 checker	1 point
Gammon	Opponent has not borne off any checkers	2 points
Backgammon	Opponent has not borne off any checkers AND has 1+ checkers on the bar or in your home board	3 points

The Doubling Cube

• At the start, the stake is 1 point (cube shows 64 in the centre).
• Before rolling, either player may offer to double the stakes by turning the cube to 2 and offering it to the opponent.
• The opponent may accept (take the cube, game is now worth 2 points) or drop (concede the game, losing 1 point).
• Only the player holding the cube may redouble (turn cube to 4, 8, 16, etc.). The opponent again accepts or drops (losing the current cube value).
• Gammons and backgammons multiply the cube value (e.g., cube on 4 + gammon = 8 points).

Match Play Rules

• Crawford Rule: When a player is 1 point away from winning a match, the doubling cube cannot be used for that one game.
• Jacoby Rule (optional, money play only): Gammons and backgammons only count as a single unless the doubling cube has been used during the game.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Mandatory moves: If you can legally play both dice, you must. If only one can be played, play the higher number.
• Hitting is mandatory: If you land on a blot, the hit must occur; you cannot choose not to hit.
• No checker limit per point: You may stack any number of your own checkers on a single point.
• No ties: Backgammon can never end in a draw.
• Die validity: Both dice must land flat on the right half of the board. If a die goes off the board, lands on a checker, or is tilted, the entire roll must be retaken.
• Move confirmation: You may adjust your move until you pick up your dice.
• Bearing off with higher roll: If you roll a number higher than the highest occupied point, you bear off from the highest point with checkers. But if there is a legal move to make within the home board, that move may be made instead.

Player Reference

Starting Position: 2 on 24pt, 5 on 13pt, 3 on 8pt, 5 on 6pt

Turn: Roll 2 dice → Move checkers → Pick up dice

Key Rules:

• Move forward only
• Cannot land on 2+ opponent checkers
• Hitting a single opponent checker is mandatory
• Bar checkers must re-enter before other moves
• Bear off only when all 15 checkers are in home board

Scoring: Single = 1pt

Gammon = 2pt

Backgammon = 3pt (multiplied by doubling cube)

Doubles: 4 moves instead of 2