Players Guide

How to play Backgammon

Setting up the board
See Fig 1. light & dark piece placement. These lines show the direction of each players movement. The game board is divided into four quads off the center bar, with each player having an “inner table” & “outer table”. Each table is divided into six alternating “points” to move on.

Roll the Dice
Each player must move their characters according to the numbers shown on the throw of two dice.

Move your pieces
The dark & light characters move in opposite directions, as shown on the corresponding lines. Players moves their characters from their opponent’s inner table, along the playing board, across to ones outer  table, and then into their own inner table. Finally, you need to roll your characters off the board this is called “bearing”.

Object of the game
The player who finishes bearing off all their characters first, wins the game!

DETAILS:

The Center Bar
The dividing line between the two tables. This piece must enter the game on an open point in the opponents inner table before moving any other pieces.

Rolling Doubles
When rolling doubles on the dice, move the number shown on one die four X. Move either one character or any other combination you choose within the four moves. In betting, the doubling cube is only used to double the stakes.

Blocked Point
Point on the playing board on which two or more characters of the same player sit. The opposing players character may not land on a blocked point, however they may move over the blocked point. 

Blot & Hit
Any point on which any player has one character is open to “hit”. The opponent cannot occupy the same point, when the opponent lands on this point they remove the opponents character and place  their  own. Once you’ve been hit and the removed character is immediately placed on the center bar until you roll in.

Bearing Off
Removing your character from the game board by the roll of the dice. You can only start bearing off once. All of your characters are in your inner table. You may then either bear off your characters directly from the dice rolls. 

Or, players move their characters within their inner table according to the dice roll. You must use your entire roll if possible. This means if you roll a six, but have no characters on your six point, you must take a character off your highest point. The same rule applies if you roll doubles. If while bearing off a character is hit, hit rules still apply, and the match continues. Said hit character cannot continue to bear off until that character re-enters their inner table.