Learn backgammon

Free guides to backgammon, from your first game to cube decisions and match strategy. Each page is short, practical and illustrated with board diagrams.

Backgammon is quick to learn and takes a long time to master. Every game mixes luck and skill: the dice decide what you can do, and your choices decide how much the dice matter. These guides explain the skill part in plain language, with diagrams you can follow on a real board or in the game.

Start here

If you are new, read these five in order. Play a few games between each one.

1. Step 1 How to play The complete rules, step by step, with diagrams.
2. Step 2 Opening moves The best play for all 15 opening rolls.
3. Step 3 Strategy Key points, the five game plans, and when to take risks.
4. Step 4 Pip counting Count the race fast and know who is ahead.
5. Step 5 Doubling cube Doubling, taking, dropping and the 25% rule.

The basics

The rules, the opening moves and the language of the game.

Playing better

The ideas that win games: plans, counting and odds.

Cube, matches and more

Doubling, match strategy, other versions of the game and where it came from.

The opening moves guide has its own page for each of the 15 opening rolls, with a diagram of the best play and the main alternatives.

How to study

Most players improve fastest by mixing short reading sessions with lots of play. A few habits help:

• One idea at a time. Read a section, then play several games looking only for that idea: making your 5-point, counting the race before you double, or clearing points from the back in the bear-off.
• Check your doubtful moves. When you are unsure, decide on your play first, then ask for a hint. If the computer disagrees, try to find the reason before moving on.
• Learn the openings early. There are only 15 opening rolls, and the same positions come up in every game. Knowing them saves thinking time for harder decisions later.
• Count, then judge. Pip counts and shot counts turn vague feelings into numbers. The pip counting and odds pages show the shortcuts.
• Judge yourself over many games. A single game can be decided by the dice. Over a long series, better decisions win.

When you meet an unfamiliar word, look it up in the glossary. When you want to read a move written as 8/5 6/5 or 13/7*, the notation page explains it.

Put it into practice

Reading helps, but backgammon is learned at the board. Try an idea from a guide, then play a few games and watch for it. The computer's hint button tells you what it would play, which is a quick way to check your thinking.

Questions