Play Backgammon Online for Free
The oldest board game there is, in your browser. Roll the dice, hit and cover, run the cube, and bear off first — against a thinking computer or a friend beside you, with no download and no sign-up.
What Is Backgammon?
Backgammon is a game for two, played on a board of twenty-four points with fifteen checkers each and a pair of dice. You race your checkers around the board and off the far side; the first player to bear all fifteen off wins. Every roll is a small puzzle of risk and arithmetic.
This version has it all: the international short game, the long nardy variant many players grew up with, the doubling cube that raises the stakes, and gammons that double the loss. Play a full match against an opponent that weighs every legal move, or hand the device back and forth with a friend.
Why Play Backgammon Here
Two games in one
Switch between standard backgammon and long nardy from the settings. The board, the dice and the cube stay the same — the movement and the tactics change completely.
The doubling cube
Offer a double when you smell blood and make your opponent take or fold. The AI weighs the pip count before it accepts, so the cube actually means something here.
A real opponent
The computer reads the whole position — pips, blots, points and the bar — and picks the strongest play, not a random legal one. Or switch to two-player mode and share the board.
Instant and private
The board is set the moment the page loads. Nothing to install or register, and your match and statistics stay in your browser on your device.
Backgammon — Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between backgammon and long nardy?
- In standard backgammon checkers can be hit and sent to the bar, and both players move in opposite directions. In long nardy there is no hitting, both sides run the same way, and only one checker may leave the head each turn.
- What does the doubling cube do?
- It multiplies the stakes. Before your roll you can offer to double the game's value; your opponent either takes — and now owns the cube — or drops and concedes the current points. It turns a small lead into real pressure.
- What is a gammon?
- Bearing off all fifteen checkers before your opponent bears off any is a gammon, worth double. If they also have a checker on the bar or in your home board it is a backgammon, worth triple.
- Do I need an account?
- No. Nothing to register or install. Your current match and statistics live in your browser's local storage and clear when you wipe your browsing data.
How to play backgammon
Backgammon is a race for two players. Each of you has fifteen checkers to bring home and bear off; the dice say how far you may move, and the board decides what is safe. This is the standard short game, with the long nardy variant noted where it differs.
Rules →Backgammon strategy
Backgammon rewards players who read the whole board, not just the dice. A few core ideas — racing when ahead, holding when behind, and using the cube well — separate a lucky win from a steady one.
Strategy →More games in the network
The same calm design, a different table each time.
