Play backgammon free online with the doubling cube. Four computer levels, online quick match, private rooms for friends and a rating leaderboard, on any device.
- Genre
- Strategy
- Players
- Solo or online, up to 2 players, bots fill empty seats
- Devices
- Phone and desktop
- Price
- Free, plays in the browser, nothing to install
How to play
Use Roll or Double the stakes at the start of your turn, then click or tap a checker and a highlighted point. Works with mouse, trackpad or touch.
New in v1.0
First release: four computer levels, online quick match, private rooms for friends, one-screen play and a rating leaderboard.
What is Backgammon?
Backgammon is a two-player race game whose ancestors go back thousands of years in the Middle East. The modern game took shape in England in the 1600s, and the doubling cube arrived in New York in the 1920s. It combines dice with real decisions, so strong players win over time but no game is certain.
How to play
- Each player moves 15 checkers around 24 points toward their home board, and then off the board.
- Roll two dice and move a checker by each number. Doubles are played four times.
- You may land on any point not held by two or more enemy checkers.
- Landing on a single enemy checker hits it. It goes to the bar and must re-enter in your home board before its owner moves anything else.
- You must use both dice if you can, and the higher one if only one can be played.
- Once all your checkers are home, bear them off. The first player to clear the board wins.
The doubling cube
Before rolling, you may offer to double the stakes. Your opponent either takes, then owns the cube and alone may redouble, or drops and loses the current value.
- A win is worth the cube value.
- A gammon, when the loser has borne off nothing, is worth double.
- A backgammon, when the loser also has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home, is worth triple.
Strategy
- Make points in a row. Six in a row is a full prime that no checker can pass.
- Early on, blots far from enemy checkers are often worth the risk.
- A common rule of thumb is to take a double when you have at least a 25 percent chance of winning.
Ways to play
- Against the computer: four levels. Wins raise your rating, which sets your place on the leaderboard.
- Quick match: an online opponent, with a computer player stepping in if nobody is around.
- Play a friend: make a private room and send the code or link.
- One screen: two players take turns on the same device.
FAQ
Is backgammon luck or skill? Both. Dice decide any single game, but skill decides most results over many games.
What does the doubling cube do? It raises the value of the game. The player who takes a double gains the sole right to redouble.
Do gammons affect my rating? Your rating counts wins and losses. The game result shows the points scored, including gammons and backgammons.
