How long does a game of backgammon take?
A single game usually takes 10 to 20 minutes over the board and less online. Matches, which are played to a set number of points, run from half an hour to several hours. Here is where those numbers come from.
One game: 10 to 20 minutes
Two people playing over a real board usually finish a game in 10 to 20 minutes. Experienced players are faster because most moves are routine for them: the opening moves are known, and many later rolls have one obvious play. Beginners take longer while they count points and check the rules.
Online, a game is quicker, often 5 to 10 minutes, because the app moves checkers, rolls the dice and never makes you count. Against the computer in Backgammon Lounge there is no wait for the other side at all, so a game can take under five minutes if you play quickly.
How many turns a game takes
At the start, each player's checkers are 167 pips from being borne off. The average roll moves 8 1/6 pips (doubles count four times), so even a game with no hits needs about 20 rolls from each player to finish. The pip count guide shows how to work out who is ahead.
Real games have hits, and each hit sends a checker back to the start, adding pips. That is why most games take 20 to 30 turns each. At 15 to 30 seconds a turn over the board, that is where the 10 to 20 minutes comes from.
What makes a game long or short
- Hitting. Every hit costs the hit player the pips that checker had already travelled, and a checker on the bar can lose turns trying to come in. Blitzes and back-and-forth hitting games run long.
- Back games and primes. A player holding two points deep in the other home board can wait many turns for a shot. These are the longest games.
- Running games. When both sides get past each other early, the game turns into a pure race and ends quickly.
- The doubling cube. A double that is dropped ends the game on the spot. Many games with the cube finish well before anyone bears off. See the doubling cube.
- Bearing off. Taking the last checkers off is quick, but with contact still on the board, safe bearing off can add a few turns.
How long a match takes
Serious backgammon is played in matches to a set number of points: a normal win scores 1, a gammon 2 and a backgammon 3, multiplied by the cube. Since some games score more than one point, a match takes fewer games than its length, roughly one game for every point or a little less. As a rough guide over the board:
- 3-point match: 15 to 30 minutes
- 5-point match: 30 to 45 minutes
- 7-point match: about an hour
- 11-point match: 1 1/2 to 2 hours
Tournament finals are often much longer matches and can take most of an evening. Match play explains the scoring and the Crawford rule, and tournaments lists the main events.
Tournament clocks
Casual backgammon has no time limit. Tournaments use clocks like chess, set by match length: commonly about two minutes per point for each player, plus a delay of around 12 seconds on each move before your own time starts running. With that clock, an 11-point match gives each player 22 minutes of reserve time on top of the delays, which keeps quick routine moves free and puts the pressure on long thinks. Check the rules of each event, as clocks vary.
A game in a coffee break
If you only have a few minutes, play single games rather than matches, or play the computer, which moves instantly. Learning the fifteen opening moves and a few winning habits also speeds you up, since you spend less time on routine rolls. Play a game now and time yourself.
Questions
How long does a game of backgammon take?
Usually 10 to 20 minutes over a board between friends, and 5 to 10 minutes online, where the computer moves the checkers for you. A game with lots of hitting or a long back game can take 30 minutes or more.
How many turns are in a backgammon game?
Each side starts 167 pips from home and an average roll moves 8 1/6 pips, so even a game with no hits takes each player about 20 rolls. Most games take 20 to 30 turns each once hits send checkers back.
How long is a backgammon match?
It depends on the length. A 5-point match is often 30 to 45 minutes, a 7-point match about an hour, and the long matches played in tournament finals take several hours.
Is there a time limit in backgammon?
Not in casual play. Tournaments use chess-style clocks, commonly about two minutes per point of match length for each player, plus a delay of around 12 seconds on every move.
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