Play and practice backgammon for fun and enhance your game
skill
The object of the backgammon game is for each
player to bring all his or her checkers into his or her home board, and
then to bear them off the board. The first player to clear all his or her
checkers off the board is the winner.
Backgammon hitting and entering - A point occupied by a single
checker of either color is called a blot. If an opposing checker lands on
a blot, the blot is hit and the checker, which was on it, is placed on the
bar. Anytime a player has one or more checkers on the bar, his or her
first obligation is to enter those checkers into the opponent's home
board. A checker is entered by moving it to an open point corresponding to
one of the numbers on the rolled dice. For example, if a player rolls 4
and 6, he or she may enter a checker onto either the opponents' four point
or six point, as long as the prospective point is not occupied by two or
more of the opponents' checkers. If neither of the points is open, the
player loses his or her turn. If a player is able to enter some but not
all of his or her checkers, he or she must enter as many as possible and
then forfeit the remainder of the turn. After the last of a players'
checkers have been entered, any unused numbers on the dice must be played
Bearing off - Once a player has moved all of his or her fifteen
checkers into his or her home board, he or she can begin bearing off. A
player bears off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the
point, on which the checker resides, and removing that stone from the
board. If there is no checker on the point indicated by the roll, the
player must make a legal move using a checker on a higher-numbered point.
If there are no checkers on the higher numbered points, the player can
remove a stone from the next highest point. A player is under no
obligation to bear off if he can make an otherwise legal move. A player
must have all of his or her active checkers inside the home board to bear
off. If a checker is hit during the bear-off process, the player must
bring that checker back to his or her home board before continuing to bear
off.
