Backgammon Unblocked

Backgammon is a race-and-block board game for two, played with dice and 15 checkers per side. Both players run their pieces around 24 points in opposite directions, trying to bring them home and take them off the board first. You can play Backgammon unblocked here against the computer or a friend on the same screen. Luck sets the numbers, but smart choices decide most games, so no two matches play out alike.

Setting Up a Match

Open the Menu and choose 2 Player (local) or vs Computer, then press New game. Against the computer you pick your color and one of three levels: Easy, Medium or Hard. Black always moves first unless you change “Who moves first” to Random in Settings.

Settings has a few more useful switches. Computer speed can be Fast, Normal or Slow, which helps if you want to watch each of its moves. “Suggest difficulty” is off by default. Turn it on and the game nudges you up one level after a three-game winning streak, or down one after three straight losses. There are also options for high contrast, text size and spacing.

Both sides start in the standard layout: two checkers deep in enemy territory, five in the middle of the far side, three just outside home, and five on the six point of your home board.

How to Play Backgammon, Turn by Turn

Press Roll dice, then move one checker for each die. Rolling a double means you move that number four times instead of two. You can move the same checker for both dice or split them between two checkers.

• You can land on an empty point, a point you already hold, or a point with just one enemy checker.
• Landing on a single enemy checker hits it, and it goes to the Bar.
• Two or more enemy checkers on a point make it closed to you.
• A checker on the Bar has to re-enter in your opponent’s home board before any of your other pieces can move.

The game enforces the fine print for you. You have to play the most dice you can, and if only one die can be played, it has to be the larger one. When no legal move exists, your turn passes on its own. The Undo button takes back moves, and Moves shows the full move list.

Bearing Off, the Cube and Scoring

when your full set of 15 has reached home, select one and press Off to remove it. Whoever empties the board of their own pieces first takes the game.

Before you roll, the Double button is available whenever the cube is centered or yours. Your opponent either accepts, which doubles the stakes and hands them the cube, or declines and loses right away at the current value. Each game is scored on its own, with no running match score:

• A normal win is worth 1 point.
• A gammon is worth 2. The losing side never got a piece off the board.
• A backgammon is worth 3. On top of that, the losing side is still stuck with a piece on the Bar or inside the winning side’s home quarter.

The cube multiplies all of these, so a doubled gammon is worth 4.

Backgammon Strategy That Wins More Games

1. Watch the pip count. It shows under the dice and totals the distance both sides must still cover. The lower number is ahead in the race.
2. Don’t leave lone checkers near the enemy. An unpaired piece sitting six or fewer points in front of an enemy is open to a one-die shot, and those distances come up most often.
3. Build a wall. Several blocked points in a row make it very hard for a trapped checker to escape. Six in a row cannot be passed at all.
4. Make points in your home board early. Each point you hold there is one less place for a hit checker to re-enter.
5. Double when the race is clearly yours. The computer refuses if it is 16 or more pips behind, which ends the game in your favor right away.
6. Run when you are ahead, block when you are behind. If you lead the race, avoid contact. If you trail, keep checkers back to hit or block.

Mistakes New Players Make

• Hitting without thinking about the return shot. A hit that leaves two of your checkers exposed can backfire.
• Piling too many checkers on one point. Six checkers stacked together do the work of two and leave other points empty.
• Forgetting the Bar rule. If you have a checker on the Bar, nothing else can move until it comes in.
• Doubling too early. A double gives your opponent the cube, and only they can redouble later.

Playing on a Chromebook, Phone or Tablet

Every point, the Bar and the Off tray work with a click or a tap. Keyboard players can press Tab to reach Roll dice, then use the arrow keys and Enter to pick a point and its target. The game makes no sound, so it is fine in a quiet room.

Your game is saved in the browser after each move, so a match can wait until your next break. Results against the computer also feed a win, loss and streak record. Starting a new game asks you to confirm and does not count as a loss, while pressing Resign does, and it hands your opponent the current cube value.

More Board Games to Try

You can stop a game at any point and come back to it. If you enjoy it, browse the board and card games or try one of these:

• Checkers has no dice at all, so every result comes down to your choices.
• Mancala is another race to collect pieces, played by sowing stones around pits.
• Domino mixes luck and planning with tiles instead of dice.