Backgammon · Complete guide
Backgammon: how to play, where it came from, and how to win
A 5,000-year-old race where every roll is luck and every choice is skill — and the doubling cube turns the whole thing into a question of nerve.
Backgammon is a race between two armies of fifteen checkers travelling in opposite directions round a twenty-four point track. The dice say how far you may move; you decide which checkers move — and that is the entire game.
Three rules give it teeth. A point held by two or more checkers is blocked. A lone checker is a blot and can be hit, sending it back to the start. And a checker on the bar must re-enter before anything else can move, so a strong home board can leave an opponent stuck for several turns.
Then there is the doubling cube, introduced in New York in the 1920s and the best idea in the history of gambling games. At any point before your roll you may offer to double the stakes; your opponent takes and owns the cube, or passes and concedes. It turns the game from "what is the best move?" into "is this position worth twice as much to me as to you?" — and cube errors cost far more than checker errors.
Backgammon also has a claim on the history of machine learning: in 1992 TD-Gammon taught itself the game by self-play and went on to change human opening theory.
How to play
The complete rules with diagrams: the starting position, how dice translate into moves, hitting and re-entry from the bar, bearing off, gammons and backgammons, and how the doubling cube actually works.
Where it comes from
From Mesopotamian race games and Roman tabula to Persian nard, medieval bans, Hoyle's rulebook, the New York invention of the doubling cube, and the neural network that rewrote opening theory.
- Race games with dice appear in Mesopotamia and Egypt around 3000 BCE; backgammon is the surviving branch.
- Roman tabula, played on two rows of twelve points with two dice, is the direct ancestor.
- Medieval Europe knew the family as "tables" and banned it repeatedly because of the gambling.
- Edmond Hoyle fixed the English rules in 1743; the doubling cube was added in 1920s New York.
How to win
Three levels of backgammon strategy: the five game plans and opening rolls for beginners, pip counting, timing and cube basics for intermediates, and equity, volatility, back games and match play for advanced players.
- Every position is one of five plans: racing, priming, blitzing, holding or back game.
- The 5-points and the bar point are the most valuable points on the board.
- Count pips — the 8-9-12 rule tells you when to double, redouble and when your opponent should pass.
- Take a double at around 25% winning chances; double before a volatile roll costs you your market.
Common questions
Is backgammon luck or skill?
Both, measurably. A single game has a large luck component; over a match or a session it washes out and the stronger player wins consistently. That is why serious backgammon is played as matches.
When should I accept a double?
Take if you will win more than about 25% of the time. Passing costs one point for certain; taking risks two but also hands you ownership of the cube.
What is a gammon?
Winning before your opponent has borne off any checker, worth double. A backgammon is the same with an enemy checker still on the bar or in your home board, and is worth triple.
Do you have to use both dice?
Yes, if it is legally possible. If only one number can be played you must play the higher one; if neither can be played, you lose the turn.
What is the best opening roll?
3-1, which makes the five point immediately. It is the most valuable point on the board and having it from move one is a real advantage.
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