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Backgammon guides
Everything we have written about the game, in the order it is worth reading. The rules if you are new, the strategy if you are not, and the two pages that explain what this site is actually for: finding out how good you are, on dice you can verify yourself.
Stop reading, start playing
Every game is rated, every roll is provably fair, and you get a computer review afterward showing exactly where you played well.
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Learn the game
The rules and reference pages, written to be read once and remembered.
- How to play backgammonRules, movement, hitting and bearing off, start to finish.
- Backgammon rulesEvery rule in one place, including the ones casual players get wrong.
- How to set up a backgammon boardThe starting position point by point, with a diagram.
- Bearing offHow the endgame works and the rule that costs beginners games.
- The doubling cubeThe single biggest source of skill in the game, explained simply.
- Backgammon notationHow moves are written down, so you can read any analysis.
- Backgammon glossaryBlot, prime, anchor, gammon: the vocabulary in plain English.
- Backgammon variantsNackgammon, hypergammon, acey-deucey and how they differ.
- Tips for beginnersThe handful of habits that beat most casual opponents.
- Starting out onlineWhat to expect in your first few online matches.
- What is a blot in backgammon?A blot is a point holding exactly one of your checkers.
- The bar point, and why it is worth so muchThe bar point is your 7-point, the one directly beside the bar.
- How to count pips without slowing the game downThe pip count is the total distance all fifteen of your checkers have left to travel.
- Rolling doubles in backgammon: the rule and what it is worthWhen both dice show the same number you play that number four times instead of twice.
- Backgammon scoring: how a win becomes one, two or three pointsA backgammon win is worth one, two or three points depending on how badly the loser was beaten, and then the doubling cube multiplies whichever of those it was.
Play better
Where the skill actually lives, from the opening roll to the endgame.
- Backgammon strategyThe four game plans and how to tell which one you are in.
- Opening movesThe best reply to every opening roll, with diagrams.
- Pip countingKnow who is ahead, which is what every cube decision rests on.
- AnchorsWhy a held point in your opponent's home board saves games.
- The back gameThe comeback plan for when you are far behind.
- The blitzAttacking fast, and when the attack is worth the risk.
- The holding gameWaiting for a shot without falling apart.
- Hit probability: the full shot tableHow often a blot is hit at every distance, enumerated from all 36 dice outcomes.
- Match playWhy the score changes every decision you make.
- Backgammon lessonsA tiered course, beginner to pro, one thick page per concept with the odds computed.
- The Jacoby rule: what it is and when it appliesUnder the Jacoby rule, a gammon or backgammon counts as a single point unless the doubling cube has been turned at least once.
- The golden anchor: why the 20-point decides gamesThe 20-point is called the golden anchor, and it is probably the most underrated point on the board for players below expert level.
- Priming: the wall that no die can jumpA prime is a run of consecutive points you own.
- When to double: the question most players get wrongThe doubling cube is where most of the skill in backgammon lives, and where most casual players give away the most equity.
- Entering from the bar: the exact numbersWhen a checker is on the bar, nothing else can move until it enters.
- Timing: the resource nobody tells beginners aboutTiming is the hidden clock in every backgammon position.
- Match equity: why the score changes every decisionIn match play the same position can be a clear double at one score and a clear error at another.
- Gammon price: the number behind aggressive playGammon price is how much a gammon is worth to you right now, relative to a plain win.
Skill, fairness and rating
How we prove the dice, and how the game measures you.
Ways to play
Live, asynchronous, ranked, casual, on any device.
- Play backgammon onlineFree ranked matches against real people, no download.
- Free online backgammonWhat free actually means here, with nothing held back.
- Play with friendsSend a link, play now or over the next few days.
- Correspondence backgammonOne move a day, across time zones, nobody waiting.
- Multiplayer backgammonLive opponents at every hour, matched near your level.
- Two player backgammonHead to head against a person, not an algorithm.
- Live backgammonReal-time matches when you want a game right now.
- Play without signing upFive games as a guest before you decide anything.
- Backgammon on your phoneWorks in the browser, no app store detour.
- Backgammon without adsNo interstitials, no timers you have to watch a video to skip.
- No download backgammonOpens in a tab and starts in seconds.
- The board game, onlineThe 5,000-year-old game with the board set up for you.
- TournamentsBrackets and weekly leagues with a real field.
- Battle BucksStakes that make a match matter, without real money.
- Best backgammon appAn honest comparison, including where we lose.
- Best backgammon siteWhat to look for, and how the main options differ.
- Where to play onlineThe landscape, from casual apps to serious clubs.
Worth reading
Longer pieces on why this game keeps hold of people.
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