The Object of the Game

The object of the game is to "bear off" all of your checkers from the backgammon board before your opponent. Each player can prevent the other from advancing. The object of the game is the same whether you play face-to-face or online.

Setting Up the Backgammon Board

There are 15 checkers of each colour (a checker is a backgammon piece). You should also have four dice, and a doubling cube. The colour of the dice usually matches the colour of the checkers.

Spaces on the backgammon board are represented by narrow triangles, and are called points. To describe the points on the backgammon board, it is common to use a numbering system. Each of the points is represented by a number; the first point in your home board is point # 1, and the last point, counting clockwise, is #24, which is in your opponent's home board.

The initial board is set up as follows:

• Two checkers on point # 24,
• Five checkers on point # 13,
• Three checkers on point # 8,
• Five checkers on point # 6.

Your opponent's checkers will be set up in a mirror image of yours.

Starting the Game

To decide who throws first, each player throws one die. The dice must land inside the board to the right of the bar. The player who throws the highest number goes first, using the numbers thrown to make his first move. The direction of play is counterclockwise, moving from point # 24 to point # 1.

At the opening stage of the game, the value of the game is one point (equal to the basic stake, which is stated in monetary terms; that is, a dollar amount). Either player can offer to double the stake by turning the doubling cube, which starts out with the number 64 showing, to the side showing the number 2. The other player can either accept the double, or forfeit the game. The last person to accept a double may double next. Doubling can dramatically raise the stakes of the game.