Online Backgammon Rules for Beginners

It is not surprising that the number of players who discover online backgammon increases from year to year. Some players are drawn to online backgammon through live playing; others are introduced through word of mouth, while others stumble on the option while playing other online games. Whatever the case, there are always thousands of players who are learning the rules of online backgammon and learning to play the game.

Most people agree that the best way to learn the online backgammon rules is through reading and practice. There are some great books out there, which will explain online backgammon rules for beginners in a clear and concise way. Internet sites offer free tutorials and allow players to practice for free until they understand the rules and are able to apply them to own gaming sessions. The more newcomers are able to play, the more confidence they will obtain and the better they will become.

Beginners who are introduced to backgammon quickly understand that it is a game of skill, luck and strategy. It is played between two opponents across a board, fifteen checkers for each player and a dice.  Of course, backgammon played online does not involve physical boards and dice, as everything is virtual. Players will find 24 triangles (called points) painted in alternate colors on the board and the ultimate aim of the game is to move the checkers from one side of the board to the other and then off the board (to bear off).

To begin backgammon play, each player places 2 checkers on the 24th point, 5 on the 13th, three on the 8th and five on the 6th point.   Each player rolls one die and the highest number begins play.  Thereafter, players use two dice for every move.  Checkers are then moved according to the numbers on the two dice, either two separate numbers or one joint number (eg. a 3 and a 2 on the dice allows the player to move one checker 3 times, another 2 times or one checker five times).

Backgammon checkers can be moved to three different spots on the board – points that are unoccupied, that have a player’s own checkers or those that are occupied by one single checker belonging to the opponent (blots).  Blots are placed on the raised ridge in the middle of the board, called a bar, and have to start their journey again from the outer board to the player’s home board until they are removed.

The doubling cube is another feature of backgammon that allows players to double the stakes and then redouble as the game progresses.  While this makes for exciting play, beginners to backgammon should be wary about using this cube until they are confident enough in the game.   

Once all the checkers are on the home board, players can start bearing off, with moves corresponding to the number on the dice.  The winner is whoever manages to remove all the checkers from the home board. If there are no checkers on higher points, players can bear off from a point that is less than the number on the dice.   The game ends in ‘gammon’ if the opponent could not bear off any checkers. ‘Backgammon’ means that the opponent did not bear off checkers and still has checkers on his or her outer board.