Backgammon is a two-player race on a 24-point board — one of the oldest games in the world. Each side has 15 checkers; you roll two dice, race your checkers home, and bear them all off before your opponent does. The Board Gaming Hub build is single-player versus an AI and focuses on the movement game: this version has no doubling cube, so you can learn the core race without stakes-play complications.
Board setup and direction
The 24 points split into four quadrants. Each player moves their checkers in the opposite direction toward their own home board (the final quadrant), then bears them off. The standard starting position places checkers on the 24, 13, 8, and 6 points relative to each player. You always move toward your home; you can never move backward.
Rolling and moving
- Roll two dice and move checkers by each die value — either two different checkers, or one checker twice (first one die, then the other), as long as each intermediate landing point is legal.
- Doubles are worth four moves: rolling a 3-3 lets you make four moves of three points each.
- You may land on any point that is empty, holds your own checkers, or holds exactly one enemy checker.
Hitting, the bar, and blocked points
A lone enemy checker on a point is a blot. Land on it and you hit it — the blot goes to the bar in the center, and its owner must re-enter it in their opponent's home board before making any other move. A point held by two or more enemy checkers is blocked; you cannot land there. Stack six blocked points in a row and you build a prime that a trapped checker cannot jump.
Bearing off
Once all 15 of your checkers are inside your home board, you may start bearing off — removing checkers from the board. A die value bears off a checker from the matching point; if that point is empty, you may bear off from the next-lower occupied point. First player to bear off all 15 wins. If your opponent still has a checker on the bar or in your home board when you finish, you win a double (a gammon).
Opening strategy
- Make points, don't just run. Building your own blocked points — especially the 5-point (your "golden point") — restricts the opponent and gives your checkers safe landing spots.
- Split or slot, then cover. Common opening rolls make an inner-board point or advance builders that can make one next turn.
- Balance racing and blocking. Track the pip count (total distance left to bear off): if you are ahead, race; if you are behind, hold back an anchor and play for a hit.
- Avoid leaving blots where the opponent can hit you back onto the bar — one bad hit can swing the race.
Prefer perfect-information strategy with no dice? Try Chess (see the free browser chess guide) or the territorial classic Go.