RULES

The objective is to remove (bear off) all of

one's own stones from the board before one's
A board game for 2 players opponent can do the same. The stones are
scattered at first and may be blocked or hit by the
opponent. As the playing time for each individual
game is short, it is often played in matches,
where victory is awarded to the first player to
reach a certain number of points.

INTRODUCTION To start the game, each player rolls one die,

and the player with the higher number moves first
Backgammon is one of the oldest board using both the numbers shown. Both dice must
games for two players in which the playing land completely flat on the right hand side of the
pieces are moved according to the roll of dice. gameboard. The players then alternate turns,
rolling two dice at the beginning of each turn.
Players win by removing all of their pieces from
the board.
After rolling the dice players must, if possible,
COMPONENTS move their stones according to the number of
pips shown on each die. For example, if the
player rolls a 6 and a 3, that player must move
Backgammon includes: one stone six points forward, and another or the
same stone three points forward. The same stone
- A Backgammon board may be moved twice as long as the two moves
- 15 white stones are distinct: six and then three, or three and then
- 15 red stones six. If a player rolls two of the same number,
- 2 dice called doubles, that player must play each die
- 1 doubling cube twice.

SETUP For example, upon rolling a 5-5 that player

may move up to four separate stones forward
Each side of the board has a track of 12 long five spaces each. For any roll, if a player can
triangles, called points. The points are move both dice, that player is compelled to do
considered to be connected across one edge of so. If players cannot move either die in a roll,
the board, forming a continuous track in the given the position of their stones then that turn is
shape of a horseshoe, and are numbered from 1 over and the turn passes to the opponent.
to 24. One player uses the white stones and the
other uses the red stones. Both players place If it is possible to move either die, but not
their pieces on the board according to the both, the higher number must be played. For
following picture: example if a player rolls 6-3 and can only move a
6 or a 3, the 6 being the bigger number must be
Red's outer board Red's home board moved; if it is possible to move the 3 but not the 6
then the 3 is played. Further, if one die is unable
to be moved, but such a move is made possible
by the moving of the other die, that move is
compulsory.

For example, in the case of a 6-3 roll, no

moves of 3 are possible by any stone. However
there are 2 moves of a 6, with stone A or stone B.
If stone A is moved 6, the 3 still cannot be played.
If stone B is moved 6, a 3 now may be played.
The rules state that the player is forced into
moving stone B 6 points, and then 3. In short, the
White’s outer board White’s home board rules compel a player to exhaust every option
available to complete both die moves where
Arrows indicate paths of movement for red possible.
and white.
In the course of a move, a stone may land on
any point that is unoccupied or is occupied only
by a player's own stones. It may also land on a
point occupied by exactly one opposing stone, or
"blot". In this case, the blot has been hit, and is THE DOUBLING CUBE
placed in the middle of the board on the bar that
divides the two sides of the playing surface. A
stone may never land on a point occupied by two
or more opposing stones; thus, no point is ever
occupied by stones from both players
simultaneously.

Stones placed on the bar re-enter the game

through the opponent's home board. A roll of 2
allows a red stone to enter on whites 2- home
point, a roll of 3 allows a white stone to enter on
reds 3-home point, and so forth. A player may To speed up match play and to provide an
not move any other stones until all stones on the added dimension for strategy, the doubling cube
bar belonging to that player have re-entered the may be used. At the start of each game, the
game. doubling cube is placed at the side of the board.

When all of a player's stones are in that Before rolling the dice on their turn, players
player's home bo ard, that player may start may propose that the game be played for twice
removing them; this is called bearing off. A roll of the current stakes. Opponents must either accept
1 may be used to bear off a stone from the 1- ("take") the doubled stakes or resign ("drop") the
point, a 2 from the 2-point, and so on. A die may game immediately. If the opponent takes, he
not be used to bear off stones from a lower- takes the cube and places it on his side of the
numbered point unless there are no stones on board.
any higher points. For example if a player rolls a
6 and a 5, but has no stones on the 6-point, Example: The cube is on ‘4’ on Red’s side of
though 2 stones remain on the 5-point, then the 6 the board. Then Red proposes to double the
and the 5 must be used to bear off the 2 stones stakes. White accepts and places the doubling
from the 5-point. When bearing off, a player may cube on ‘8 on his side of the board.
also move a lower die roll before the higher even
if that means 'the full value of the higher die' is Thereafter, the right to re-double belongs
not fully utilized. exclusively to the player who last accepted a
double.
For example, if a player has exactly 1 stone
remaining on the 6-point, and rolls a 6 and a 1, If the opponent drops the doubled stakes, he
the player may move the 6-point stone 1 place to loses the game at the current value of the
the 5-point with the lower die roll of 1, and then doubling cube. For instance, if the counter was on
bear that stone off the 5-point using the die roll of ‘8’, and a player wanted to redouble the stakes to
6; this is sometimes useful tactically. put it at ‘16’, the opponent choosing to drop the
redouble would lose a ‘8’ points game.
At the end of the game, if the losing player has
borne off at least one checker, he loses only the
value showing on the doubling cube (or one
point, if there have been no doubles). However, if
the loser has not borne off any of his checkers,
he is gammoned and loses twice the value of
the doubling cube. Or, worse, if the loser has not
borne off any of his checkers and still has a
checker on the bar or in the winner’s home
board, he is backgammoned and loses three
times the value of the doubling cube.

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