Most “how to play backgammon” guides drown you in terminology before you’ve moved a single checker. This one won’t. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll know exactly what to do when you sit down at a board.

How to Play Backgammon — Step by Step

This guide walks you through everything in order: the goal, the board, the setup, a single turn, and how the game ends. Follow it top to bottom and you’ll be ready for your first full game.

The goal

Get all 15 of your checkers around the board and off it before your opponent does. That’s it. The board is a racetrack — you’re racing.

The board, in 30 seconds

24 long triangles called points. They’re arranged in four quadrants of six. The thin strip down the middle is the bar. Your home board (also called your inner board) is where you’re racing toward — that’s where you’ll bear off.

The two players move in opposite directions. From your perspective, your checkers go counter-clockwise around the board into your home; your opponent’s go the other way.

The setup

Two checkers on your 24-point. Five on your 13-point. Three on your 8-point. Five on your 6-point. (Your opponent mirrors this.) Full setup walkthrough →

A turn, step by step

Roll both dice. Each die is a separate move.
Move two checkers, one for each die — or one checker twice, using each die in sequence.
Doubles count four times. If you roll a 5-5, you get four 5s.
You must use both dice if you can. If only one is playable, play it. If neither is playable, you lose the turn.

What you can land on

Empty point → fine, land there
Your own checker(s) → fine, stack on top
Opponent’s single checker (a “blot”) → you hit it. Their checker goes to the bar; they have to roll back in before doing anything else.
Two or more opponent checkers → blocked. You can’t land there.

The bar (re-entering)

If your checker is on the bar, your only legal move is to roll a number that lands on an open point in your opponent’s home board (their points 1–6). If you can’t, you lose the turn. This is why being hit is painful.

Bearing off

Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you can start removing them. A roll of 4 takes a checker off your 4-point. A roll bigger than your highest checker takes off your highest. Full bearing-off guide →

The doubling cube (skip on your first game)

Optional. Used to raise the stakes. Ignore it for now — most casual games are played without it. When you’re ready, read this →

Things you’ll learn through play, not reading

When to make points vs. run vs. play safe
How “primes” (consecutive points) trap your opponent
When to take risks
The “pip count” — how to know who’s ahead

You don’t need any of these to start. You’ll absorb them in your first 10 games.

The shortest practice plan

Play 5 games against the computer in practice mode. Don’t try to win — try to:

Game 1: Just move legally
Game 2: Notice when you’ve left a blot
Game 3: Make a point in your home board
Game 4: Try to hit an opponent’s blot
Game 5: Bear off cleanly

By game 5, you’re playing real backgammon.

Play your first game now →