How to play Backgammon

From your own point numbering, place two checkers on point 24, five on 13, three on 8 and five on 6. The armies move in opposite directions. Roll one opening die for each side; reroll ties and use both opening dice for the first turn.

• 1·2

  Dice

  Use each die for a move, playing both whenever possible.

• 4×

  Doubles

  Matching dice give four moves of that value.

• ▲

  Points

  Two or more opposing checkers block a point.

• ×

  Hit

  Land on a lone enemy checker to send it to the bar.

• ⌂

  Bear off

  Bring every checker home before bearing any off.

• ×2

  Doubling cube

  Offer to double the round's points before rolling.

Use both dice when possible. If only one can be used, the higher value is required when playable. Doubles provide four moves. A hit checker must re-enter from the bar before other checkers move.

Offer a double before rolling when the cube is neutral or you own it. Accepting doubles the cube and transfers ownership to the accepter; declining loses the round at the current cube value. ChessPlayX caps the cube at 64. Crawford disables doubling for the first round after either player reaches one point short of the match target, and doubling is disabled in a one-point match.

Bring all 15 checkers into your home board before bearing off. Use an exact die, or a higher die only for your farthest checker. Bearing off all checkers wins 1 point; a gammon is worth 2 if the opponent bore off none, or a backgammon is worth 3 if the opponent also has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board. Multiply by the cube; reach the target score to win the match.

Before choosing the order of dice, check which sequence uses the most dice legally. A checker on the bar must re-enter before any other checker moves.