Download the Complete Guide to Backgammon Rules and Strategy

Backgammon Rules Download: How to Play and Win at This Classic Board Game

Backgammon is one of the oldest and most popular board games in the world. It is a game of skill and strategy that involves moving your checkers around the board and bearing them off before your opponent does. But how do you play backgammon? And where can you find the rules of this game?

In this article, we will answer these questions and more. We will provide you with a simple overview of the backgammon rules, a table that shows the setup of the board and the movement of the checkers, and some tips and tricks to improve your game. We will also give you some links to download the backgammon rules in PDF format, so you can print them out and keep them handy. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, this article will help you enjoy this classic game even more.

backgammon rules download

What is Backgammon?

Backgammon is a two-player game that is played on a board with 24 triangular spaces called points. The points are divided into four sections: the home board and the outer board for each player. The home board is where you want to move your checkers to and bear them off from. The outer board is where you start from and where you can hit your opponent's checkers.

Each player has 15 checkers of their own color (black or white) that they move in opposite directions around the board. The goal of the game is to be the first player to bear off all of your checkers from the board.

How to Start the Game

To start the game, each player rolls one die. The player with the higher roll goes first, using the numbers on both dice to move their checkers. If both players roll the same number, they roll again until they get different numbers.

The first player can use the numbers on each die to move two different checkers, or use both numbers for one checker's move. The only condition is that the checkers must land on open points, which are points that are not occupied by two or more of the opponent's checkers.

How to Move Your Checkers

On your turn, you roll two dice and use the numbers to move your checkers. You can move one checker for each number, or use both numbers for one checker's move. For example, if you roll a 4 and a 5, you can move one checker 4 points and another checker 5 points, or you can move one checker 9 points (4 + 5).

You must always move your checkers in the direction of your home board, as shown in the table below. You cannot move your checkers backwards or skip over any points.

Player

Direction

Black

Counter-clockwise from point 24 to point 1

White

Clockwise from point 1 to point 24

You must always use both numbers on the dice if possible. If only one number can be used, you must use the higher one. If neither number can be used, you lose your turn.

What Happens When You Roll Doubles?

If you roll two dice with the same number, it is called rolling doubles. In this case, you get to make four moves instead of two, using the number on the dice four times. For example, if you roll two 6s, you can use any combination of checkers to move a total of four 6s.

How to play backgammon PDF download

Backgammon rules and strategy guide download

Free backgammon rules printable PDF

Learn backgammon rules online download

Backgammon rules for beginners download

Backgammon rules cheat sheet download

Backgammon rules explained in simple terms download

Backgammon rules video download

Backgammon rules and tips download

Backgammon rules variations download

Backgammon rules with doubling cube download

Backgammon rules scoring system download

Backgammon rules for advanced players download

Backgammon rules for dummies download

Backgammon rules in different languages download

Backgammon rules history and origin download

Backgammon rules FAQ download

Backgammon rules summary download

Backgammon rules infographic download

Backgammon rules poster download

Backgammon rules ebook download

Backgammon rules app download

Backgammon rules quiz download

Backgammon rules flashcards download

Backgammon rules worksheet download

Backgammon rules game board setup download

Backgammon rules checker movement download

Backgammon rules hitting and entering download

Backgammon rules bearing off download

Backgammon rules gammons and backgammons download

Backgammon rules re-doubles and beavers download

Backgammon rules the Crawford rule download

Backgammon rules the Jacoby rule download

Backgammon rules the Murphy rule download

Backgammon rules match play format download

Backgammon rules money play format download

Backgammon rules chouette play format download

Backgammon rules tournament play format download

Backgammon rules blitz play format download

Backgammon rules narde play format download

Backgammon rules acey-deucey play format download

Backgammon rules hyper-backgammon play format download

Backgammon rules long gammons play format download

Backgammon rules nack gammons play format download

Backgammon rules Greek acey-deucey play format download

Backgammon rules Turkish tavla play format download

Backgammon rules Russian narde play format download

Backgammon rules Persian shesh besh play format download

Backgammon rules Chinese sze yup play format download

What Happens When You Hit Your Opponent's Checker?

If you land on a point that is occupied by only one of your opponent's checkers, you hit that checker and send it to the bar in the middle of the board. This is called hitting a blot. Your opponent must then re-enter that checker from the bar before moving any other checkers.

To re-enter a checker from the bar, your opponent must roll a number that corresponds to an open point in your home board. For example, if you are playing black and have a checker on the bar , you must roll a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 to re-enter on point 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 respectively. If none of these points are open, you cannot re-enter and you lose your turn.

If you have more than one checker on the bar, you must re-enter them one by one, using the numbers on the dice separately. For example, if you have two checkers on the bar and you roll a 3 and a 5, you can re-enter one checker on point 3 and another on point 5, or both checkers on point 3 (if it is open).

What Happens When You Bear Off Your Checkers?

Once you have moved all of your checkers to your home board, you can start to bear them off from the board. This means removing them from the points and placing them outside the board. To bear off a checker, you must roll a number that corresponds to the point where the checker is located. For example, if you have a checker on point 6 and you roll a 6, you can bear it off.

If you roll a number that is higher than the highest point where you have a checker, you can bear off a checker from the highest point. For example, if you have checkers on points 3 and 5 and you roll a 6, you can bear off a checker from point 5.

If you roll doubles, you can bear off up to four checkers using the number on the dice four times. For example, if you roll two 4s and have checkers on points 2, 3, and 4, you can bear off two checkers from point 4 and one checker from point 3.

You cannot bear off any checkers if you have any checkers on the bar or in your opponent's home board. You must first re-enter them or move them out of there before bearing off.

How to Win the Game

The first player to bear off all of their checkers from the board wins the game. However, there are different ways to win more points depending on how far ahead or behind your opponent is.

Single Game

If you win the game and your opponent has borne off at least one checker, you win one point. This is called a single game.

Gammon

If you win the game and your opponent has not borne off any checkers, you win two points. This is called a gammon.

Backgammon

If you win the game and your opponent has not borne off any checkers and still has one or more checkers on the bar or in your home board, you win three points. This is called a backgammon.

How to Use the Doubling Cube

Backgammon is often played with a special die called the doubling cube. The doubling cube has six sides with numbers: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64. The doubling cube is used to increase the stakes of the game and make it more exciting.

The doubling cube starts in the middle of the board with the number 64 facing up. This means that the game is worth one point. At any time during the game, before rolling the dice, either player can propose to double the stakes by turning the cube to the next higher number (2) and offering it to their opponent. The opponent can either accept or decline the offer.

If the opponent accepts the offer, they take the cube and place it on their side of the board with the number 2 facing up. This means that the game is now worth two points. The player who accepted the offer now has the right to propose to double the stakes again at any time, by turning the cube to the next higher number (4) and offering it back to their opponent. This process can continue until the cube reaches 64, which is the maximum number of points that can be won in a single game.

If the opponent declines the offer, they forfeit the game and lose the current value of the cube. For example, if the cube is at 2 and the opponent declines, they lose two points.</p