Play classic backgammon
Backgammon is a race with a fight in the middle: two dice say how far, you decide which checkers go, and a checker left alone can be hit and sent all the way back. Every turn is a small bet — how much to leave exposed, and where — and the dice make sure no lead is ever quite safe.
Play nowPlay Backgammon
More board and logic games
Why play Backgammon here
Three opponents, and the easy-going one really is easy — it moves without a plan and leaves checkers where you can hit them. The steady one weighs the points it makes against the checkers it exposes; the sharp one also counts how many of the thirty-six rolls would hit each checker it leaves, which is what a strong player is doing when they pause. They all roll fair dice, and there is no clock.
Lift a checker and every point it can reach is marked with the die that gets it there, so the rule that the whole roll must be played is applied for you rather than argued about. Your first game walks you through the opening turn, a move can be taken back within your turn, both pip counts stay on screen, and the board is saved if you close the tab.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to play?
Yes. Backgammon here is free to play, with no download and no account.
Do I play against the computer or another person?
Against the computer, with three strengths to choose from. You can take as long as you like over a move, stop mid-game and come back later, and take a move back within your turn. There are no leaderboards and nothing is compared against other players.
Does it work on Windows 11, Mac and phones?
Yes. This is the same game as the Backgammon that used to be on MSN and Yahoo and that came with Windows as Internet Backgammon — fifteen checkers, the bar, bearing off — without the doubling cube. It runs in the browser instead of as an installed program, so it works on Windows 11, on a Mac and on a phone, with nothing to download.
Why can’t I move a checker that looks free?
Because the whole roll has to be played if any order of moves allows it. A checker that could move on its own may be held back because moving it would leave the other die with nowhere to go, and if only one die can be used, it has to be the higher one when that one can move. The board only offers moves that keep to this, so a checker without a ring cannot move with this roll.
What happens when one of my checkers is hit?
It goes to the bar in the middle of the board and has to come back in through your opponent’s home board, at the top right, before anything else of yours can move. If neither die shows an open point there, the whole roll is lost. A checker on the bar is lifted for you, so your first tap goes on a marker.
How does bearing off work?
Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board, at the bottom right, each die can take one off: a six from the six point next to the bar, a five from the five point, and so on down to the one point beside the tray. If the die’s own point is empty, it has to move a checker from a higher point; only when there is none does it bear off from the highest point you still have a checker on. Tap the checker, then the tray on the right.
Is there a harder opponent?
Yes — Sharp. It weighs every way of playing its roll and counts how many of the thirty-six rolls would hit each checker it leaves on its own, so it rarely leaves you an easy shot. Steady sits between the two, and Easy-going is the one to learn the moves against.
Is there a doubling cube?
No. Each game here stands alone, so there is nothing to double. When you win a gammon or a backgammon, the result card names it.
Can I play backgammon full screen?
Yes. The full-screen button takes the board over the whole screen — it works on desktop and on phones, and you can leave with the button or the Escape key.
Can I undo a move?
Yes, within your turn: Undo puts back every checker you have moved since you rolled. Once your turn is over and your opponent has played, it cannot be taken back.
Got thoughts on this? Tell us — it's anonymous, and every message is read.