Rules of backgammon
The board layout is divided down the center by a partition, called bar. There is an outer and inner/home board for every player. The side nearest you is your outer and home board. The side furthest away is your opponent's outer and home boards.
Each side of the board has twelve spaces, called points, usually represented by triangles of different colors. The points are considered to be connected across one edge of the board, forming a continuous track. The points are numbered from 1 to 24, with checkers always moving from higher-numbered points to lower-numbered points. The two players move their checkers in opposite directions, so the 1-point for one player is noted as the 24-point for the other.
The permanent order of the starting position is:
5 checkers are on each player 6th points.
3 checkers are on the 8th point.
5 checkers are on each player's 13th point.
2 checkers are on the 24th point of each player.
Points 1 to 6 are called the home board or inner board. A player may not bear off any of his checkers until all 15 have reached his home board.
Points 7 to 12 are called the outer board, points 13 to 18 are the opponent's outer board, and points 19 to 24 are the opponent's home board.
To start the game, each player rolls a die (some rules refer to rolling both dice). The player with the higher number makes the first move. If both players roll the same number, the players roll again. In some games, the stake is automatically doubled every time the players cast the same number - others limit the automatic double to one.
Movement
Every turn the players rolls the dice and moves his pieces as dictated to by them. The idea is to try and bring all your pieces home while trying to prevent the other player by doing the same.
After rolling the two dice a player must, if possible, move checkers according to the number of points showing on each die. The dice may be played in either order. The same checker may be moved twice as long as the two moves are distinct (after playing one dice and landing somewhere successfully, you play the other dice).
A checker may land on any point that is either unoccupied or is occupied only by a player's own checkers.
A checker may never land on a point occupied by two or more enemy checkers.
It may land on a point occupied by exactly one opposing checker (aka blot). In the latter case, the blot has been hit, and is placed in the middle of the board on the bar.
A piece that has been hit must return to play in the opponent's home board. The player may not make any other move until they have brought the piece on the bar back into play. To re-enter, the piece is put on a point that is equal to the number on one of the dice cast, if that point is not 'owned' by their opponent.
If the same number appears on both dice (Double), the player who cast is entitled to four moves, not two. The player plays the two same numbers and then playing them again.
As soon as a player has all of his checkers in his home board he can start bearing off. If there are no checkers on the point as rolled you must move a checker from a higher point. If there are no checkers on higher point you can remove one from the highest point available.
A player is under no compulsion to bear off and can advance his pieces as opposed to bearing them off.
Winning types
When a player bears off all 15 of their pieces before their opponent bears off a single piece, that player wins a gammon, or double game.
When a players bears off all 15 of their pieces before their opponent bears off a single piece and that opponent has one or more pieces in the player's home board or on the bar, that player wins a backgammon, or a triple game.
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