How to play
Backgammon is a race for two players with 15 checkers each. You play white and move your checkers counterclockwise toward your home board in the bottom right. The computer plays dark checkers and moves the other way.
- Start. Each side rolls one die. The higher number goes first and plays both dice from that roll.
- Roll and move. Tap Roll dice. Each die moves one checker that many points. You can move one checker for both dice or two different checkers. A double lets you move four times.
- Land on open points. You can land on an empty point, on your own checkers, or on a single opposing checker. A point with two or more opposing checkers is blocked.
- Hit. Landing on a single opposing checker (a blot) sends it to the bar in the middle. A checker on the bar must come back in on the opponent’s home board before any other checker moves.
- Use your dice. If you can play both dice, you must. If only one can be played, you must play the larger one when possible.
- Bear off. Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you can take them off with the dice. You win when all your checkers are off.
Tap one of your checkers to see where it can go, then tap a highlighted point. If a checker can use both dice in a row, you can tap the final point directly. When you’re done, tap Done. Undo takes back your moves in this turn, and Hint shows a good play.
Scoring
- Single game: 1 point.
- Gammon: 2 points, if the loser hasn’t borne off any checkers.
- Backgammon: 3 points, if the loser also still has a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home board.
Your running score against the computer is kept between games. There is no doubling cube, and a game you leave unfinished doesn’t count.
Strategy
- Make points, not blots. Two checkers on a point are safe; a single checker can be hit. Early on, use rolls like 3-1 and 4-2 to make points in your home board.
- Build a prime. Several blocked points in a row can trap the opponent’s back checkers. Six in a row can’t be jumped at all.
- Count shots. A blot six points or less from an opposing checker is much easier to hit than one farther away.
- Know when it’s a race. Once the checkers have passed each other, hitting is no longer possible. Then just move efficiently and bear off. The pip count at the top shows who is ahead.
- Anchor in the opponent’s home. Two of your checkers on a point in the opponent’s home board give your back checkers a safe landing spot.
For more games against the computer, try Checkers or Reversi.
If you enjoy Backgammon, try Breakthrough or Çanak Okey next.
