Backgammon – Game Rules
Objective
Be the first player to bear off (remove) all 15 of your checkers from the board.
Board Setup
The board is divided into 4 quadrants: top right, top left, bottom right, and bottom left. The bar divides the left and right quadrants (on portrait screens, it's at the bottom).
- Your home board is always at the bottom — bottom right by default; switch it to bottom left with the control button.
Dice Rolling
- Roll two dice at the start of your turn
- Rolling doubles lets you play that number four times
- Dice values show how many points a checker can move
- Dice are played one at a time and can't be reused
Movement
- You move your checkers around the board toward your home board
- Your opponent moves in the opposite direction around the board
- Each die shows how many points to move in your direction
Landing and Hitting
- You can land on empty points or your own checkers
- Points with 2+ opponent checkers are blocked
- Landing on a lone opponent checker (a blot) hits it and sends it to the bar
Bar Re-entry
- Checkers on the bar must re-enter before making other moves
- Your dice decide where you re-enter in your opponent's home board
- You can't re-enter on a point blocked by 2+ opponent checkers
Bearing Off
Removing your checkers from the board once all of them are in your home board.
- Only allowed when all your checkers are in your home board
- Use the exact die value to bear off from its matching point
- If the die is higher than your highest occupied point, bear off from that point
Must Use All Dice
You must use all your dice if any legal sequence allows it. You can't play a move that leaves a die unused when another move would use them all.
Must Use the Larger Die
When only one die can be played, you must use the larger one.
Minimize Wasted Pips
When you bear off with a die higher than needed, the extra pips are wasted. If another sequence uses all your dice and wastes fewer pips, you must play that one.
No Legal Moves
If you have no legal moves, your turn passes automatically.
Winning Conditions
Bearing off all 15 checkers:
- Counts as 1 game if your opponent has borne off at least one checker
- Counts as 2 games (gammon) if your opponent hasn't borne off any checkers
Timeout: counts as 2 games (gammon) when a time bank runs out — must be claimed
Resignation: counts as 2 games (gammon) if the player resigning hasn't borne off any checkers, otherwise 1
Timer System
- 11 seconds per turn
- 90-second time bank per player
- Turn time counts down first, then your time bank
- When your time bank runs out, your opponent must claim the win