Long backgammon rules of the game

Historians associate the origins of backgammon with the ancient East, although the exact place and time when the game appeared have not been established. Different legends exist, one of which tells of Persian sages who sent their rivals a new game in response to a chess riddle. Over many centuries, backgammon spread across different countries while retaining its essence: a combination of calculation, positional play, and the chance of the dice roll.

Among the many variations, short and long backgammon are particularly well known. Below, we will look at long backgammon and the basic rules of the game on our website.

Rules of Long Backgammon

Two players take part in a game. The board has 24 points, and each opponent has 15 checkers. At the beginning of the game, all of one player's checkers are placed together on the starting point, usually called the "head". The objective is to move them around the board counterclockwise, gather them in the home board, and be the first to remove them from the board.

Who Starts the Game

In the first game of a series, the opponents determine who moves first by drawing lots: each rolls one die. If the result is the same, the roll is repeated. The player who rolls the higher number receives the white checkers and the right to start the game.

The results of the draw are not used as the first game roll. After the turn order is determined, the first player separately rolls two dice and makes a move from the head using those values.

If a series of several games is played, the starting order of subsequent games depends on the "1st move in series" setting. In "Loser starts" mode, the player who lost the previous game starts the new one, while in the "Alternating" option, the right to make the first move alternates between opponents.

Checker Movement and Move Rules

Each die determines a separate move. For example, with a roll of 2:5, you can move two different checkers by 2 and 5 points or move one checker using both values consecutively, provided that the intermediate and final positions are permitted by the rules.

Only one checker may normally be moved from the head in a single turn. An exception applies to White's first move with doubles of 3:3, 4:4, and 6:6: in these cases, two checkers may be moved because the opponent's starting position prevents the double from being played in full with one checker.

An additional exception applies to Black: if White starts the game with a roll of 5:5 and Black's first roll is 4:4, Black moves one checker from the head and makes only one move.

A point occupied by at least one opposing checker is considered closed. You cannot place your checker there. There is no limit to the number of checkers on your own point.

With doubles, each rolled value is played four times. The player must use the maximum possible number of moves. If both values of a regular roll can be played, both must be played. If only one of them is available, the possible value is used; when both are individually legal but cannot be played together, the higher value is chosen.

You cannot completely decline a legal move, even if it worsens your position. If there are no legal moves at all, the turn passes to the opponent.

Blocks

Closed points can be arranged consecutively to create a barrier. However, completely blocking the opponent's path with a block of six consecutive points is allowed only if at least one of their checkers is already positioned ahead of that block. Whether this checker is in the home board or outside it does not matter.

Bear Off Checkers from the Home Board

Checkers can be removed from the board after all 15 of a player's checkers have entered the home board. To bear off a checker exactly, use the die value matching the point number: for example, a six removes a checker from the sixth point.

If there is no checker on the required point, first check whether a regular move within the home board is possible. A checker may be removed from a lower-numbered point only when there are no checkers on the point corresponding to the rolled value or on any higher points.

As at all other stages of the game, the player must use both rolled values whenever possible. You cannot deliberately choose an incomplete move if there is a way to play both dice in full.

End of the Game: Oin and Mars

The player who first removes all their checkers from the board wins. A player can also end the game early by pressing the "Resign" button; in this case, the victory is awarded to the opponent.

Two game-ending options are available on the website:

• Oin - the losing player has started bearing off checkers and removed at least one from the board; the basic loss is one stake.
• Mars - the losing player has not removed a single checker from the board; this result is worth two stakes.

The setting selected when creating the game limits the size of the loss. With the "Oin" option, any outcome is paid as one stake. With "Mars" enabled, a regular Oin remains one stake, while Mars results in a double loss.

The same rule applies to voluntary resignation: the system considers the actual checker positions when the "Resign" button is pressed and the selected game-ending option.

Right to the Last Roll

There is usually no draw in long backgammon. However, the website allows you to enable the right to the last roll. It gives the player who started second the opportunity to make a final roll after the opponent has already removed their last checker. If the second player also completes bearing off with this roll, the game is recorded as a draw.

Several Practical Principles

In long backgammon, it is important not only to move your checkers forward faster but also to control points along the opponent's path. It is useful to leave options in advance for different dice values, avoid situations where a high double cannot be used in full, and ensure that your own checkers do not accumulate in inconvenient positions.

• Try to occupy several consecutive points while maintaining paths for moving your own checkers.
• Do not assess a move based on a single roll: the position should remain comfortable for subsequent dice values as well.
• When building a block, consider the rule of six closed points and the positions of the opponent's checkers.
• At the end of the game, distribute checkers in the home board in advance to reduce the number of unused rolls when bearing off.

The better a player understands the requirement to complete a full move, the restrictions on moving checkers from the head, and the rules for building blocks, the less the outcome depends on a random roll and the more it depends on the chosen position.