How to play Backgammon

Backgammon is a two-player race game about 5,000 years old. You and your opponent each have fifteen checkers, and you race them in opposite directions around a board of twenty-four points, then bear them off. First to bear off all fifteen wins. This game is free, runs entirely in your browser, and pits you against an AI you can dial from gentle to genuinely expert.

What this is

This is a free, single-player Backgammon game you play against the computer. There is nothing to install, no sign-up, and no account — open the page and play. You pick one of four difficulty levels and play a full single game to a win, complete with the dice, the hit-to-the-bar, the pip race and bearing off. It is for entertainment only: there is no real-money play, no wagering and no betting of any kind.

How to play, step by step

1. The goal. Move all fifteen of your checkers into your home board (your last six points), then bear them off the board. The first player to bear off all fifteen wins.
2. Rolling. On your turn you roll two dice. Each die is a separate move: a 5 and a 3 lets you move one checker five points and another three, or move a single checker three then five. Legal destinations light up — tap a checker, then tap where it should go.
3. Doubles. Roll the same number on both dice and you play it four times, not twice. Double fours means four moves of four pips.
4. Open points. You can land on any point that is empty, holds your own checkers, or holds exactly one enemy checker. A point with two or more enemy checkers is blocked.
5. Hitting. Land on a lone enemy checker (a “blot”) and you send it to the bar. That checker must re-enter on the opposite side of the board before its owner can make any other move — a well-timed hit can swing the whole game.
6. Bearing off. Once all fifteen of your checkers are home, you start removing them. A die bears off a checker the matching number of points from the edge; if the exact point is empty you may bear off from a lower one when nothing sits higher.
7. You must use both dice if there is any legal way to do so, and if only one number can be played you must play the higher one when you have the choice.

Tips to play better

• Make points, not blots. Two checkers on a point are safe and block the opponent; a single checker can be hit. Prefer plays that leave you covered.
• Count the shots. Before leaving a blot, look at how many dice rolls could hit it. A blot six pips from an enemy checker is far riskier than one that needs an awkward combination.
• Build a prime. A wall of several made points in a row is very hard for a trapped checker to jump — it is one of the strongest structures in the game.
• Hold an anchor. A made point deep in your opponent’s home board gives you a safe landing spot and a chance to hit them late.
• In a pure race, run. If no one can hit anyone, stop worrying about safety and simply play the most pips forward each roll.
• Bear off smoothly. Try to avoid leaving gaps and wasted pips; fill your lower points so no roll is wasted.

How the AI works

The computer opponent is not random. It reads the whole position with a scoring function that weighs the pip race, how exposed your blots are (how many rolls could hit them), made points and primes, anchors, and how cleanly it can bear off. The four levels differ in how carefully it uses that judgement:

• Beginner mostly just races home and will leave blots — a friendly warm-up.
• Casual uses the full evaluation to cover blots and make points.
• Sharp also looks one roll ahead, weighing what you are likely to do in reply, and plays a genuinely tough game.
• Expert reads more of your possible replies than Sharp and defends harder — it guards blots, builds primes and holds anchors more aggressively. The toughest setting.

FAQ

Is it free?

Yes, completely free. The game is supported by ads.

Do I need an account?

No. There is no sign-up and no login. Just open the page and play.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes. The board is designed for portrait phones as well as desktop — tap a checker, then tap where it goes.

Is any of this real-money gambling?

No. This is for entertainment only. There is no wagering, betting or real-money play anywhere in the game.

Is my data saved?

Only your current win streak, and only in your own browser. Nothing you do in the game is sent to a server.