Strategy › Bearing off
Bearing off without wasting pips
Plenty of won races are thrown away in the last few rolls. Bearing off looks like the easy part of backgammon, but it has rules worth knowing and habits worth building — especially when your opponent is still lurking on an anchor.
The rule, plainly
Bearing off is removing your checkers from the board, and you can only begin once all fifteen are home — sitting on the six points of your home board. From there, each die bears a checker off the matching point: roll a 3 and a checker comes off the 3-point. A double, as always, gives you four moves rather than two.
Two situations need a clear head. If you roll a number higher than your most distant checker, you bear that checker off from the highest point it occupies — a 6 lifts a checker off the 4-point if nothing sits higher. And if you roll a number for a point that is empty while you still have checkers further back, you cannot waste the roll: you must move a checker down from a higher point instead.
Wasted pips, and why they matter
The pip count does not stop mattering when you start bearing off. Using a 6 to lift a checker off the 1-point spends five pips you did not need. One such roll rarely decides anything; a handful of them across a bear-off can lose a race the count said you had won. The goal is to spend each roll as fully as the position allows.
That comes down to how you fill the home board on the way in. Spread your checkers across all six points rather than piling them on the 1 and 2; keep the high points occupied so big numbers always have a checker to lift. A board with gaps on the 5 and 6 forces you to waste high rolls, while an even spread turns almost every number into a clean bear-off.
Getting home: crossovers
Before you bear off you have to get every checker home, and there is a quick way to judge how close you are without a full count. A crossover is a checker moving from one quadrant into the next on its way home. Count the crossovers you still need and you have a fast estimate of how many good rolls separate you from being ready to bear off — useful when you are deciding whether to race or hold.
Bearing off under contact
Everything above assumes a clear road. It changes the moment your opponent still holds an anchor in your home board, watching for a shot. Now every clearing move risks leaving a blot for them to hit, and a hit this late sends a checker the whole way round again — usually fatal.
The craft here is clearing your points in an order that avoids leaving a single checker exposed wherever the dice let you. Clear from the back, keep pairs together as long as you can, and accept a slightly slower bear-off in exchange for not handing over a shot. Whether a small risk is worth taking depends on the cube and the score: if a hit would only occasionally cost you, speed can be worth it; if a hit would likely lose the game, play safe and take the extra roll.
Counting the bear-off
It helps to know roughly how many rolls a bear-off will take, because that is what tells you whether a race is won and whether to turn the cube. A non-double roll bears off two checkers, so fifteen checkers take at least eight rolls in a perfect world — but wastage and the odd awkward number push the real figure higher, and every double you roll bears off four and pulls it back down.
For a quick read late in a race, count how many rolls each side needs to clear their board and compare. If you are a roll or more ahead with no contact, you are winning comfortably — which is exactly the kind of position where a double is correct and your opponent may have to pass. A bear-off that looks close on raw pips can be decided by whose checkers are better distributed, so count rolls, not just pips.
Filling in: the order that keeps you smooth
The efficiency of a bear-off is mostly decided before it starts, by how you bring the last checkers home. The aim is a smooth, even board — ideally checkers on every point with no tall stack on the 1 and 2 and no gap on the 5 and 6. As you move checkers into the home board, prefer to fill the empty high points rather than burying yet another checker on a low one. A spare checker is better spent making the board even than stacked where it can only ever waste pips.
Once you are bearing off, the same instinct applies in reverse: try to clear the points from the back so you are never forced to lift from a low point with a high number while a gap sits above it. You will not always have the roll to play it perfectly, but steering towards an even board on the way in and clearing tidily on the way out is what separates a clean bear-off from one that leaks pips.
The habit to build
Bear-offs reward tidiness more than brilliance. Fill the board evenly, spend your rolls fully, and stay alert to anchors until the last enemy checker has left your home board. The way to groove it is repetition — finish your games out properly when you play rather than rushing the end, and count the race one more time before you commit to a risky clear. Terms you do not recognise are in the glossary.
Common questions
When can I start bearing off?
Only when all fifteen of your checkers have reached your home board — the 1-point through 6-point. Until the last one is home, you cannot lift any off.
How does bearing off actually work?
Roll the dice and remove a checker from the point matching each number: a 4 bears a checker off the 4-point. The two dice are two separate actions, and a double gives you four.
What if I roll a number higher than my highest checker?
If no checker sits on a higher point, you bear one off from your highest occupied point. A 6 with your back checker on the 4-point bears that checker off.
What if I roll a number for a point with no checker on it?
If you have checkers on higher points, you must use the roll to move one of them down inside the home board rather than bearing off. You only bear off from a lower point with a high number once nothing remains above it.
What does 'wasting pips' mean?
Spending more of a roll than you needed to. Bearing a checker off the 1-point with a 6 throws away five pips. Over a close race those wasted pips lose games that the raw count said you should win.
How should I fill my home board for an efficient bear-off?
Aim for an even spread across all six points rather than tall stacks on the low points, and try not to leave gaps on the high points. Even distribution lets more rolls bear a checker off cleanly.
What is a crossover?
A checker moving from one quadrant of the board into the next, towards home. Counting crossovers is a quick way to judge how many rolls you are from being ready to bear off, without a full pip count.
How do I bear off safely if my opponent still has an anchor?
Carefully. While the opponent holds a point in your home board, every roll risks leaving a blot they can hit. Clear your checkers so that you avoid leaving a shot wherever the dice allow, even if it costs a little efficiency.
Is it ever worth leaving a shot to bear off faster?
Sometimes. If you are well ahead and a hit would only rarely cost the game, speed can be worth a small risk. If a hit would likely lose you the game, play safe even at the cost of a roll.
Should I always bear off the maximum number of checkers?
When there is no contact — a pure race — yes, bear off as fast and as evenly as you can. When the opponent can still hit you, safety comes before speed.
Does the doubling cube come into bear-offs?
Very much so. A clear lead in a non-contact bear-off is exactly the kind of position where a double is correct and a take may not be, so counting the race accurately matters right to the end.