Backgammon is the rare game that has survived roughly five thousand years without changing its fundamental idea: race your pieces home before your opponent, and let the dice keep everyone honest.
How to Play Backgammon
Backgammon is played on a board of 24 narrow triangles, called points, grouped into four quadrants of six. Each player has 15 checkers, set up in a standard starting position spread across four points. The two players move in opposite directions around the board, aiming to bring all 15 of their checkers into their own "home board" and then bear them off — remove them from play entirely. The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins.
On each turn, a player rolls two dice and moves checkers according to the numbers shown — each die is a separate move, and a checker can only land on a point that is empty, holds the player's own checkers, or holds exactly one opposing checker. Landing on a single opposing checker ("blot") sends it to the bar, forcing the opponent to re-enter it from the start before making any other move. Rolling doubles lets you play that number four times instead of two. Good backgammon strategy is a balance of building blocked points, hitting opposing blots, and timing when to race versus when to hold back.
The History of Backgammon
Backgammon's lineage stretches back further than almost any other board game still played today. Its oldest known ancestor is the Royal Game of Ur, played by the Sumerians in the ancient city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 2600 BCE. It was a race game for two players, using dice and a track of squares, with pieces that could be captured along the way — the same core idea backgammon still uses roughly 4,600 years later.
From Mesopotamia, race-and-dice games spread in two directions. Traveling west through the eastern Mediterranean, the concept became Roman "tabula" and later medieval European "tables" games. Traveling east into Sasanian Persia around 200–600 CE, it became Nard — a game played on 24 points with 30 checkers, essentially identical in structure to modern backgammon. Backgammon in its current English form and name emerged by the 17th century, with "backgammon" likely derived from Old English words for "back" and "game," referencing how captured checkers are sent back to start. From England the game spread throughout Europe and, eventually, the world, remaining one of the most widely played two-player board games alongside chess and checkers. It's part of our classic board game lineup, and if you enjoy games that blend luck with real decision-making, it pairs well with pure strategy games that strip luck out entirely.
Why Play Backgammon on RivalPit
- Free and no download. Backgammon runs instantly in your browser.
- Real-time multiplayer. Challenge a friend with a link, or play a solid CPU opponent.
- Live chat and points. Talk trash mid-match, earn points by playing (never purchased).
- One of 100+ free games on RivalPit, with new games added every week.