Backgammon Games Rules.

This page Contains the simplified rules for Backgammon.

Backgammon rules page image

Backgammon is a two-player game often plyed on wooden sets.

The Backgammon Rules are Simple and if you're playing backgammon with friends or playing at an tournament, the backgammon rules are basically the same. Each of the two Backgammon players has fifteen pieces that they are trying to remove from the board.

Backgammon boards have two main sections, divided by a bar. Each triangle on the board is called a backgammon point, and it represents a place on which a backgammon piece can rest. The Backgammon indoor game points are like the spaces in other games such as chess. Since Pieces move both on the near points and on the far points on each side of the bar, the board is actually divided into quarters.

A quarter of the backgammon board is the last quarter before men can be borne off, or taken out of the game, is referred to as the home board.

Backgammon players take turns rolling the dice, and moving their pieces according to the rolls of the dice.

Each dice is considered separate, meaning that if a player rolls 4,5, he or she can move one man four points and another five points, or he can move a single man nine points.

Wooden backgammon set game

Since they are separate dice, the player must be able to land either on the point four away or on the point five away. If there is no landing point, then the move is illegal. While generally players are meant to move their men into their home board and to bear odd, there are certain obstacles that determine which movements are best or even possible.

A player who has a man on the bar may not move any other man until that man is off of the bar.
A player must use all rolls unless he or she is unable to.
Further to rule 4, a player may not make a move which will prevent them from using all dice if a move is available which will enable the use of all dice.
A player who has a man on the bar may not move any other man until that man is off of the bar.
A player must use all rolls unless he or she is unable to.
Further to rule 4, a player may not make a move which will prevent them from using all dice if a move is available which will enable the use of all dice.
Players may not bear off unless all of their men on the board are in their home board.

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Backgammon Doubles Game

If a backgammon player rolls two dice that are the same: 1,1; 2,2; 3,3; 4,4; 5,5; or 6,6, then they get to use double their roll.
This means that if you roll 1,1, then you can move four men one each, two men two each, or any other combination.

The Backgammon Doubling Cube:

The doubling cube looks like one of the dice but with different numbers on. The Backgammon doubling Dice has the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 printed on it. In most competitions and games, the 64 is not used.

To double up in backgammon means that the game is worth 'double' its original value.

If a Backgammon player is offered a double, the player can choose to accept or decline it. Declining a double means losing the game voluntarily, so always accept the double if you think you can win.

backgammon set made from wood

The Backgammon Beaver

If your backgammon opponent offers you a double, you can immediately double back to them, and maintain the cube in play. This play is called a beaver, and it is an especially good idea if you think you can still win the game of backgammon, because you'll still be able to double using the doubling cube again later.

Remember though, when you double in backgammon quite often the other player will surrender rather than double. If you have a good chance of getting a gammon or a backgammon, don't try to double.

Backgammon Raccoon

In Backgammon games a player who doubled and received a beaver can take back the cube by immediately doubling again. This double is called a raccoon.

Backgammon game board being played

Gammons and Backgammons

If either backgammon player wins and the other player has not borne off any men, the backgammon game is worth double the value, and is called a gammon.

If a player wins and the other player has a man on the bar or in the winner's home board, that is referred to as a backgammon, and the game is worth three times the value of the game.

If the game was doubled, for example, the game will be worth six points if it is won in a backgammon.

That is the Basic Rules of Backgammon.