How to play backgammon

This article will give you the very basic rules of how to play backgammon. If you want to learn the more advanced rules, you can look on the other articles on this site, dealing with - How to play backgammon.

Learning how to play backgammon is very easy, each player rolls a single dice. This determines both the player to go first. Both players roll again if equal numbers come up, until they roll different numbers. The highest number moves first. After the first roll, the players throw both dice and alternate turns. How many points (or pips) a player can move his stones, is indicated by the roll of the dice. Stones are always moved forward, to a lower-numbered point. A stone can only be moved to an open point (a point not occupied by two opposing stones).

The dice and the first moves

The two dice constitute separate moves. For example, if we want to know how to play backgammon's dice indicating 5 and 3, it is the move of one stone five spaces and another stone three spaces, the player may also move the one stone eight spaces to an open point, but only if the intermediate point (either three or five spaces from the starting point) is open also. A player who rolls doubles plays the numbers twice. A roll of 6 and 6 means that the player has four sixes, he may move any combination of stones he wants to complete this move. Player must use all his numbers if legally possible. When only one number can be played, the player must play that number. A player must play the higher number If either one can be played, but not both. A player loses his turn when either number can't be used.

Hitting and Entering

A point occupied by a single stone of either color is called a blot. If an opposing stone lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar. Anytime a player has one or more stones on the bar, his first obligation is to enter that stone(s) into the opposing home board by moving it to an open point corresponding to one of the numbers on the dice. Example; if a player rolls 4 - 6, he may enter a stone onto either the opponents` four or six point, As long as the point is not occupied by two or more of the opponents` stones. The player loses his turn if neither of the points is open. A player must enter as many as he can and then forfeit the remainder of his turn if he is able to enter only some of his stones. Any unused numbers on the dice must be played after the last of a player's stones has been entered.

Bearing Off

After a player has moved all of the stones into his home board, he can begin bearing off. A player bears off a stone, by rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the stone resides, and then removing it from the board. If there's no stone on the point, the player move using a stone on a higher-numbered point. The player can remove a stone from the next highest point If there are no stones on the higher-numbered points. If the player knows how to play backgammon, and can make an otherwise legal move, a player is under no obligation to bear off. A player must have all of his stones in his home board in order to bear off. If a stone is hit during the bear-off process, the player must bring that stone back before continuing to bear off.

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Gammons and Backgammons

If the losing player has borne off at least one stone at the end of the game, he loses only the value indicated by the doubling cube and the original wager or one point if there has been no doubling. However, if the loser has not borne off any stones, he is gammoned - losing twice the value of the doubling cube. If the loser has not borne off his stones and still has a stone in the winners` home board or on the bar, he is backgammoned and loses three times the value of the cube.

These are the basics this game. Now you can say you know how to play backgammon but there is still much to learn. After practicing, try our other backgammon articles dealing with the more advanced subjects of backgammon.

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