Backgammon rules for kids

Backgammon is a race! Roll two dice, move your checkers home, and be first to take them all off the board. Here is how, in seven steps.

The rules in one minute

Two players. 15 checkers each. Two dice.
You move your checkers around the board to your home, the last six points.
Each die moves one checker. You can use both dice on the same checker.
You cannot land where your friend has two or more checkers.
Land on a lonely checker and it goes back to the start.
When all your checkers are home, you take them off. First to take off all 15 wins.

1. Set up the board

Each player has 15 checkers. Put 2 on your 24-point, 5 on your 13-point, 3 on your 8-point and 5 on your 6-point. Your friend sets up the same way, as a mirror.

On GammonKids your checkers are red and your friend's are blue. The points are numbered from 24, far away, down to 1, at home.

The start of every game. The glowing points, 1 to 6, are your home.

Try it in the lesson “Meet the board”

2. Roll two dice and move

Roll two dice. Move one checker the number on the first die and one checker the number on the second, or move one checker both numbers, one after the other. Checkers only move towards home.

If you roll a 4 and a 2, one checker can hop 4 and another 2. Or one checker can hop 4 and then 2 more.

Your checkers count down from point 24 towards point 1.

Try it in the lesson “Roll and move”

3. Land only on open points

A checker may land on an empty point, a point with your own checkers, or a point with just one of your friend’s checkers. A point with two or more of your friend’s checkers is closed.

4. Hit a lonely checker

Landing on a single checker of your friend’s hits it. It goes to the bar in the middle, and it must come back in at the far end of the board before your friend can move anything else.

If your own checker is on the bar, it has to come back onto the board before you move any other checker.

A lonely checker sits on point 20. Roll a 4 and a checker from point 24 can hit it.

Try it in the lesson “Hitting”

5. Make points to stay safe

Two or more of your checkers on one point make it yours. They cannot be hit there, and your friend cannot land on it.

Two checkers together on point 5: a new safe point, right in front of home.

Try it in the lesson “Making points”

6. Doubles move four times

If both dice show the same number, you move that number four times instead of two.

Roll two 3s and you get four moves of 3. Doubles are the luckiest rolls in the game.

7. Bear off to win

When all 15 of your checkers are in your home board (points 1 to 6), each roll lets you take checkers off the board. The first player to take off all 15 wins.

A 6 takes a checker off the 6-point, a 5 off the 5-point, and so on. If you win before your friend has taken any checker off, that is a gammon: a double win.

Everyone is home, so each roll takes checkers off the board. Three are off already.

Try it in the lesson “Bearing off”

Backgammon words

Point:: One of the 24 triangles on the board.
Home:: Your last six points, 1 to 6. All your checkers must get here before any can leave the board.
Bar:: The strip down the middle. A checker that is hit waits here.
Blot:: A checker all alone on a point. It can be hit.
Hit:: Landing on a blot and sending it to the bar. On GammonKids we call it a bonk.
Making a point:: Putting two or more of your checkers on the same point so they are safe.
Bearing off:: Taking your checkers off the board once they are all home.
Doubles:: Both dice showing the same number. You move four times.
Gammon:: Winning before your friend has taken a single checker off. A double win.

Now try it yourself

Learn with Pip Play a game