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Backgammon board and equipment
A backgammon set is simple, and a good one is a pleasure to touch. This guide names every part, so you can follow the rules and the talk at the table.
What is in a set
- A folding board that opens flat.
- 30 checkers: 15 light and 15 dark. They are also called men, stones or pieces.
- 4 dice (a pair for each player) and 2 dice cups.
- A doubling cube with 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64.
Tournament play adds a game clock and a score sheet.
The board and the points
The board is divided into four quadrants of six points each, 24 points in all. The points are long narrow triangles, coloured alternately light and dark so that they are easy to tell apart. A vertical ridge called the bar separates the two halves, and captured checkers wait on the bar.
Each player has an inner board or home board (the six points where they finish and bear off) and an outer board. Numbering starts in your home board: points 1 to 6 are your home board, 7 to 12 are your outer board, and 13 to 24 are on your opponent's side. Your opponent's 1-point is your 24-point. Particular points have names: the 6-point, the 5-point or “golden point”, the 7-point or bar point, the 8-point, and the 13-point or midpoint. See how to play for the setup.
Sizes
A tournament board, opened flat, is typically between about 44 × 55 cm and 66 × 88 cm. Travel sets are much smaller and have flat pieces or magnetic checkers. Large sets suit the table at home or the cafe.
Checkers
Checkers are round, flat discs, usually in a light and a dark colour (often white and brown, or cream and black). There are fifteen per player. Heavy plastic, wood or stone checkers give the satisfying clack when you hit; in the cafes of Turkey, Greece and the Levant, slapping a checker down is half the pleasure.
Dice and cups
Each player has a pair of six-sided dice and a cup. Cups keep rolls honest: you shake the cup and throw both dice onto the right-hand side of the board, where they must land flat. A die that lands on a checker or off the board is rolled again. Clubs and tournaments often use precision dice with sharp edges and serial numbers. Online, the server rolls the dice and the result is the same for everyone.
The doubling cube
The doubling cube has the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64. It sits on the bar or on the side of the board of the player who owns it. Read the doubling cube guide for how to use it.
Tavla sets and other styles
In Turkey and Greece a tavla or tavli set is often a handsome wooden box, sometimes inlaid with mother-of-pearl, whose inside serves as the board and which closes with a latch to carry the checkers. Sets in Iran for takhte nard are similar. Cafe sets are plain and sturdy and take decades of slamming. See tavla, shesh besh and nard.
Numbering and direction
Every player counts the points from their own side, which confuses beginners at first. Your 1-point is the point nearest your own bar in your home board and your 24-point is on the far side, in your opponent's home board. Your opponent sees the same board turned around, so their 1-point is your 24-point. The same numbering also names checkers' journeys: a checker on your 13-point is halfway, and a checker on your 6-point is on the edge of home. Keeping this picture in mind makes opening moves such as “24/18” or “13/11” easy to read.
Because the board is a horseshoe, the movement forms a loop: your checkers start in the far corner, run along the top and bottom of the board toward you, and arrive in your home board. Your opponent runs the same lap the opposite way round.
Looking after a set
A good set lasts for generations. Keep the dice in their cups and the checkers in the box so they do not warp or scratch the points. Wipe the playing surface with a dry cloth, and store the board closed and flat. In family homes a backgammon board is often handed down with its history of arguments.
Choosing a set
- Choose a board that lies flat and has a closing latch.
- Choose checkers that stack and slide smoothly, and have some weight.
- Choose a felt or soft playing surface so that dice do not bounce wildly.
Or skip the shopping: BackgammonTalk gives you the board in your browser, with the dice, cube and a choice of boards and checkers.
Frequently asked questions
How many points are on a backgammon board?
24, in four quadrants of six. Each player's home board is six of them.
How many checkers and dice do you need?
Fifteen checkers per player, so 30 in all, and two dice for each player. A doubling cube is used for stakes.
What is the bar?
The ridge down the middle of the board. Checkers that have been hit wait on it until their owner can re-enter them.