Backgammon Strategy Guide

Make a point with your opening roll

A point with two of your checkers on it is closed to your opponent, and closing one is called making a point. With a 3 and a 1, you can make the five-point in your home board right away.

• 3–1 makes the five-point. Play 8 → 5 and 6 → 5.
• 4–2 makes the four-point. Play 8 → 4 and 6 → 4.
• 6–1 makes the bar point. Play 13 → 7 and 8 → 7.

Build a wall or keep an escape route

Closed points side by side form a wall. Six in a row make a full prime, which no roll can cross. A shorter wall can still hold a checker until it rolls high enough to jump it.

• Run when you’re ahead and can safely break contact.
• Keep an anchor in your opponent’s home board when you need a chance to hit a blot.
• Build a prime in front of trapped checkers, or close entry points when your opponent is on the bar.

Count who’s ahead in the race

Your pip count is the sum of the distances your checkers still have to travel. For checkers already home, multiply each point number by the number of checkers on it, then add those totals. Count from each player’s own side.

Once the two sides have passed each other, the game is a race, and the lower count tells you who has less distance left. How you spread your checkers still matters, because a roll can waste pips when it overshoots a point.

Bear off without leaving a shot

Once every checker is home, look for exact rolls. A die higher than your farthest occupied point can take a checker from that farthest point.

If your opponent still has checkers in your home board, look for blots before you bear off. A checker that’s hit goes back to the bar, and you can’t bear off again until it has come all the way home.