How to set up a backgammon board

Each side has 15 checkers on four points: 2, 5, 3 and 5. Here is where they go, step by step, and how to check the board is right before the first roll.

The short version

Numbering the points from your own side, from 1 in your home board to 24 in your opponent's:

• 2 checkers on the 24-point (your back checkers)
• 5 checkers on the 13-point (the midpoint)
• 3 checkers on the 8-point
• 5 checkers on the 6-point

Your opponent does the same from their side, so every one of your stacks has one of theirs directly across the board. A handy way to remember it: 2-5-3-5, from the far corner toward home.

Know the board first

A backgammon board has 24 long triangles called points, 12 on each side, split into four quarters of six by the bar down the middle.

• Your home board (points 1 to 6) is where you bear off at the end.
• Your outer board (points 7 to 12) is on the same side, across the bar.
• Your opponent's outer board (13 to 18) and home board (19 to 24) are across the table.

Points are numbered from each player's own side, so your 1-point is your opponent's 24-point. You move from 24 down to 1; your opponent moves the other way. See notation for how moves are written with these numbers.

Step by step

1. Place the board

Sit across from each other and agree which side holds the home boards. Each player's home board is the quarter on their right if the home boards are on the right. The diagrams here have your home board in the bottom right, so you move counter-clockwise. With the home boards on the left, everything is mirrored and you move clockwise; the rules are the same.

2. Two checkers on the 24-point

Put 2 checkers on the point at the far corner of your opponent's home board, directly across from your own 1-point. These two are your back checkers: they have the furthest to travel and are the ones that get trapped.

3. Five checkers on the 13-point

Put 5 checkers on the midpoint: the last point of your opponent's outer board, on the same side as the 24-point but across the bar. It is called the midpoint because it is halfway around the board. Your opponent's 5 sit directly below it on your 12-point.

4. Three checkers on the 8-point

Put 3 checkers on the second point of your own outer board, two points from the bar. Your opponent's 3 go on your 17-point, directly across.

5. Five checkers on the 6-point

Put 5 checkers on the first point of your own home board, right next to the bar. This finishes your 15. Your opponent's 5 go on your 19-point.

6. Mirror it for your opponent

Your opponent places their 15 checkers the same way from their side. Each of their stacks sits directly across from one of yours. The finished board is the diagram at the top of this page.

Dice and the doubling cube

Each player takes a pair of dice and a cup and keeps them on their right. The doubling cube starts on the bar, showing 64, meaning the game is worth 1 point. To start, each player rolls one die; the higher number moves first, using both dice. See how to play for the full rules and opening moves for the best play with each first roll.

Checklist before the first roll

• 15 checkers each side, no more, no fewer.
• Your 6-point and 8-point are on your side of the table, on either side of the bar, in the same half as your home board.
• Your 2 back checkers are in the far corner on the opposite side, directly across the table from your own 1-point.
• The two midpoints face each other on the far side of the board from the home boards.
• Each player's pip count is 167. (How to count pips.)

Common setup mistakes

• Home boards on opposite sides. Both home boards must be on the same end of the board (both left or both right), facing each other.
• Swapping the 8 and 6 stacks. The 5-stack is next to the bar in your home board; the 3-stack is two points away from the bar in your outer board.
• Midpoint on the wrong side. Your 13-point is across the table from you, not on your side.
• Moving the wrong way. You move toward your home board. If your 24-point checkers would move away from it, the board is mirrored.

Or skip the setup: play free in your browser and the board sets itself up, with numbered points so you can learn the layout as you go.

Questions

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