Backgammon
Fifteen checkers. Two dice. A thoughtful race home.
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Classic cubeless Backgammon. Ivory travels from point 24 toward point 1; Copper travels the other way. Use the maximum possible dice, with bar entry first. Tap source and destination, or use the large Move list and Play button; each option states its die. If two dice share a destination, choose the die in that list. End turn commits the roll; Undo works only before that boundary and preserves the dice. Arrows explore points; Enter or Space selects and moves. D rolls, E ends, B selects bar, O bears off, U/R undo/redo, P pauses. Fresh game. Fresh computer wins: 0.
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How to play Backgammon
Play a classic cubeless single game with 15 checkers each. Choose Easy, Normal or Hard computer play, or Two players on the same device. Ivory travels from point 24 toward point 1, then off the board. Copper travels from point 1 toward point 24. The point numbers and directions stay fixed when you choose either color.
Roll off to begin
Each side rolls one die to open. Ties repeat; the higher roller moves first using those same two different numbers. On later turns, roll two dice. Each die is a separate checker move, and doubles provide four uses of that number. The same shared dice stream serves both sides and all computer levels.
Use the dice you can play
Move toward your home by exactly one unused die per move. Use both dice when possible, or as many of the four double uses as possible. An order that wastes a playable die is not allowed when another order can use more. If only one of two different values can be used, play the higher value when it is legal. The game checks complete sequences before showing each permitted next move. A checker may move more than once in a turn, but every intermediate landing must be open.
Hits and the bar
A point with two or more opposing checkers is blocked. You can land on an empty point, one of your own points, or an opposing blot—a single checker. Landing on a blot sends it to the bar. If you have checkers on the bar, reenter them before moving other checkers. Each die enters through the opposing home board. If no die can be played, the roll passes automatically; if a partial turn becomes blocked, End turn commits the moves already made.
Bring all fifteen home
Bearing off starts when every remaining checker is in your six-point home and none is on the bar. Ivory’s home is points 1–6; Copper’s is points 19–24. Use an exact die to remove a checker at that distance from the edge. An oversized die can remove a checker only from your furthest occupied home point, with none farther away. Legal home-board moves remain available when they satisfy the dice-use rules.
The first side to bear off all 15 wins immediately. A normal win is worth one point when the loser has borne off any checker. A gammon is worth two when the loser has borne off none. A backgammon is worth three when the loser has borne off none and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home. Those points describe this single-game result.
Comfortable phone and keyboard controls
Tap or click a highlighted source, then a marked destination. The large Move list and Play button offer every legal source, destination and die choice, so you can play comfortably without targeting the narrow triangles. Bar means reentry; Off means bearing off. If two dice can reach the same destination, tapping it focuses the list without spending either die: choose the intended die, then Play. Different legal dice appear as separate options. Stack counts always show the actual checker total.
Arrow keys explore points; Enter or Space selects and moves. Home and End choose row ends. D rolls, E ends the turn, B selects the bar, O uses the selected checker’s bear-off destination, U undoes, R redoes and P pauses. Native dropdown controls keep their usual keys. Escape clears an uncommitted source selection.
Fixed rolls, practice and saves
Undo reverses one checker move within the current uncommitted turn, restoring its unused die while preserving the roll and dice stream. Redo restores that same move. You can undo the final die before choosing End turn, and review a winning move with Undo after the result. End turn commits a roll; you cannot use Undo to reroll or revisit an earlier turn.
Restart begins the same attempt as practice with the exact same seeded roll history, starting again at the opening roll-off. It does not create a new chance at different dice. Previously revealed rolls, assistance and the attempt’s first result stay recorded. New game starts a fresh attempt and a new dice seed.
The current position, partial turn, unused dice, active time and eight achievements save in this browser when storage is available. A restored game waits for Resume before the clock or computer continues. Pause hides the board and stops both; there is no timed loss. Sound starts off and reduced motion is respected. Full screen keeps the board and large controls together. A visible warning tells you if saving is unavailable; keep that tab open to retain the session. A new game is available if the saved-action limit is reached.
Eight milestones along the race
Earn stars for a first checker move, a hit, bar entry, bearing off, a first-result finish, a first-result computer win, a Hard win without Undo or Restart, and three different fresh computer wins. Local play earns the applicable movement and finish stars. A gammon or backgammon is one completed game, and reopening or replaying an attempt does not add wins.
The original computer planner considers complete legal sequences for the visible roll. Higher levels examine more possibilities and use a more detailed position evaluation. Its thinking is bounded, and there is no perfect-play promise.