A single game of backgammon can turn on one lucky roll. A match smooths that out: you play to a target score over several games, and the better player tends to come out ahead. Match play is also where the doubling cube gets genuinely deep, because the score changes every decision. Here is how match play works, the all-important Crawford rule, and why the same position can call for a different play at a different score.
In match play you play to a set number of points, say 5, 7, or 11. Each game is worth the value of the doubling cube, multiplied for a gammon (double) or backgammon (triple). You keep playing games, banking points, until one player reaches the target and wins the match. Tournaments are almost always match play, which is why match skill matters so much, as covered in our guide to online backgammon tournaments.
In money play every point is worth the same. In a match it is not: a point that wins you the match is hugely valuable, while a point that overshoots the target is wasted. This is why the same board can call for a different decision depending on the score. A few examples of how the score bends your play:
The Crawford rule is the one special rule that defines match play. When either player first reaches a score one point short of winning the match, the very next game, the Crawford game, is played with no doubling cube. After that single game, the cube returns to normal use.
The reason is fairness. Without it, a player who is one point from losing could double on the very first roll of every game with nothing to lose, since they are going to lose the match on the next point anyway. The Crawford rule removes the cube for exactly one game to stop that free shot.
The games after the Crawford game are called post-Crawford, and the cube is live again. Here the trailing player, who still needs several points, will usually double immediately, often on the first roll, because waiting gains them little. The leader, in turn, has well-known take and drop guidelines depending on how many points they still need. Knowing these automatic doubles and takes is a quick, concrete way to stop leaking points at the end of matches.
The longer the match, the more skill outweighs luck, which is exactly why serious competition is played as matches rather than single games. If you want to get good at it, the cube is the place to start: most match mistakes are cube mistakes. Our doubling cube guide covers the fundamentals, and the full ruleset, including Crawford, lives in our backgammon rules page.
On Backgammon Battles you can play real matches with the doubling cube and the Crawford rule built in, then have every match analyzed move by move, including your cube decisions at each score. It is the fastest way to turn match theory into instinct. Climb the rankings, enter tournaments, and learn from each match you play.
Match play against real opponents and in tournaments, with move-by-move analysis of every cube decision. Free to play.
Play backgammon freeBackgammon played to a set number of points over several games, rather than single games. Each game is worth its cube value plus gammon or backgammon multipliers, and the first to the target wins.
When either player first reaches one point short of winning, the next game is played with no cube. It stops the trailing player from doubling out of desperation.
The games after the Crawford game, with the cube live again. The trailing player usually doubles immediately, and the leader has set take and drop guidelines.
How tournaments use match play →
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