Here’s a basic overview of how to play:
- Setting up the Board: Each player starts with 15 checkers of their color. They are arranged on the board as follows:
- Two checkers on their 24-point.
- Five checkers on their 13-point.
- Three checkers on their 8-point.
- Five checkers on their 6-point.
- The Objective: The objective of the game is to move all of your checkers into your home board and then bear them off. The first player to bear off all their checkers wins.
- Movement: Players take turns rolling two dice and then move their checkers according to the numbers rolled. The dice determine how many points, or pips, the player can move their checkers. The numbers on the dice also represent two separate moves. For example, if you roll a 4 and a 2, you can move one checker four points forward and another checker two points forward, or you can move one checker a total of six points forward.
- Legal Moves: Checkers can only move to an open point (a point not occupied by two or more of the opponent’s checkers), or to a point occupied by one of the player’s own checkers. Additionally, a player cannot land on a point occupied by two or more of the opponent’s checkers (this is called a “blot”); doing so would result in the blot being hit and placed on the bar, forcing the player to re-enter the game from the opponent’s home board before continuing to move.
- Hitting and Entering: If a player lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar. The player must then enter the checker back into the opponent’s home board before making any other moves. The entered checker must be placed on a point corresponding to the number rolled on one of the dice.
- Bearing Off: Once a player has moved all of their checkers into their home board, they can start bearing them off. A player bears off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides and then removing that checker from the board.
- Winning the Game: The first player to bear off all their checkers wins the game. If the opponent has not borne off any checkers and still has checkers on the bar or in the opponent’s home board, the winner scores a gammon (double points) or a backgammon (triple points) depending on whether the opponent has borne off any checkers.
This is just a basic overview, and there are many more strategic elements to the game, including blocking your opponent, creating points of control, and managing your checkers effectively.
