Backgammon Directions: The Board, the Setup and Which Way to Move
New players usually get stuck on the same question: which way do my checkers go? This page answers it step by step, from the layout of the board to the last checker borne off. If you want the finer points such as dice etiquette and scoring, read backgammon rules explained next.
The Layout of the Board
A backgammon board has 24 long, narrow triangles called points. Their colors alternate, but the color means nothing for play. The points are grouped into four quarters of six points each:
- your home board (also called your inner board);
- your outer board;
- your opponent's home board;
- your opponent's outer board.
A raised strip down the middle, the bar, separates the home boards from the outer boards. Checkers that are hit wait on the bar.
How the Points Are Numbered
Each player numbers the points from his own point of view, starting with 1 in his home board and finishing with 24 in the opponent's home board. That means your 24 point is your opponent's 1 point, your 13 point is his 12 point, and so on. Points are not printed with numbers on most boards; the numbering is just a way to describe positions and moves.
The Starting Position
Each player has 15 checkers, set up like this (using that player's own numbering):
| Point | Checkers | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 2 | Opponent's home board |
| 13 | 5 | Opponent's outer board |
| 8 | 3 | Your outer board |
| 6 | 5 | Your home board |
The two sides mirror each other, so each player's position looks identical from his own seat.
Which Way Checkers Move
Checkers always move forward, from higher-numbered points to lower ones: out of the opponent's home board, along the opponent's outer board, across your outer board and into your home board. The two players move in opposite directions, like two cars on a circular track driving toward each other. If your home board is in the lower right, you move counterclockwise; if it is in the lower left, clockwise. Either layout is correct as long as both players agree.
Starting the Game
Each player rolls one die. If the numbers match, both roll again. Whoever rolls higher goes first and plays the two numbers just rolled as his opening move. After that, players take turns rolling both dice.
Moving by the Dice
Each die tells you how many points to move one checker. You can move one checker by both numbers or two checkers by one number each. A checker may land on any point that is empty, holds your own checkers, or holds a single opposing checker. It may not land on a point held by two or more opposing checkers.
Hitting and Entering
A single checker on a point is a blot. If an opposing checker lands there, your blot is hit and goes to the bar. When you have a checker on the bar, you must bring it back in before moving anything else. You enter in your opponent's home board, on the point matching one of your dice: a 1 enters on his 1 point (your 24 point), a 6 on his 6 point (your 19 point). If both matching points are blocked, you cannot move that turn.
Bearing Off
Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you may start removing them, which is called bearing off. A roll of 4 removes a checker from your 4 point, a 6 from your 6 point, and so on. If there is no checker on the point shown, you must move a checker from a higher point instead. If there is no checker on any higher point, you remove one from the highest occupied point. If one of your checkers is hit during the bear-off, it must come all the way back home before you continue.
The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins. Once these directions feel natural, the basic strategy guide will help you decide which legal move is the best one.