Rolling, making points, hitting blots, re-entering from the bar and bearing off — the whole game on one page, with the six strategy ideas worth knowing first.
| The roll | Roll two dice and move that many points — one checker per die, or the same checker twice. Roll doubles and you play that number four times. |
| Making points | Land two or more checkers on a point and it is yours — your opponent cannot land there. |
| Hitting blots | A lone checker is a blot. Land on it and it is hit: it goes to the bar and must re-enter in your opponent's home before that player does anything else. |
| Bearing off | Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board — your last six points — you start removing them with your rolls. |
| Winning | First player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins. |
Backgammon is a race. Both players move fifteen checkers around a track of twenty-four points toward their own home board, and the first to bring all fifteen home and remove them wins. What makes it a game rather than a dice roll is that you can block and hit your opponent along the way.
Roll two dice. Each die is a separate move — you may move one checker the total of both, or two different checkers, one per die. Roll doubles and you play that number four times rather than twice, which is why doubles swing games.
You must use both dice if any legal way to do so exists. If only one can be played, you must play the higher.
Two or more checkers on a point make it yours — your opponent cannot land there at all. A single checker is a blot, and if your opponent lands on it, it is hit: it goes to the bar and must re-enter in your opponent's home board before that player may make any other move.
Being hit late in a game is close to fatal, because the checker restarts the entire journey.
Once all fifteen of your checkers are inside your home board — your final six points — you begin bearing off, removing a checker for each die you roll. If you are hit during this phase, you must bring that checker all the way round again before you can resume.
Make points, especially in front of your opponent's back checkers. Every point you own is a square they cannot use, and a wall of them slows their whole race.
Build a prime. Six made points in a row cannot be jumped by any roll — a checker trapped behind a full prime cannot move at all until it breaks.
Run when ahead, hold when behind. If you are winning the race, simply race — avoid contact and avoid leaving blots. If you are behind, keep an anchor in your opponent's home board and wait for a shot at one of their blots. Racing when behind rarely works, because you cannot outrun a deficit with average dice.
Bear off evenly. Fill your home points so no roll is wasted on an awkward gap.
What happens on doubles? You play the rolled number four times instead of twice.
What is a blot? A lone checker on a point. It can be hit and sent to the bar.
Can you move if you have a checker on the bar? No — you must re-enter it first, and if you cannot, you forfeit the turn.