Classic backgammon is a board game that dates back almost 5,000 years to Iran, where it originated. In the classic version, it is played as a two-player game in which each competitor has 15 pieces that have the ability to move among 24 triangles.

From the left to right of the board, the game starts with five checkers on the leftmost point of each player’s side of the board. Three checkers will then be placed on the fifth point from the left, with five checkers placed on the seventh point. On the final point, the last two of the 15 checkers will be positioned.

Backgammon Rules

Each player then rolls a die to begin the game. Whoever rolls higher will then combine the numbers on both dice – a tie will result in a reroll. The player who moves will use the higher die first and then has the option of using the second die for the first checker or else another. Notably, a roll with the same number will be a double and each die has to be played twice.

While the red side can move from point number 1 to 24, the black side can move from 24 to 1. The rules allow for the player to only land on a point that they occupy or else another point that is unoccupied. However, it will not be possible to land on a point that is currently occupied by one of the opponent’s points.

The aim is to advance to a player’s home board on the far right of the opposite side of the table. A player must move all of their checkers to the home board before they can begin to remove them. The number that can be removed will be based on dice rolls. Ultimately, the aim is to remove all of the checkers before the other player.