Learn the game
Rules of Backgammon
Backgammon is a two-player race shaped by dice and positional choices. Move all fifteen checkers into your home board and bear them off before your opponent does.
The objective
Bear off all fifteen checkers first.
01 · Backgammon
Set the checkers in the standard position.
Each player begins with fifteen checkers split across four points: two on the 24-point, five on the 13-point, three on the 8-point, and five on the 6-point. The players travel in opposite directions toward their own home boards.
- Dark opens the LarkSpark match.
- Your home board is the final six points on your route.
02 · Backgammon
Roll, then use both dice when possible.
Each die is a separate move. You may move one checker twice or two checkers once, provided every landing point is open. A point is open when it has no more than one opposing checker.
Doubles are played four times. If only one die can legally be used, you must use it; when either die but not both can be played, use the higher die.
03 · Backgammon
Hit blots and enter from the bar.
Landing on a point occupied by one opposing checker hits that blot and sends it to the bar. A player with any checker on the bar must re-enter it into the opponent’s home board before making another move.
- A point with two or more opposing checkers is blocked.
- If no bar entry is legal, the turn ends.
04 · Backgammon
Bear off from your home board.
Once all fifteen checkers are in your home board, remove them using the dice. An exact roll bears off the checker on that point; a higher roll may bear off the farthest checker when no checker occupies a higher point.
05 · Backgammon
The first player to clear the board wins.
The match ends immediately when one player bears off their fifteenth checker. LarkSpark currently scores each room as a single game without a doubling cube.
Quick reference
Your turn in four checks
- 01 Enter first Move every checker off the bar before playing elsewhere.
- 02 Use the roll Play both dice, or all four moves of doubles, whenever legally possible.
- 03 Protect blots A lone checker can be hit and sent backward to the bar.
- 04 Race home Gather all fifteen checkers before beginning to bear off.
Ready to play?
Put the rules into practice.
Challenge a bot, find an online match, or invite a friend.