Variants › Standard backgammon
Standard backgammon
Standard backgammon is the game everything else in the family is measured against — a two-player race around twenty-four points, decided by the dice and shaped by judgement.
Setup
Each player has fifteen checkers, set out in the same fixed opening every game: two on the 24-point, five on the 13-point (the midpoint), three on the 8-point and five on the 6-point. Both sides start level on a pip count of 167 — the total distance their checkers must travel to come home and bear off.
The two players move in opposite directions, each heading for their own home board, the six points closest to them.
Moving and hitting
Roll two dice and play the numbers as two separate moves; roll a double and you play that number four times. You may land on any point that is empty, holds your own checkers, or holds exactly one enemy checker.
Landing on a lone enemy checker hits it: that checker goes to the bar and must re-enter in your home board before its owner can do anything else. Trapping a checker behind a wall of made points is one of the most powerful things you can do.
Bearing off and the cube
Once all fifteen of your checkers are home, you start bearing them off; first to clear all fifteen wins. A win can be doubled (a gammon) or tripled (a backgammon) depending on how far behind the loser is.
The doubling cube tracks the stake: at any point before rolling, a confident player may offer to double, and the opponent takes or concedes. Used well, the cube decides more games than the checkers do.
How to play it well
The foundations are simple to name and a lifetime to master. Early on, the priority is making points — above all your 5-point, the 'golden point' — because owned points block the opponent's back checkers and keep your own safe. Bring builders down from the midpoint, split your back checkers to make an advanced anchor, and avoid leaving loose blots within easy range.
From the middlegame, read whether you are ahead or behind. When you lead, race for home and break contact; when you trail, hold an anchor and play for a hit. The two great attacking plans are the prime (walling checkers in) and the blitz (attacking loose checkers and closing them out); the position usually points clearly to one.
Most of all, learn the doubling cube. Strong players win more from good cube decisions than from good checker play, so count the race with a quick pip count, know your rough winning chances, and double when you are a clear favourite in a volatile position. The <a href="/strategy/">strategy guides</a> cover every one of these ideas in depth.
Common questions
How many checkers does each player have?
Fifteen each, arranged in the same fixed starting position across the board's twenty-four points.
Is backgammon luck or skill?
Both. The dice add luck on every roll, but over a match the stronger player wins far more often, because skill governs how the rolls are used.