About Backgammon
Backgammon, called tawla in Egypt, is the coffeehouse game: dice clattering on wood, someone shouting the roll, a glass of tea by the board. Here you play the computer on an inlaid wooden board with the standard rules: each side has 15 checkers that travel in opposite directions until they reach home and are borne off the board.
The dice decide everything: each number moves one checker, and a double is played four times. A point with two or more of your checkers is closed to your rival, but a lone checker can be hit and sent back to the start. Bear off all 15 while your rival hasn't borne off a single one and you win a gammon, worth 2 points.
There are two levels. On Easy the computer plays loosely and leaves checkers open; on Hard it works through every way to play its roll and picks the best one, closing points and hitting any lone checker it can reach. The score is kept at the top, and Undo takes back your moves if you change your mind before the turn ends.
How to play
- Pick a level: Easy or Hard. Each side rolls one die and the higher number starts.
- On your turn press Roll the dice. Each number moves one of your light checkers.
- Tap a checker that can move (it has a yellow ring), then the green spot it should go to.
- Your checkers travel from the top right around to your home at the bottom right. If one is hit, bring it back in first.
- Once all your checkers are home, start bearing them off. The first to bear off all 15 wins.
Controls
| Keyboard | Enter or Space rolls the dice. The arrow keys step through the checkers you can move and the spots they can reach, Enter picks, Esc cancels and Backspace undoes this turn's moves. |
|---|---|
| Mouse | Click Roll the dice, then click one of your checkers, then the spot glowing green where you want it to go. |
| Touch | Tap Roll the dice, tap the point with your checker, then tap the spot glowing green. |
Tips to win
- Don't leave a single checker where the computer's checkers can reach it: close the point with two.
- Closed points in a row trap your rival's checkers behind them. That's the strongest weapon in backgammon.
- Hit a checker while your home board is well closed and it can sit on the bar for a long time.
- At the end it's a race: the lower your pip count (shown at the top) compared to the computer's, the better your chances.
Backgammon: questions and answers
What rules does this backgammon use?
The standard rules: play both numbers if you can, and if only one can be played it must be the bigger one; doubles are played four times; lone checkers can be hit; and you bear off only once all your checkers are home. There's no doubling cube.
What is a gammon?
A gammon is when you bear off all your checkers before your rival has borne off even one. Here a gammon is worth 2 points instead of 1.
Does the computer cheat with the dice?
No. The dice are random in exactly the same way for both of you. The Hard level wins by thinking: it tries every way to play its roll and picks the best.
Can I play backgammon on my phone?
Yes, it runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers with nothing to download. On a phone, turn it sideways or use full-screen play so the board is bigger.