Learn backgammon
New to the game, or just need a refresher on the doubling cube? Start here.
Backgammon is a race: each player moves fifteen checkers around the board and off the other side, guided by the roll of two dice. It's simple to learn and takes a lifetime to master — luck decides any single roll, but skill decides the match.
How to play →
The board, the setup, moving and hitting, bearing off, and how a game is won.
Match play →
Gammons, the doubling cube, and the Crawford, post-Crawford, and Jacoby rules that govern serious play.
Opening moves →
The standard play for all fifteen opening rolls, how to read move notation, and the ideas behind a good start.
Cube strategy →
When to double, take or pass: the 25% rule, counting pips in a race, and how the cube changes in a match.
Glossary →
Blots, anchors, primes, gammons and the rest of the language of the game, in plain English.
Ready to go? Start a game →