Setting up the Board

The diagram below shows the board set up ready for play. Each side has five men on his 6-point, three men on his 8-point, five men on his opponent's 12-point, and two men, known as "runners", on his opponent's 1-point. The points are not numbered on most backgammon boards. A player's 6 and 8 points will always be on the near side of the board, and the opponent's 12 and 1points will always be on the far side.

Playing the Game

Object of the Game

The object of Backgammon is for each player to bring all his men into his home board, and then to bear them off the board. The first player to get all his men off the board is the winner.

Starting the Game

Each player casts one die. The player with the higher number makes the first move, using the two numbers cast by his die and his opponent's. In the event that both players roll the same number, it is a standoff and each rolls another die to determine the first move. In the event of subsequent ties, this process is repeated until the dice turn up different numbers.

Rolling the Dice

The players throw and play alternately throughout the game, except in the case where a player cannot make a legal move and therefore forfeits his turn. The roll of the dice indicates how many points, or pips, the player is to move his checkers. If the same number appears on both dice, for example, 2-2 or 3-3 (known as doublet), the caster is entitled to four moves instead of two. Thus, if he rolls 3-3, he can move up to four men, but each move must consist of three spaces.

Rules of Rolling

• The dice must be rolled together and land flat on the surface of the right-hand section of the board. The player must reroll both dice if a die lands outside the right-hand board, lands on a checker, or does not land flat.
• A turn is completed when the player picks up his dice. If the play is incomplete or otherwise illegal, the opponent has the option of accepting the play as made or of requiring the player to make a legal play. A play is deemed to have been accepted as made when the opponent rolls his dice or offers a double to start his own turn.
• If a player rolls before his opponent has completed his turn by picking up the dice, the player's roll is voided. This rule is generally waived any time a play is forced or when there is no further contact between the opposing forces.

Moving your men

Each player's turn begins with the roll of two dice. He then moves one or more men in accordance with the numbers cast. The numbers on the two dice constitute separate moves. For example, if a player rolls 4 and 6, he may move one checker four spaces to an open point and another checker six spaces to an open point, or he may move the one checker a total of eight spaces to an open point, but only if the intermediate point (either four or six spaces from the starting point) is also open. The bar is not counted as a space.

The checkers are always moved around the board from a player's outer board to his inner or home board. The "runners" (the two men on the opponent's 1-point) have to travel the full length of the track, while the other men have a shorter distance to go. A player's men moves in opposite directions to that of his opponent (see the diagram below).

A checker may be moved only to an open point, one that is not occupied by two or more opposing checkers. A checker may move to a point if it is occupied by only one of the opponent's checkers. In this case the opposing checker is hit and placed on the bar. See "Hitting and Entering" below.

To avoid leaving single men vulnerable a player can try to use his roll to make a point. A player makes a point (takes control of one of the triangles on the board) by positioning two or more of his men on it. He then owns' that point, and his opponent cannot move a checker to that point nor touch down on it when taking the combined total of his dice with one man. If a player "makes" or takes control of six points in a row on the board he has completed what is called a prime. Creating a prime means that an opposing man trapped behind a prime cannot move past, for it cannot be moved more than six spaces at a time---the largest number on a die.

A player must use both numbers of a roll if this is legally possible (or all four numbers of a double). When only one number can be played, the player must play that number. Or if either number can be played but not both, the player must play the larger one. When neither number can be used, the player loses his turn. In the case of doubles, when all four numbers cannot be played, the player must play as many numbers as he can.

Hitting and entering

A single man on a point is called a blot. If you move a man onto an opponent's blot, or touch down on it in the process of moving the combined total of your cast, the blot is hit, removed from the board and placed on the bar. A man that has been hit must re-enter in the opposing home table. A player may not make any move until such time as he has brought the man on the bar back into play.

Re-entry is made on a point equivalent to the number of one of the dice cast, providing that the point is not owned by the opponent (occupied by two or more of the opponent's checkers). For example, if a player rolls 2 and 5, he may enter a checker onto either the opponent's two point or five point, so long as they are open. If neither of the points is open, the player loses his turn. If a player is able to enter some but not all of his checkers, he must enter as many as he can and then forfeit the remainder of his turn. After the last of a player's checkers has been entered, any unused numbers on the dice must be played, by moving either the checker that was entered or a different checker.

A player who has made all six points in his home board is said to have a closed board. If the opponent has any men on the bar, he will not be able to re-enter it since there is no vacant point in his adversary's home board. Therefore, he forfeits his rolls, and continues to do so until such time as the player has to open up a point in his home board, thus providing a point of entry.

Bearing off

Once a player has moved all of his fifteen checkers into his home board, he may commence what is called bearing off. A player bears off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides, and then removing that checker from the board. Thus, rolling a 4 permits the player to remove a checker from the four point. Men borne off the board are not re-entered into play. The player who bears off all his men first is the winner.

A player may not bear off men while he has a man on the bar, or outside his home board. Thus if, in the process of bearing off, a player leaves a blot and it is hit by his opponent, he must first re-enter the man in his opponent's home board, and bring it around the board and into his own home board before he can continue the bearing off process.

In bearing off, you remove men from the points corresponding to the numbers on the dice cast. However, you are not compelled to remove a man. You may, if you can, move a man inside your home board a number of spaces equivalent to the number of a die. If you roll a number higher than the highest point on which you have a man, you may apply that number to your highest occupied point. Thus, if you roll 6-3 and your 6-point has already been cleared but you have men on your 5-point, you may use your 6 to remove a man from your 5-point. The rules require that you use both numbers of your roll (all four numbers of a double) if possible. If you can make moves which do not involve bearing off, you are free to do so. Otherwise, you must bear off if that is your only legal play.

Winning the Game

The player who bears off all his men first is the winner. You may achieve a single win or win by a gammon or a backgammon, or is the event of illegal play the game may be stalemated. If you bear off all 15 of your men before your opponent has borne off a single man, you win a gammon, or double game. If you bear off all 15 of your men before your opponent has borne off a single man, and he still has one or more men in your home board or on the bar, you win a backgammon, or a triple game. A stalemate position would be one in which neither player could make any future play. You can imagine such a position if both players had checkers on the bar and closed home boards. Neither player would be able to enter his checker or make any other move, and the game would be stuck. Such a position cannot be reached through legal play, and should result in a forfeited game.

Types of Backgammon Play

Money Play

Money Play refers to the normal style of competition in which games are played independently and the competitors bet on the result. For each game, the loser pays the winner the agreed initial stake multiplied by the value of the doubling cube and further multiplied by two for a gammon or three for a backgammon.

Backgammon is played for an agreed stake. Each game starts at a stake of one point (a point is often equivalent to an agreed upon sum, say $1). During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a sufficient advantage may propose doubling the stakes. The player does so by indicating the appropriate doubled figure with the doubling cube. Each face of the doubling cube bears a number to record progressive doubles and redoubles, starting with 2 and going on to 4, 8, 16, 32 & 64. At the commencement of play, the doubling cube rests on the bar, between the two players, or at the side of the board. At any point during the game, a player who thinks he is sufficiently ahead may propose to double the stake (in the first instance by turning the cube to 2 and so on).

A player can double any time it is your turn and you have not yet rolled the dice. This even includes turns in which you don't get to roll because you have checker on the bar and your opponent's board is closed. A player may double when he is on the bar even if his opponent has a closed board and he cannot enter. Though he does not roll the dice, for he cannot make a move, he still has the right to double.

A player who is offered a double may refuse, in which case he concedes the game and pays one point. Otherwise, he must accept the double and play on for the new higher stakes. A player who accepts a double becomes the owner of the cube, the die is placed on his side of the board and only he may make the next double.

Subsequent doubles in the same game are called redoubles. If a player refuses a redouble, he must pay the number of points that were at stake prior to the redouble. Otherwise, he becomes the new owner of the cube and the game continues at twice the previous stakes. There is no limit to the number of times a double may be offered in one game. The only restriction is that the same player cannot double twice in a row.

At the end of the game the first player to bear all of his men off wins the total amount of the stakes indicating by the doubling cube. In a match, a gammon win doubles the stake of the cube and a backgammon win triples the stake of the cube.

Doubling Rules

There are a number of rules pertaining to doubling and stake games that are commonly used in backgammon. Here are a the most commonly used:

• Automatic Doubling Rule: If identical numbers are thrown on the first roll, the stakes are doubled. The doubling cube is turned to 2 and remains in the middle. Players usually agree to limit the number of automatic doubles to one per game.
• The Jacoby Rule: Gammons and backgammons count only as a single game if neither player has offered a double during the course of the game. This rule speeds up play by eliminating situations where a player avoids doubling so he can play on for a gammon. The Jacoby rule is primarily used in money games
• The Crawford Rule: If you are playing an n-point match and your opponent is ahead of you, if he gets to n-1 points according to the Crawford Ruleyou are not allowed to use the doubling cube in the following game.
• The Holland Rule: In post-Crawford games the trailer can only double after both sides have played two rolls. It makes the free drop more valuable to the leader. The Holland rule is rarely used.
• Raccoon / Beaver Rules: There is an optional rule that says that if one player thinks he is the favorite after accepting a double, he may immediately turn the cube to 4 without forfeiting his option to double again later. This is called a beaver. Some people play with another rule that says if the opponent still believes he is the favorite after the first player's beaver, he may immediately turn the cube another notch to 8. This is called a raccoon. With immediate redoubles (beavers/raccoons), the cube does not change hands. Only a regular double transfers ownership of the cube. All the animal redoubles must be made immediately after the initial double has been accepted. There can be no intervening dice rolls or checker moves.

Match Play

When backgammon tournaments are held to determine an overall winner, the usual style of competition is match play. Competitors are paired off, and each pair plays a series of ames to decide which player progresses to the next round of the tournament. This series of games is called a match.

Matches are played to a specified number of points. The first player to accumulate the required points wins the match. Points are awarded in the usual manner: one for a single ame, two for a gammon, and three for a backgammon. The doubling cube is used, so the winner receives the value of the game multiplied by the final value of the doubling cube. Thus if a player wins a gammon with the cube on 4, he wins 8 points. If the players were playing a 7-point match, the match would be over in one game.

Matches are normally played using the Crawford rule. The Crawford rule states that if one player reaches a score one point short of the match, neither player may offer a double in the immediately following game. This one game without doubling is called the Crawford game. After the Crawford game, if the match has not yet been decided, the doubling cube is available again. Automatic doubles, beavers, and the Jacoby rule are not used in match play.

There is no bonus for winning more than the required number of points. When playing a match to a certain number of points, the winner is the first player who wins that number of points. It doesn't matter if he wins more than that number, or how many points his opponent has scored. The sole goal is to win the match, and the final score is immaterial.

Chouettes

A chouette ("shoo-ETT") is a form of backgammon for more than two players. Chouettes offer many advantages to one-on-one play, they are fun, sociable, and exciting and they allow players to join a game or take breaks. Chouettes are often played in club situations.

The following description contains the basic rules for chouettes. There are a lot of variations to these rules. Newcomers to a club scene are advised to take some time to learn the local customs before playing.

• Order of Play: To start, each player throws one die and in the event of a tie there is a reroll. The player rolling highest becomes the box. The box plays against all other participants (joined together as a team). The second highest roller becomes the captain of the team. The captain rolls the dice and makes the plays for the team.
• Breaks: Players can leave or join a chouette at any time. A new player starts at the bottom of the rotation.
• Consultation: In some chouettes, the team may consult freely as to how rolls should be played. In others, consultation is prohibited. A popular compromise permits consultation only after the cube has been turned.
• Partner for the Box: Chouettes of eight or more players often permit the box to take a partner. The partnership is offered in rotation, starting with the captain and moving on down the line. If no one offers to be the box's partner, a partner may be chosen by lot from among the team members other than the captain.
• Winning: When the box wins a game, he collects from each member of the team. Then the captain goes to the back of the line and the next player on the team becomes the captain. When the team wins, the box pays off to each team member. Then he goes to the back of the line and the captain becomes the new box.

Single Versus Double Cube Chouettes

A chouette may be played with either a single doubling cube or multiple cubes:

• Single Cube Chouettes: In a single-cube game, the only decision that the members of the team make individually concerns takes. If the box doubles, each team member can decide on his own whether to play on or drop out. Those who drop out each pay off to the box and no longer participate as team advisers. If the captain drops out while there are others on the team who wish to play on, the captaincy is assumed by one of these players and the previous captain drops to the bottom of the rotation.
• Multiple Cube Chouettes: Most chouettes today use multiple cubes. Each member of the team has his own doubling cube. The box can double the individual team members, and each team member can decide whether and when to double the box. With multiple cubes in play, it is possible for the box to win against some players while losing against others. So the question arises, when does a player get to keep the box? The usual rule is that a player retains the box if he defeats the captain.

Strategy Building Backgammon Alternatives

Hyper-Backgammon: Each side starts with 3 checkers on their respective 24, 23, and 22 points. The cube is in play and the Jacoby rule is in effect. Matches will start at 7 points and work their way up in later rounds. All other normal backgammon rules apply.

Nackgammon: The same as backgammon, but with a different starting position: instead of five men on both your midpoint and 6-point, you just put four there. The remaining two men end up at the 23-point. The game is then played like normal backgammon. This was invented by Nack Ballard as a way to force his backgammon students to practice positional play.

One Point Matches: This variant is played the same as "regular" backgammon but with two exceptions. The cube is not used, and gammons/backgammon are not counted. This often leads to very strategically played games, where a back-game is more of an option than in the regular version since staying back forever never leads to losing more than one point. In one point matches games can frequently turn around suddenly since you cannot cube your opponent out.