The Board
The screen is divided into a rectangular board of two halves, the inner (or home) table and the outer table. Each section is subdivided into 12 alternately colored triangles called points.

Pieces
Each side has 15 checker-like pieces. Each player's pieces move from their own inner table clockwise to the other player's inner table.

Example of a board ready for play. Direction of play is always counter-clockwise.

The Play
Each player's objective is to move all 15 pieces to his or her inner table, then bear them off (remove them from the table). The first player to bear off all of their pieces wins the game.

The numbers on the dice show the number of points the pieces may move. A single piece may be moved the sum of the numbers on both dice; or two pieces may be moved, one for the amount on each die.

When a player throws dice of the same value (a double), it counts double. For example, two sixes count as 6 x 4 = 24 points, not 12, and the player may move up to four pieces.

The player must attempt to move as the dice dictate. If only one number can be played, the higher must be used. If no move is possible, play passes to the opponent. You must always play the numbers you have rolled if there is any legal way to do so. A prime is a sequence of six consecutive blocks.

The Moves
A point is open when it is empty, or covered by only one of the opponent's pieces. A single piece on a point is called a blot. When a blot is hit by the opponent, the single piece is removed to the bar. This is effectively off the board, and the piece must then re-enter before any other piece can be moved. A player with a piece on the bar must re-enter the board after throwing a number that places that piece on an unblocked point in the opponent's inner table.

Example of a black prime in black's inner board. White piece is unable to re-enter board.

Black hitting white blot...

sending white piece to the bar.

A player has blocked or "made" a point when two or more pieces occupy it. An opponent's piece cannot rest on that point, but it can move past it.

Example of a blot.

Example of a "made" point.

A checker can't touch down on a blocked point. For example, if you roll 4-2 and want to move 6 with one piece but both the 4 and the 2 are blocked, that move is not allowed.

An unlimited number of pieces can rest on a point.

Bearing Off Pieces
Once all of a player's pieces are in the inner table, they may be taken off the board. The first player to remove all their pieces wins. A piece may be removed from any point whose number shows on either die; i.e. if a player rolls 4-3, then pieces from the third or fourth points from the right may be removed. When a number higher than that of the highest occupied point is rolled, pieces must be removed from the next-highest point. If a piece is hit and removed to the bar, it must re-enter and come around to the inner table before further pieces can be removed.

In the example below, black rolled a 5-4; black can bear off a piece from the 5-point and the 4-point. If black had rolled a 6-4, black would have still been able to bear off the same pieces.

Black rolls 5-4; black can bear off a piece from the 5-point and 4-point.

Scoring
The game is won when a player has removed all pieces. If the loser has at least one piece removed and none left in the winner's inner table, a single game is lost. If no pieces have been removed, the loss is double (gammon). If, in addition, any pieces are in the opponent's inner table, or on the bar, the loss is triple (backgammon). Finally, the score for the game is multiplied by the current value of the doubling cube (see "Doubling", below.)

If the stake at the beginning of the game is one point, and the loser has lost by gammon, and the doubling cube equals four (i.e. two doubles occurred during the game), then the winner receives 8 points.

stake x [straight loss (1) or gammon (2) or backgammon (3)] x [doubling cube value (1, 2, 4 , 8 , 16 , 32, or 64)] = total

For this case it is:
1 x (2) x (4) = 8 total

Doubling
Backgammon is played for an agreed stake, which may be doubled during the game. During a turn, a player has the right to offer a voluntary double. The opponent must agree to the double or forfeit the game at the current stake. "Doubles" can be offered more than once in a game, although the same player cannot double twice in a row. The current "double" value is reflected on the "doubling cube."

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