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THE CLASSIC RACE · REIMAGINED ONLINE

Play backgammon online. Own every roll.

Race all fifteen checkers home, read the position, and turn the dice into a plan. Find an opponent or start against the computer in seconds.

Play backgammon Learn the flow
  • Instant browser playNo download required
  • Four game modesOnline, friends, computer, local
  • Complete rulesCube, gammons, bearing off
An open walnut backgammon board with dice and stacked checkers

ONE BOARD · FOUR WAYS IN

Your table is ready.

Choose the match that fits the moment. The board, dice, doubling cube, and complete backgammon rules are already set.

01LIVE

Play online

Enter matchmaking and face a real opponent in a head-to-head race.

Find a match
02PRIVATE

Challenge a friend

Create a private game and invite someone you know to the other side of the board.

Start a private game
03SOLO

Train against Computer

Sharpen your running game, practise hits, and learn when the cube changes the decision.

Play Computer
04LOCAL

Share one device

Pass the screen across the table and play together wherever you are.

Play pass-and-play

THE RHYTHM OF THE GAME

Roll. Move. Bear off.

Backgammon is a race shaped by contact. The dice set the possibilities; your decisions set the position.

Open the board
  1. 01

    Roll the dice

    Use both values when legal. Roll doubles and you play the number four times.

  2. 02

    Build the position

    Make points, hit exposed blots, escape anchors, and keep every checker moving home.

  3. 03

    Bear off first

    Bring all fifteen checkers into your home board, then remove them before your opponent.

BACKGAMMON RULES AT A GLANCE

Learn the board before the race.

Two players, fifteen checkers each, twenty-four points, and one simple objective: move every checker home and bear it off first.

01

The objective

Move your fifteen checkers around the board in opposite directions, gather them in your home board, then bear them off.

02

Using the dice

Each die is a separate move. Use both numbers when legal; doubles give four moves of the same number.

03

Open and made points

You may land on an open point, your own checker, or your own made point—but never on two or more opposing checkers.

04

Hits and the bar

Land on an opposing blot to hit it. A checker on the bar must re-enter through the opponent's home board before anything else moves.

05

Bearing off

Once all your checkers reach your home board, use exact or permitted higher rolls to remove them. First to remove all fifteen wins.

×2

The doubling cube

Before rolling, offer to double the game's value. Your opponent can take and own the cube—or pass and concede the current value.

BUILT AROUND THE BOARD

Less lobby. More backgammon.

24

A clear board

Readable points, checkers, dice, bar, bear-off tray, and cube keep the position in focus.

×2

Real match pressure

The doubling cube turns timing and confidence into part of every serious decision.

∞

A game worth replaying

Fast races, holding games, blitzes, and back games make every position feel different.

Rules included Hits, the bar, forced re-entry, doubles, gammons, backgammons, and cube ownership.

FROM ROLLS TO DECISIONS

Four ideas behind stronger play.

The dice tell you what is possible, not what is best. Good backgammon balances racing, blocking, contact, and risk on every turn.

RACE

Count the pips

Pip count measures how far your checkers still need to travel. When contact ends, the lower total usually leads the race.

BLOCK

Build connected points

Adjacent made points form a prime that can trap opposing checkers while giving your own pieces safe landing places.

CONTACT

Respect every blot

A blot can be a calculated risk, a useful tempo, or an invitation to be hit. Judge it by the return shots and the position it creates.

CUBE

Double at the right time

A strong double gives your opponent a difficult choice before your advantage becomes too obvious to take.

A GAME ACROSS MILLENNIA

The long history of backgammon.

Backgammon does not come from one fully documented invention. It belongs to an ancient family of race games that travelled, changed names, and gathered new rules across the Near East and Europe.

What endured is the central tension: chance creates the move, and judgment gives it meaning.

  1. Ancient board-game roots

    Boards found in the ancient Near East already used race-game ideas and layouts with groups of twelve spaces. They show the deep heritage around the game, not a single proven line of descent.

  2. Nard in Sasanian Persia

    Backgammon-like nard is attested in Iran by the late Sasanian period, where board games became part of courtly culture and literature.

  3. The European tables games

    Games known collectively as tables spread widely across medieval Europe. Surviving boards and carved tablemen reveal a familiar two-sided contest with fifteen pieces per player.

  4. Backgammon takes its name

    The English name “backgammon” appeared in print, and written descriptions helped establish rules recognisably close to the modern game.

  5. The doubling cube changes the game

    Doubling emerged in New York gaming clubs. The cube added a new strategic question: not only how to move, but when the position is valuable enough to double.

  6. A global game, now online

    Tournament players, clubs, friends, and online opponents still share the same twenty-four points, fifteen checkers, and endlessly changing race.

GOOD TO KNOW

Backgammon, without the guesswork.

New to the game or returning after a while? Start with the essentials.

Can I play backgammon in my browser?

Yes. Backgammon Rocks launches directly in a modern browser, so there is nothing to install before your first game.

Can I play backgammon with a friend?

Yes. Choose the private friend mode for an online invitation, or use pass-and-play when you share one device.

Is there a computer opponent?

Yes. Computer mode is ready when you want to practise without waiting for another player.

Does the game use the doubling cube?

Yes. The full match flow includes double offers, takes and passes, cube ownership, gammons, and backgammons.

How do you win at backgammon?

Move all fifteen checkers into your home board and bear them off before your opponent. A gammon or backgammon can increase the result.

Do I have to use both dice?

You must use both numbers when both can be played legally. If only one number can be played, you must use the higher one when either number is available.

What happens when I roll doubles?

A double gives you four moves of that number. For example, double fours let you play four separate moves of four points whenever they are legal.

What are a blot and the bar?

A single checker on a point is a blot. An opposing checker can hit it and send it to the bar; that checker must re-enter before any other checker can move.

When can I bear off?

You may start bearing off only after all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board. If one is hit, you must bring it back home before bearing off again.

What is the difference between a gammon and a backgammon?

A gammon is won before the loser bears off any checker and is worth twice a single game. A backgammon is worth three times when the loser also has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board.

Is backgammon luck or skill?

Both matter. Dice create uncertainty, while checker play, risk management, pip counting, and cube decisions reward skill over repeated games.

Can I play on mobile and desktop?

Yes. The board is designed for modern phone, tablet, and desktop browsers, so you can continue playing on the screen that suits you.

THE BOARD IS OPEN

Your first roll is waiting.

Choose your opponent and begin a new match.

Play backgammon now