Playing backgammon online with a specific friend should take less time than setting up a real board. On Gammon42 it does: you send one link or one code, and neither of you creates an account.

The short version

Open Gammon42: the app on iPhone, iPad or Android, or the game in your browser.
Open your friends list and send your invite link or your 8-character friend code — WhatsApp, SMS, email, anywhere.
Your friend opens the link, or types the code under Add a Friend. You are now in each other’s friends list.
Tap Invite to play next to their name. They accept, and the board opens for both of you.

After the first time there is nothing left to send. Your friend stays in your list, you see when they are online, and step 4 is all it takes.

What you need, and what you don’t

No account. You both play with the profile the game gives you on first launch. No email, no password.
No app, if you don’t want one. The browser version works on phones, tablets and computers. The apps for iPhone, iPad and Android are there if you prefer them.
Nothing to buy. Friend games are free and unlimited.

If you later want to keep your profile when you change phones, you can link it to Game Center, Google Play Games, Apple, Google or Facebook. That is optional.

Friend code or invite link?

They do the same job. The link is quicker for someone who has never played: it takes them straight to the game, with your invitation attached. The code is handy when your friend already plays, or when you are sitting next to each other: they type the 8 characters and send the request.

What a friend game counts for

Friend games are for the two of you, so they give no leaderboard points. Play them as relaxed or as seriously as you like. If you want something bigger, you can also set up a private tournament and invite a group.

Why play a friend rather than a stranger

Backgammon is a social game. Half the joy is “want to play a quick one?” with someone you know.

Playing a friend also takes care of trust. Against a stranger online, the dice always feel suspicious. Against your friend, you are both watching the same board — and after every online game the app can show you the proof that the dice were fixed before the game started.

Tips for friend games

Voice or video chat alongside. Open WhatsApp, FaceTime, whatever you use. The trash talk is half the game.

Agree on how many games first. Backgammon is best as a series: first to five wins, first to seven. A single game ends too fast for a rivalry to develop.

Use the doubling cube only if you both know it. If one of you is new, leave it alone at first. It adds rules without adding fun for a beginner.

Keep the same opponent across sessions. Patterns develop, history accumulates, rivalries form. That is the actual backgammon experience.

What if my friend is across the world?

It doesn’t matter. The game is real-time but tolerant of slow networks, and a delay of a few hundred milliseconds is invisible at the pace of backgammon.

Privacy

You don’t share your name, your email or your phone number. A friend code is all that connects the two of you, and you can remove a friend from your list at any time.

What if we get disconnected mid-game?

The position is kept on the server, not on your phone. Reopen the app or reload the tab and, if you are back quickly, you continue exactly where you left off. Stay away too long and the game is awarded to your opponent.

Bringing in a friend who is new

An invite that brings a new player to Gammon42 is rewarded: the app gives power-ups to both of you and shows the progress under Invite rewards.

Set up a weekly game

The best version of this: pick a regular slot (Sunday evening, Tuesday lunch, whatever suits you), invite your friend and play your series. Keep the score in a shared note. Six months in, you have a real rivalry and something to look forward to.

Send your first invite now →