Backgammon: Play Free Online Backgammon Against the Computer
Single games or matches · Works on mobile & desktop · No download
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games in the world, a race of luck and strategy for two players. Play backgammon online free against the computer: roll the dice, build points to block your opponent, hit lonely checkers and bear off before the computer does. Play a single game or a match to 3 or 5 points. For a pure strategy game, try Chess.
Backgammon is free to play on PlayQuestHQ with no download and no sign-up. It works on phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
You play white and move counterclockwise toward your home board at the bottom right. Roll, tap one of your checkers, then tap a glowing point. Bring all 15 checkers home, then bear them off before the computer does.
How to Play Backgammon
- Each side rolls one die to decide who starts. You play white and move toward your home board at the bottom right.
- Press Roll dice. Tap one of your glowing checkers, then a glowing point to move it.
- Each die is a separate move. Doubles let you move four times.
- Land on a point with one enemy checker to hit it and send it to the bar.
- When all 15 checkers are home, bear them off. The first to bear off every checker wins.
Controls
Click Roll dice, click a glowing checker, then click a glowing point. Undo move takes back moves before your turn ends.
Tap Roll dice, tap a glowing checker, then tap the point you want. Turn your phone sideways for a bigger board.
Tips to Win
- Do not leave single checkers (blots) where the computer can hit them.
- Make points in your home board to trap checkers on the bar.
- Move your two back checkers out early, before they get blocked.
- When you are far ahead in the race, avoid contact and just run home.
Backgammon Rules
Each player has 15 checkers. You move counterclockwise around 24 points, the computer moves the other way. A point with two or more enemy checkers is blocked. A checker that is hit goes to the bar and must come back in through the opponent's home board before anything else moves. Once all your checkers are in your home board, you can bear them off.
Backgammon Setup
For white, the starting position is 2 checkers on the 24 point, 5 on the 13 point, 3 on the 8 point and 5 on the 6 point. The computer mirrors this on its side of the board. The board on this page sets up automatically for every game.
Gammons and Backgammons
- Single win: 1 point.
- Gammon: 2 points, when the loser has not borne off any checkers.
- Backgammon: 3 points, when the loser has not borne off any checkers and still has one on the bar or in the winner's home board.
Blots, Hits and the Bar
A blot is a single checker sitting alone on a point, and it is the one checker that can be attacked. If an enemy checker lands on the same point, the blot is hit and lifted onto the bar, the strip down the middle of the board.
A checker on the bar has to come back before anything else moves. It re-enters in the home board of the opponent, on the point that matches one of the dice, and a point held by two or more enemy checkers is closed to it. This is why the tips on this page tell you to make points in your own home board: every point you make closes one door, and a checker stuck on the bar loses time while the race goes on without it.
Points, Primes and Anchors
Most strong backgammon positions are built from three things: made points, primes and anchors. Each one slows the computer down while keeping your own checkers safe, and the tips on this page rest on all three.
- Made point: two or more of your checkers on one point. Enemy checkers cannot land there, and yours cannot be hit while they sit on it.
- Prime: a row of made points side by side. A checker behind a full prime of six points cannot move past it at all, because no die shows more than six.
- Anchor: a made point inside the home board of the computer. It gives your back checkers a safe landing place while they escape, and a point your hit checkers can aim for when they re-enter.
Good to Know
Is there a doubling cube?
No, this version has no doubling cube. Games are scored 1 point for a win, 2 points for a gammon and 3 points for a backgammon, and you can play a single game or a match to 3 or 5 points.
What if I cannot use both dice?
You must use both dice if any legal move allows it. If only one die can be played, you must play the higher number when that is possible. The game only offers moves that follow this rule, so a move the rules forbid cannot be made.
What are pips?
Pips are the total distance your checkers still have to travel to bear off. The pip count sits at the top of the board for both sides and starts at 167 each, and the lower count belongs to the player who is ahead in the race.
What happens when one of my checkers is hit?
A hit checker goes to the bar, and it must re-enter through the home board of the computer before you can move any other checker. It comes back in on a point that matches one of your dice, and points held by two or more computer checkers are closed to it.
Can I play a friend on this page?
No, on this page you always play against the computer. You can play a single game or a match to 3 or 5 points, and a fresh game starts whenever you want with the New game button.
Is my Backgammon progress saved?
No. Each game starts fresh when you open the page, and nothing is uploaded or stored.