Backgammon vs AI
Play Backgammon free in your browser. No download and no sign-up: roll the dice, race your fifteen checkers around the board, hit your opponent's blots, build blocking points and be the first to bear every checker off. Take on four AI levels, a friend on one screen, or an online room you share by link.
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games in the world, a two-player race that blends the luck of the dice with deep strategy. Each player has fifteen checkers that travel in opposite directions around twenty-four narrow triangles called points, aiming to bring them all into the home board and then bear them off. Roll two dice each turn and move checkers by those numbers; land two or more on a point and you own it, but leave a lone checker — a blot — and the opponent can hit it, sending it to the bar to start over. Easy to learn in a few minutes, backgammon rewards a lifetime of study in timing, position and risk.
Why Play Backgammon Here
Everything runs right in your browser. There's no app to install and no account to create — open the page, the checkers are set up, and you close the tab when you're done. It plays the same on a phone, tablet or desktop, and your session record is stored locally.
Play solo against the computer at four strengths, pass-and-play with a friend on one screen, or open an online room and invite someone with a single link. Tap Roll, then tap a checker and its destination — legal points are highlighted, dice are dimmed as you use them, doubles give you four moves, and a Bear off button appears when you're ready to take checkers home.
The Rules in One Minute
Roll two dice and move two checkers (or one checker twice) by the numbers shown, always toward your home board. You may land on any point that is empty, holds your own checkers, or holds exactly one enemy checker — which you then hit, sending it to the bar. A point with two or more enemy checkers is closed to you.
Roll a double and you play that number four times. If a checker of yours is on the bar you must re-enter it in the opponent's home board before doing anything else. Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board you can start bearing them off, and the first player to bear off all fifteen wins.
Hitting, the Bar and Bearing Off
A single checker alone on a point is a blot. If your opponent's roll can reach it, they hit it: your checker goes to the bar and must travel all the way around again, which can cost a huge amount of progress. Making points — stacking two or more checkers together — keeps you safe and blocks the enemy's path.
A wall of consecutive made points is called a prime, and a six-point prime traps enemy checkers completely. When bearing off, you remove a checker from the point matching the die; a higher die can bear off from a lower point only when no checkers sit further back. If you get hit while bearing off, you must re-enter and come around again, so timing matters.
Strategy for Beginners
Race and blockade are the two main plans. Compare pip counts — the total distance your checkers must travel — to judge whether you're ahead in the race; if you are, play safe and run, and if you're behind, hold back and try to hit. Either way, try to make your key points: your bar point and the 5-points are gold.
Avoid leaving blots within direct range of enemy checkers, especially near your own home board, where a hit sends you far back. When you do have to expose a checker, leave it where the opponent is least likely to roll the number that hits it. Above all, don't crunch your home-board points too early — keep flexibility for the bear-off.
Tips to Improve Faster
- Make your 5-point and bar point early — they're the most valuable real estate.
- Watch the pip count to decide whether to race or to play a holding game.
- Never leave a blot within a direct 1–6 shot unless you have to.
- Doubles give four moves — plan ahead to use all of them.
- Build a prime of consecutive points to trap enemy checkers behind it.
- You must roll the exact number to bear off, so keep your home board even.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you win at Backgammon?
Be the first to bear off all fifteen of your checkers. Bearing off when the opponent hasn't borne off any is a gammon (worth double); if they still have a checker on the bar or in your home board it's a backgammon (triple).
What is a blot and getting hit?
A blot is a single checker alone on a point. If the opponent moves a checker onto it, the blot is hit and goes to the bar, then must re-enter in the opponent's home board and travel around again.
What happens when I roll doubles?
You play the rolled number four times instead of twice. For example, double 5s let you move four checkers five points each, or fewer checkers multiple times.
When can I bear off?
Only once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board (your last six points). Then each die lets you remove a checker from the matching point.
Can I play Backgammon against the computer?
Yes. Choose Solo vs AI and pick easy, medium, hard or Master. The AI weighs the race, hitting blots, making points and safe bear-off play.
