The oldest game, on the finest boards ever made.

Setting up the board

Backgammon is a race. Two players each move fifteen checkers around a board of twenty-four points, and the first to bring every checker home and bear them off wins.

Each side mirrors the other. Place two checkers on your 24-point, five on your 13-point, three on your 8-point, and five on your 6-point. The board divides into four quadrants of six points; your home board is where every checker is heading.

The object of the game

1. Roll two dice and move your checkers toward your home board.
2. Each die is a separate move; doubles are played twice.
3. A point held by two or more checkers is closed to your opponent.
4. Bring all fifteen checkers home, then bear them off.
5. The first player to bear off every checker wins.

Build and hold key points

Luck decides a roll. Position decides the game.

Making your 5-point and bar-point early builds a wall your opponent struggles to pass. Strong points are the backbone of every winning position.

Run, or build a prime

A running game suits you when you lead the race. A priming game — consecutive points that trap a checker behind a wall — turns a deficit into a win.

The doubling cube

Matches are won and lost on the cube. Doubling when you hold a real edge, and dropping one you cannot answer, is the discipline that defines a strong player.