Board games
Backgammon
- players
- 2
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 8+
In the box
1 board of 24 points · 30 checkers, 15 per player · 4 dice and 1 doubling cube
Official rules (PDF, federation's site)
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Betting and BluffingDice RollingLose a TurnRaceRoll and Move
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
The aim is to bring your fifteen checkers into your home board, then bear them off before your opponent. On your turn, roll two dice and move one checker per die, a double being played four times; you may hit a single opposing checker, which goes to the bar and must re-enter before any other move, but you can never land on a point held by two or more opposing checkers. A won game is worth 1 point, 2 for a gammon (the loser has borne off nothing) and 3 for a backgammon, all multiplied by the doubling cube, which you may offer before rolling. The first to reach the match total wins.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
15 checkers each, 2-5-3-5 on 24, 13, 8, 6, Cube in the middle
- A board of 24 points in four quarters of six: each player’s home board and outer board, separated by the bar.
- Fifteen checkers per side: two on your 24-point, five on the 13, three on the 8 and five on the 6, each player numbering the points from their own home board.
- Two dice, and the doubling cube, a large die marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64, placed in the middle at the start of each game: the stake is 1.
- Each player rolls one die: the higher starts, playing the two dice just rolled; on a tie, roll again. So the first move is never a double.
How to play
Each die: 1 move, Double played 4 times, Single checkers hit
- Roll two dice and move your checkers towards your home board, never backwards: each die is a separate move, for two checkers or for the same one.
- A double is played four times, or as many times as possible.
- You must play both dice when you can; if only one can be played, you play that one, and if you can play either but not both, the higher. With no possible move, you pass.
- You may stop on an empty point, on your own checkers, or on a single opposing checker, which is then hit and goes to the bar. A point held by two or more opposing checkers is closed.
- A checker on the bar must re-enter in the opponent’s home board, on the point given by one die, before any other move; if those points are closed, you pass.
- Once all fifteen checkers are in your home board, you bear them off: a 6 bears off a checker from the 6-point, a 5 from the 5-point, and so on. With no checker on the die’s point, you must move a checker from a higher point; if there is none, you bear off the highest checker. Instead of bearing off, you may also play the die inside your home board.
Scoring
Single 1, gammon 2, Backgammon 3, Multiplied by the cube
- Single game, when the loser has borne off at least one checker: 1 point. Gammon, when they have borne off none: 2 points. Backgammon, when they have borne off none and still have a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home board: 3 points.
- The doubling cube multiplies these points. Before rolling, you may offer to double the stake: the opponent declines and loses the game at the previous stake, or accepts and takes the cube, which only they may then redouble.
- In Marquoir, one line per game: enter the winner’s points, already multiplied by the cube, and 0 for the loser. A gammon with the cube on 2 is worth 4.
End of the game
15 checkers borne off, Match to agreed points, Crawford rule
- The game stops as soon as a player has borne off all fifteen checkers, or a double is declined.
- A match is played to a number of points set in advance, usually an odd one: the first to reach it wins, and going past it makes no difference. The counter offers 5, 7 or 11 points.
- Crawford rule: as soon as a player is one point from victory, the next game is played without the cube; it comes back afterwards if the match goes on.
House rules and pitfalls
Automatic doubles, beavers and the Jacoby rule are for money play only…
- Automatic doubles, beavers and the Jacoby rule are for money play only: the World Federation excludes them from tournaments.
- Trictrac and jacquet are other games, played on the same board with very different scoring; the counter keeps backgammon’s scoring for them.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · Rules on video · In the same family
Variants
Match to
5 points
7 points
11 points
Variant
Backgammon
Trictrac
House rule: trictrac is another game, with very different scoring; the counter keeps backgammon’s.
Jacquet
House rule: another game, where all checkers start from the same point; the counter keeps backgammon scoring.
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
How do you move your checkers?
Roll two dice and move your checkers by the number of points shown, one die per move, on two checkers or on the same one. A double is played four times.
Which points can you move to?
To an empty point, one occupied by your own checkers, or one with a single opposing checker, which you then hit and which starts again from the bar. A point held by two or more opposing checkers is closed.
What happens to a hit checker?
It goes on the bar and must re-enter in the opponent’s home board before any other move. Being hit near the end of the race can cost you the game.
What is the doubling cube for?
To double the stake: a player who thinks they are ahead offers it before rolling; the other accepts and the game is worth double, or declines and loses the current stake. Only the player who accepted may redouble afterwards.
How do you win?
By being the first to bear all your checkers off the board. If your opponent has not yet borne off a single checker, it is a gammon, worth double; if they also still have a checker on the bar or in your home board, it is a backgammon, worth triple.
What is the Crawford rule?
A match rule: as soon as a player gets within one point of victory, the next game is played without the cube. If the match goes on after that game, the cube comes back into play.
Rules on video
Videos in French, hosted on YouTube.