How to set up a backgammon game

The game Backgammon is one of the oldest board games. This game is for two players and has been enjoyed by people around the world for over 5,000 years. Backgammon setup and play style is very different among other board games.

To win at backgammon, you have to move all of your backgammon checkers into your own home board and then bear them off. If you want to know how to setup backgammon, or ever wondered “how do i set up a backgammon game”, stay with us and we will tell you the basics, starting from setting up the backgammon down to winning the game.

One of our favorite books we suggest reading: Backgammon – 2004 Edition Paperback – Illustrated

Backgammon starting position

There is an accepted standard how to set up backgammon board game properly. For proper board set up, lay the game board lengthwise between both players and assign each player a color, either black or white (or whatever the colors are on your board) and set up backgammon in the starting position. For your convenience we have illustrated the starting backgammon setup below:

How to remember backgammon setup might take time, but take note of this, the board is split in half vertically by the “bar,” with 12 triangles–or points–on either side. For each player, the 12 closest points are numbered 1 to 12 from right to left, and the farther points are numbered 13 to 24 from left to right.

Place down your backgammon checkers. Each player places two checkers on their 24-point, five checkers on their 13-point, three checkers on their 8-point, and five checkers on their 6-point.

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Playing the Game

Since you already know how to setup a backgammon board, let’s now start playing the game.  Roll the dice to determine which player goes first. The player who rolls the highest number goes first. If both players roll the same number, roll again. For the rest of the game, players alternate turns.

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Roll the dice on your turn and use the displayed numbers to move your checkers, either moving one checker for each die amount or moving one checker the combined amount. The goal of the game is to move all your checkers onto your “home board,” which contains points 1 through 6. Once all 15 of your checkers are on these points, you can begin to “bear them off.”

Attempt to “bar” your opponent’s checkers by moving your checker onto a point occupied by one of your opponent’s checkers. Their checker must be moved to the bar and removed on their next turn. You cannot move a checker to a point occupied by two or more of your opponent’s checkers.

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Remove your checkers from the bar, if necessary, as you cannot perform any other moves until all of your checkers have been debarred. To do so, roll the dice. You have to move your barred checkers into your opponent’s home board points of the corresponding number (1 through 6), but only if they are unoccupied or open.

Bearing off

Bear off your checkers once all 15 are within your home board (points 1 through 6). To do so, roll the dice. You may remove your checkers from the game if they are sitting on points corresponding to the numbers on the die.

Move checkers as usual, if you do not have any checkers on points corresponding to the dice numbers. If you cannot move any checkers, or remove any checkers from play, your turn is over.

How do things turn bad?

Frankly, pretty easily. Things turn bad in backgammon pretty frequently. A game you thought you had in the bag can all of a sudden be turned upside down. Maybe it’s due to bad luck or maybe your opponent is a master and carefully crafted a comeback.

In the example below, White is being very annoying with his pieces blocking Black’s1 slot. White has probably even left those 2 pieces behind intentionally, so that they can create an opportunity to come back.

Before you know it, White strikes some luck and Black is forced to leave a checker open, and Black finds himself on the bar soon thereafter. To make matters worst, he is locked out of moves until White creates an empty slot. All of a sudden, white’s chances of winning are looking great.

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Winning the game

Win the game by removing all of your backgammon checkers from the board. Depending on what rules are in play, you have been able to double your opponent, and even win by gammon or backgammon! Before you know it, you’ll be in Monte Carlo with your white backgammon case, winning tournaments.

Setup Backgammon, Play, Rinse, Repeat

Setting up backgammon game is easy, but it will take and practice for you to become an expert player winning tournaments. Don’t worry if it doesn’t happen overnight, just keep playing, having fun, and most of all learning!

If you want to buy a backgammon board we recommend reading: The Ultimate Backgammon Board Buying Guide

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The game is played by two players each, with fifteen checkers of his own color.

Each player also has their own pair of dice and dice cup.

A doubling cube with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 is used for tracking the stakes of the round.

The board consists of 24 long triangles called points or pips. The triangles alternate in color and are divided into four quadrants of six triangles each. The four quadrants are the player’s home board and outer board, and the opponent’s home board and outer board. The home boards and outer boards are separated by a divider down the middle referred to as the bar. The starting positions of the pieces are arranged as shown below.

The points are numbered starting at 24 in the opponent’s home board and ending at 1 in the player’s own home board.

The objective of the game is to move all of one’s own checkers to the home board and then remove (bear off) the pieces from the board entirely. The players move their checkers in opposing direction following a horseshoe path as illustrated.

Gameplay

To start the game, each player rolls a single die and the player with the higher number moves first using both numbers rolled. If both players roll the same number, the dice are rolled again until they roll different numbers. The players then alternate turns, rolling two dice at the beginning of each turn. The dice must always be rolled together and land flat on the right hand side of the game board. If it lands outside or on a checker the dice must be rolled again.

Moving

• The dice roll determines how many points the player is supposed to move its checker. The checker always moves forward following the horseshoe path towards the player’s home board.

• A point that is not occupied by two or more opposing checkers is an open point. When moving a checker it may land only on an open point.

• The two dice constitute two separate movements. For example, if a player rolls a 6 and a 4, he may move one checker 6 spaces to an open point and another checker 4 spaces to an open point.

• The player may also choose to move the same checker twice, as long as each move is on to an open point.

• When a double is rolled the numbers on the dice are played twice. For example, if a player rolls two fives, he may move his checkers five points, four times in any combination landing on open points.

• A player must move both numbers rolled if possible (four numbers if a double is rolled). If only one of the numbers can be played because only one open point is available, the player must play that number. If either number can be played but not both, then the larger number must be played. If neither number can be played then the player loses his turn. If a player cannot play all four numbers in the case of a double, the player must play as many numbers as possible.

Hitting

An open point containing one opposing checker is a blot. When a checker is moved onto a blot, the blot is hit, and the opposing checker that has been hit is placed on the bar.

When a player has one or more checkers on the bar he must first re-enter them onto the opponent’s home board. A checker enters by rolling two dice and moving it to the corresponding point of one of the numbers on the opponent’s home board.

If the checker(s) on the bar cannot enter into an open point, the player loses his turn and the checker(s) remains on the bar. A player cannot move any other piece until all his checkers are off the bar. If a player is able to enter some but not all of his checkers off the bar, his turn is finished. If a player’s checker(s) have been moved off the bar, any unused number must be played.

Bearing Off

When all of a player’s checkers are in his home board, he can begin a process of removing them called bearing off. This is done by rolling a number corresponding to a point with a checker residing on it.

If no checker can bear off with the number(s) rolled, the player must make a legal move(s) with a checker(s) from a higher point.

If there are no checkers on higher number points, then the player bears off with a checker from the next highest point.

Doubling

A doubling cube is used to increase the stakes at any point in the game. At the start of the game, the doubling cube is placed on the bar with 64 facing upwards. Before the roll on a player’s turn, that player may propose to double the current stakes. The opponent either accepts (takes) the doubled stakes or resigns (drops) and loses the match and the current stakes. If the opponent takes he becomes the owner of the cube and the cube is turned over so that 2 is facing upwards. Thereafter only the owner of the cube has the right to propose to double the stakes again (redouble). If the opponent takes, the ownership of the cube is passed over to him and this process can continue on from 4 to 8 and onwards. There are no limits to redoubles even though the highest number on the cube is 64.

Gammon and Backgammon

At the end of the game, if a person has borne off all fifteen of his checkers and the opponent has borne off at least one checker, that person wins the current stake. If the opponent has not borne off any checkers, then the opponent loses a gammon and loses double the current stakes. If the opponent has not borne off any checkers and still has one or more checkers on the bar, the opponent loses a backgammon and loses triple the current stakes.

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