Games / Backgammon
Play Backgammon online with friends
Roll two dice, race your fifteen checkers home and bear them off before your opponent does.
- 2 players
- 10 to 30 minutes
- Bots on 3 levels
- Matches to 1, 3, 5 or 7 points
Backgammon, called Tawla across the Arab world, is a race between two players. You each have fifteen checkers and two dice. You move around a board of 24 points toward your home board, hit lone checkers to send them back, and build points your opponent cannot land on. The first player to take all fifteen checkers off wins the game.
On Deal & Roll you send a friend a table code and play from two phones or computers, or you practise against a bot on Easy, Medium or Hard. The game checks every rule for you: both dice must be played when possible, checkers on the bar come in first, and bearing off starts only when everyone is home. You lay out your whole turn, undo what you like, and confirm when you are happy with it.
Why play Backgammon here
- Full rules checked for you, including the forced use of both dice
- Undo any part of your turn until you press Confirm
- Gammons count 2 points and backgammons 3
- Optional doubling cube with the Crawford rule, for points only
- A Hint button for practice games against a bot
- On a phone the board turns so the points run top to bottom
How to play Backgammon
Start a table
Open Backgammon and host an online table to invite a friend, or start a practice table to play a bot. Pick the match length before you begin.
Roll for the first move
Each player rolls one die. The higher roll goes first and plays those two numbers. A tie is rolled again.
Move your checkers
Roll two dice and move one checker for each die, from your 24 point down toward your 1 point. A double is played four times. You must use both dice if you can.
Hit and block
Land on a single opposing checker to send it to the bar. Two or more of your checkers on a point close it to your opponent.
Come in from the bar
A checker on the bar has to enter your opponent's home board before you move anything else. If the points for both dice are closed, you lose the turn.
Bear off
When all fifteen checkers are in your home board, each die takes a checker off the point with that number. A bigger die takes one off your highest point.
Win the match
A plain win is 1 point, a gammon 2 and a backgammon 3. The first player to reach the match length wins.
Tips
- Make your 5 point and your 7 point early. Two checkers on a point are safe and get in your opponent's way.
- A lone checker six points or less in front of an opposing checker gets hit often. Leave it further away or cover it.
- When you are clearly ahead in the race, stop hitting and run your last checkers home.
Screenshots
Backgammon questions
How do you play backgammon online with a friend?
Open a Backgammon table and share the code or the invite link. Your friend opens it in a browser on a phone or a computer and takes the other seat. You each roll one die to see who starts, then take turns rolling two dice and moving your checkers. No account or download is needed.
Do you have to use both dice in backgammon?
Yes, whenever there is a legal way to play both. If you can play either die but not both, you must play the larger number. If only one of them can be played at all, you play that one. The game works this out for you and only lets you confirm a full legal turn.
What is a gammon and a backgammon?
A gammon is a win before your opponent has taken off any checker, and it counts 2 points. A backgammon is a gammon where your opponent also still has a checker on the bar or in your home board, and it counts 3 points. A normal win counts 1.
What happens when a checker is hit?
It goes to the bar in the middle of the board. On your next turn it must come back in on your opponent's home board before any other checker moves. A roll of 1 enters on your 24 point and a 6 on your 19 point. If both entry points are closed, your turn is lost.
When can you start bearing off?
Only when all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board, which is your points 1 to 6. If one of them is hit while you are bearing off, it has to go all the way around and back home before you can take off any more.
Is there a doubling cube?
It is optional and off by default. The host can turn it on for matches of 3 points or more. Before rolling, a player can offer to double the points the game is worth, and the other player takes it or gives up the game. The cube only changes how many match points the game is worth.
Can I play backgammon against the computer?
Yes. Start a practice table and a bot takes the other seat. It plays on Easy, Medium or Hard, and the hard bot looks one roll ahead at every answer you could make. With move hints turned on, a Hint button suggests a move on your turn.
Is Tawla the same game as backgammon?
Tawla is the Arabic name for the backgammon board and its family of games. The game here is the standard international version, the one most often just called backgammon. Regional variants such as Mahbusa use the same board with different rules and are not included yet.