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Backgammon

THE CLASSIC RACE GAME

Play backgammon online with a friend

The classic race game with the doubling cube, the Crawford rule in matches and the Jacoby rule in unlimited play. Set the match, share the link, and your friend rolls the moment they type a name. Works on a phone.

PLAYER 1 · YOUR NAME

GAME MODE

TWIST

rules that throw the book out
Original rules more twists on the way

TIME CONTROL

optional

You'll get an invite link. Your opponent types a name and the game starts.

1
PICK A MODE
Choose a single game, a match to 3, 5 or 7 points, or unlimited play.
2
SET A CLOCK
Add a clock if you like: blitz, rapid, a delay, or a fixed time per move.
3
SHARE THE LINK
Share the link. Your friend types a name and the opening roll decides who moves.

BACKGAMMON IN BRIEF

Each player has fifteen checkers racing around the board in opposite directions. Roll two dice and move checkers by the numbers shown; doubles move four times. A single checker on a point is a blot and can be hit and sent to the bar, from where it must re-enter before anything else moves.

Once all your checkers are in your home board you bear them off. The first player to bear off all fifteen wins; a gammon (the loser has borne off nothing) counts double and a backgammon (the loser still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board) triple.

Before rolling, a player may offer the doubling cube. Take it and the game is worth twice as much and the cube is yours; drop it and you lose the current stake. In match play the Crawford rule turns the cube off for one game when a player is one point from winning; in unlimited play the Jacoby rule means gammons only count once the cube has been turned.

MODES

  • Single game · One game, no cube
  • Match to 3 · Cube and Crawford rule
  • Match to 5 · Cube and Crawford rule
  • Match to 7 · Cube and Crawford rule
  • Unlimited · Keep playing, cube and Jacoby rule

CLOCKS

  • No clock · Take your time
  • Blitz · 3 min + 2 s per move
  • Rapid · 10 min + 5 s per move
  • Delay · 5 min, first 10 s of each move free
  • Per move · 30 s for every move

QUESTIONS

Can I take a move back?
Until you press play. Moves are staged privately on your side; your opponent sees the board move only when you commit the turn.
Do we need accounts?
No. Type a name and roll. A game stays open for an hour after the last move.
Is the dice fair?
Every game is dealt from a seeded random generator on the server, and the whole game can be replayed from that seed. Nothing is chosen client-side.
Can we play a match?
Yes: to 3, 5 or 7 points with the Crawford rule, or unlimited play with the Jacoby rule.

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