How to Play Backgammon: Rules, Setup, and Scoring

The board has four quadrants of six points each, split by the bar. Each player moves from their opponent's home board, around the board, into their own home board (points 1-6). Setup: each side places checkers at specific points (2 on the 24-point, 5 on the 13, 3 on the 8, and 5 on the 6, mirrored). Players move in opposite directions.

Roll two dice and move one checker the number shown on each die (or, on a double, four moves of that number). You may move the same checker twice or two different checkers. A point held by two or more enemy checkers is blocked. A single enemy checker (a blot) can be hit and placed on the bar. A checker on the bar must re-enter in the opponent's home board before any other move; if those entry points are blocked, you lose your turn. Bearing off: once all 15 checkers are in your home board, roll to remove them; a roll higher than the highest occupied point lets you bear off from the highest point. Win = all checkers borne off. Scoring: single game = 1 point, gammon = 2, backgammon = 3 (doubling cube multiplies these).

Myth: you must use both dice if possible. Fact: you must use as many of your dice as legally possible; if only one can be played, you play that one (and on a double, as many of the four as possible). Myth: hitting is optional. Fact: you may choose which legal moves to make, but a blot you land on is hit automatically. Myth: any dice roll bears off a checker. Fact: you bear off only on your own home board points.

1. Set up the 15 checkers per the standard starting position. 2. Roll for who goes first (highest opens). 3. Each turn, roll two dice and move checkers that many pips toward your home board. 4. Land on a single enemy checker to hit it to the bar. 5. Re-enter bar checkers from the opponent's home board before other moves. 6. Bring all 15 checkers into your home board, then bear them off by rolling their point numbers. 7. First to bear off all checkers wins; gammons and backgammons multiply the stake.