How to win at Backgammon: points, primes and the race
6 min read ·
Backgammon mixes luck and skill: the dice decide what you can do, but you decide what you do with them. Over many games, the player who makes safer, stronger moves wins far more often, whatever the rolls.
This guide covers the ideas that turn good rolls into wins and bad rolls into survivable ones.
The rules on Puzzimo
- You play red and move your 15 checkers toward your home board (bottom right).
- Each die is one move; doubles give four. You must use as many dice as possible, and the larger one if only one fits.
- You can't land on a point held by two or more of the computer's checkers. Landing on a single one (a blot) hits it to the bar.
- Checkers on the bar must re-enter before anything else moves.
- Once all 15 are home, bear them off. First to bear off all checkers wins; a gammon or backgammon scores double or triple. There's no doubling cube.
Make points, avoid blots
A point with two or more of your checkers is safe and blocks the computer. A single checker is a blot, and a blot within six pips of an enemy checker can easily be hit, sending it all the way back. When you can, use a roll to make a point rather than to spread out.
Build a prime
Several points in a row form a prime, a wall that enemy checkers can't jump over. Six in a row is a full prime: anything behind it is trapped until you break it. Even four or five in a row in your home board makes it very hard for the computer to escape or re-enter after you hit it.
Know when to race
Count the pips: the total distance your checkers still have to travel, compared with the computer's. When you're well ahead and your checkers are past the computer's, stop fighting: bring everything home safely and bear off. When you're behind, keep your back checkers in place for a while; a late hit can still turn the game.
Bearing off safely
If the computer still has checkers in your home board or on the bar, bear off carefully: keep your checkers in pairs and avoid leaving blots that could be hit on its way out. With no contact left, bear off as many as you can each roll.
Practise
Every roll comes from the game's seed, so the server can replay the whole game and check every move. The computer picks the best whole turn; on Hard it also avoids leaving blots exposed. Only wins are ranked: 100 for a single win, 200 for a gammon and 300 for a backgammon, plus a bonus for winning quickly. On a phone, the Landscape button gives a bigger board.
Frequently asked questions
What is a blot in backgammon?
A single checker alone on a point. The computer can hit it by landing there, sending it to the bar, from where it must re-enter at the start.
What's the best opening strategy in backgammon?
Use your first rolls to make points, especially your 5-point and bar point, and avoid leaving blots within easy reach of the computer's checkers.
What are a gammon and a backgammon?
A gammon is winning before the computer bears off any checker; it scores double. A backgammon is winning while it still has a checker on the bar or in your home board; it scores triple.