Play Backgammon

Your dice, your tactics. Bear off first and gammon them before they gammon you.

How many players

Played by 1 or 2: solo against the computer, or online against another player.

Online: create a room and send the link to a friend, or get matched with a random opponent. If nobody shows up, we offer a clearly labeled computer opponent.

Goal: Bring all your checkers home; the first to bear them all off wins the game.

Your turn: tap "Roll" or the middle of the board.
Tap a checker and the points it can reach light up; tap a glowing point or drag the checker there.
Each die is a separate move. Roll doubles and you play that number 4 times.
When the dice are used up, tap "End turn". Made a mistake? "Undo".
Once all your checkers are in your home board (the last 6 points), you start bearing off.

Each side has 15 checkers, and they always move in the same direction.
You can’t land on a point held by 2 or more of your opponent’s checkers.
Land on a lone opponent checker and you hit it; the hit checker goes to the bar in the middle.
If you have a checker on the bar, you must bring it back in through your opponent’s home board before moving anything else.
You must play as many dice as you can. If only one of the two can be played, you must play the higher one.
If there is no legal move at all, your turn passes automatically.
When bearing off, a die higher than your farthest checker bears that checker off.
Win before your opponent bears off a single checker and it’s a gammon: 2 points. Otherwise the game is worth 1 point.
In solo play, a match is one game or first to 5 points; in a 5-point match, whoever wins a game opens the next one.
Bot levels: Easy mostly plays at random. Medium weighs hits, blocks and exposed checkers. Hard also considers the dice you might roll next.

Touch: Tap a checker, then tap a glowing point or drag it there. Double-tap a checker to send it to its only spot, or with the higher die if there are several.

Online matches are a single game; a gammon shows up in the result.
The server rolls the dice.
You have 60 seconds to roll and for each checker move; run out and you lose.
If you disconnect, you have 60 seconds to come back or your opponent wins. Leaving the game also hands them the win.
A rematch needs both of you to say yes; the first roll switches sides in the rematch.

Don’t leave lone checkers exposed: if one gets hit, it goes all the way back to the start.
Points held side by side block your opponent’s path.

Four Stones: Line up four stones across, down or diagonally. First to four takes it.
Vanishing XOX: You only get 3 marks. Place a new one and your oldest vanishes.
Admiral Down: Hide your ships and send your rival's fleet to the bottom before they get yours.
Mangala: Sow stones pit by pit, then raid your rival’s treasure with the last one.
Turkish Checkers: Pieces move forward and sideways, and capturing is a must. Crown a king and sweep the board.
Nine Stones: Line up three, steal a stone. Whoever drops to two is out.