Backgammon
Backgammon is a two-sided race where dice set the distance but you pick the route. You and your opponent each own 15 checkers, and they travel in opposite directions around a board of 24 narrow points.
No download stands between you and the board, which suits a school Chromebook well. You can take on a computer player at Easy, Medium or Hard, or share one screen with a friend. You also get a doubling cube, gammon scoring and a running pip count.
How to play Backgammon
Black opens the game. Each turn starts with a roll of two dice, and you move one checker per die, or the same checker twice. Roll a double and you get four moves of that number. A point with two or more enemy checkers is closed to you, but a point with just one enemy checker is fair game, and landing there knocks that checker onto the bar.
Any checker on the bar has to re-enter through the opposing home board before its owner can touch anything else. You must use both dice when the board allows it, and the bigger number when only one fits. With no legal move at all, the turn simply passes.
When every one of your checkers sits in your home board, you may start removing them with the Off button. Clear all 15 first to win. Before rolling you can also offer a double, which raises the stakes of the game.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll | Tab to Roll dice, press Enter | Click Roll dice | Tap Roll dice |
| Move a checker | Arrow keys to a point, Enter, then arrow to the destination and Enter | Click the starting point (or the Bar), then the destination | Tap the starting point (or the Bar), then the destination |
| Bear off | — | Select a checker, then click Off | Select a checker, then tap Off |
| Offer a double | — | Click Double before you roll | Tap Double before you roll |
| Undo, resign or view moves | — | Undo, Resign or Moves buttons | Undo, Resign or Moves buttons |
| New game or mode | — | Menu, pick 2 Player (local) or vs Computer, then New game | Menu, pick a mode, then New game |
Tips
- Glance at the pip count under the dice before each move. If you are well ahead in the race, stop taking risks and just run home.
- A lone checker that sits six or fewer points in front of an opposing checker is exposed to a single die. Pair your checkers up or keep loners farther away.
- Holding several points side by side builds a wall. An enemy checker stuck behind a run of five or six blocked points may lose many turns.
- Offer a double when the race is clearly yours. If the computer is far behind it tends to decline, and you collect the current cube value.
- Hard plays more carefully than Medium and leaves fewer open checkers, so move up only when you win at Medium most of the time.
If you like Backgammon, try these
Royal Game of UrDice racing with knock-backs again, but on a far older board where landing on rosettes matters and rivals get sent back to start.
SenetThrowing sticks replace the dice in this Egyptian race, where five pieces move along 30 squares and some houses help or hurt.
Questions
Can I play Backgammon against a friend on one computer?
Yes. Pick 2 Player (local) from the menu and start a new game. You both roll and move on the same screen, taking turns.
What happens if I leave the page in the middle of a game?
The board, dice, cube and move list are stored in your browser, so the game is waiting when you come back. That save disappears if you wipe the site's data or play in a private window.
What is a gammon in Backgammon?
A gammon is a win where your opponent has not borne off a single checker yet, and it counts for more than a plain win. A backgammon is bigger still, and the doubling cube multiplies whatever the result is worth.
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