Everything from the rules to the doubling cube, written to be read once and understood.
Interactive lessons
Hitting a blot Learn hitting by doing it. A checker alone on a point can be knocked to the bar and sent back to the start — try it on a real board.
Coming in from the bar A checker on the bar must re-enter before you can do anything else. Try it on a board where one of your two dice is blocked.
Bearing off The bear-off rules people misremember, on a real board — including what happens when you roll a number higher than any checker you have left.
Take it or drop it You have been doubled. Take or drop? Work through two positions and see the arithmetic behind the 25% rule.
Guides
The rules of backgammon The complete rules of backgammon — setup, movement, hitting, bearing off, and how a game is won. Written for someone who has never played.
The doubling cube How the doubling cube works, what owning it means, and the reasoning behind offering, taking, and dropping — including why the take point is around 25%.
Gammons and backgammons A gammon is worth 2 points, a backgammon 3. Here is exactly what has to happen for each, why the distinction changes cube decisions, and how often they occur.
The pip count How to count pips quickly, what the number actually tells you, and the rough race thresholds for doubling and taking when there is no contact left.
Bearing off The exact rules for bearing off, what happens when you roll a number higher than any occupied point, and the errors that cost the most games.
Backgammon opening moves What to play with each of the fifteen opening rolls, why those plays are standard, and which ones experts still argue about.
Backgammon glossary Plain-English definitions of the backgammon terms you'll meet — anchor, blot, prime, blitz, Crawford, equity, pip, gammon and more.
Every guide is easier to follow with a board in front of you.