Classic backgammon against the computer or a friend on the same device. Roll, move, hit blots and bear off all 15 checkers first.
What is backgammon?
Backgammon is a two-player board game of dice and strategy in which each side races 15 checkers around a board of 24 points, hits the opponent's lone checkers along the way, and wins by being first to bear all of its checkers off the board. The dice decide how far you move and you decide which checkers move, so over a series of games the stronger player comes out ahead.
On Hevagames you play White against the computer, or two players take turns on the same phone, tablet or computer. The game follows the standard rules, without the doubling cube.
How to play backgammon: the full rules
Setup and direction. The board has 24 narrow triangles called points, in four quarters of six. Each side starts with 2 checkers on its 24-point, 5 on its 13-point, 3 on its 8-point and 5 on its 6-point. White moves from its 24-point down to its 1-point, toward the home board at the bottom right; Black moves the opposite way.
Starting the game. Each side rolls one die. The higher number starts and plays both dice of that opening roll; a tie is rolled again. After that the dice are rolled automatically at the start of every turn.
Moving. Each die is a separate move: with 5 and 2 you can move one checker 5 points and another 2, or one checker 7 points if at least one of the two stops on the way is open. A double is played four times. You must use both dice if any legal way allows it; if only one can be used, you must use the higher one when possible. If no move is possible, the turn passes.
Hitting and the bar. A point holding two or more opposing checkers is blocked. A point with a single opposing checker, called a blot, is open: landing there hits that checker and sends it to the bar in the middle. A side with a checker on the bar must bring it back in through the opponent's home board before moving anything else.
Bearing off and scoring. Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you may bear them off, using a die equal to a checker's point or a higher die when no checker sits on a higher point. Bearing off all 15 first wins the game, worth 1 point. If the loser has not borne off any checker, it is a gammon, worth 2. If the loser also still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board, it is a backgammon, worth 3.
Backgammon strategy for beginners and improving players
Play the standard opening moves. Experienced players agree on the best plays for several opening rolls. With 3-1, play 8/5 6/5 to make your 5-point. With 4-2, play 8/4 6/4 to make your 4-point. With 6-1, play 13/7 8/7 to make the 7-point. With 5-3, play 8/3 6/3. With 6-5, run a back checker 24/13.
Count shots before you leave a blot. A blot within six points of an enemy checker can be hit by a single die. At one point away it is hit by 11 of the 36 possible rolls, and at six points away by 17, nearly half. Further than six points, it needs combined numbers and is much safer. When you must leave a blot, leave it where the fewest rolls hit it.
Make points in front of the enemy. Your 5-point, 4-point and 7-point (the bar point) are the most valuable to own early, because they block the opponent's back checkers and give your hits a safe place to land. Six points in a row, called a prime, cannot be passed at all.
Use the pip count. The game shows each side's pips, the total distance its checkers still have to travel. Both sides start at 167. When the checkers no longer touch, the game becomes a pure race, and the side with the lower count is the favourite. If you are behind in the race, keep contact by holding a point in the opponent's home board, called an anchor, and wait for a shot.
Game modes and rules options
Choose Vs computer or 2 players under New game. The computer plays Black and has one level: on every turn it tries all legal plays and keeps the one that leads to the best position by a hand-written evaluation of pips, made points, primes, exposed blots, hits and checkers borne off. Once the sides no longer touch, it plays a pure race.
There is no doubling cube, so each game is worth 1, 2 or 3 points. The session score adds these up until you change the mode, which lets you play a series of games like a short match. Tournament play with the cube, match lengths and other national variants also exist, but they are not part of this game.
The history of backgammon
Race games played with dice are among the oldest known board games. The Royal Game of Ur from ancient Mesopotamia is about 4,500 years old, and in the Roman Empire a game called tabula was played on a board much like today's. Related games such as nard spread through Persia and the Middle East, and the name backgammon appears in English writing in the 17th century.
The game changed little until the 1920s, when players in New York clubs introduced the doubling cube, which lets a player raise the stakes during a game. Today backgammon is played in clubs, tournaments and online around the world.
Play backgammon free on Hevagames
Our backgammon runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers, with no download and no account. Tap a highlighted checker, then a highlighted point, or the tray on the right to bear off. You can also use the die buttons under the board, which show exactly where each die would take the selected checker. Undo takes back your moves until you press Done, so you can try a plan before you commit to it.
The board can also be played with the keyboard: Tab moves between checkers and points, Enter selects and Esc clears the selection. If you reload or close the page, the current game is restored from your browser, and your points won against the computer are kept. The board is drawn in code and follows the site's light or dark theme.
How to play
- 1Each side has 15 checkers. You play White and move from your 24-point toward your home board at the bottom right.
- 2The dice roll automatically. Each die is a separate move; doubles are played four times.
- 3A point with 2 or more opposing checkers is blocked. Landing on a single opposing checker hits it to the bar, and it must come back in before that side moves anything else.
- 4Once all your checkers are in your home board you can bear them off. The first side to bear off all 15 wins.
Controls
Tips
- Avoid leaving single checkers where the opponent can hit them with one die.
- Two checkers on a point make it safe and block the opponent.
- Points 4 to 7 in front of your home board are the most useful to build early.
