Can two people play backgammon on one device?

Yes. On this page two people share one phone, tablet or computer. Light and Dark take turns rolling and moving, and the board tells you whose turn it is.

Can I play a friend who is somewhere else?

Not yet. This mode is for two people sitting at the same screen. Playing a friend on another device is something we would like to add later.

Each side rolls one die. The higher number goes first and plays the two numbers just rolled, as in a game over a real board. If both dice match, they are rolled again.

Why do the point numbers change?

The numbers are always counted from the side whose turn it is, so the player moving can read their own 1-point to 24-point. You can switch the numbers off in Settings.

Yes. Light wins and Dark wins are counted at the top of the screen and saved in your browser on that device. Reset them in Settings when you start a new evening of games.

Is there a doubling cube?

Not yet. Each game counts on its own for now. If you play for points, you can keep a real cube next to the screen and turn it by hand.

Two Player Backgammon

Sit down with a friend, a partner or your kids and play backgammon on one screen. Light and Dark take turns, the board keeps track of the rules, and the score is kept for you. It's free and there's nothing to install.

How it works

One player takes the Light checkers and the other takes Dark. Light's home board is in the bottom right corner and Dark's is in the top right.
At the start each side rolls one die. The higher number moves first, using both numbers.
When it's your turn, press Roll dice. Your Roll button appears on your own half of the board: the right half for Light, the left half for Dark.
Tap a checker and every point it can reach lights up. Tap a lit point, or drag the checker onto it.
Press Done to pass the turn. Until then, Undo takes back the moves made this turn, so a slip of the finger is easy to fix.
Hint works for both players. It suggests a full play for the side on turn, which is handy when one of you is still learning.

Light and Dark

Light moves along the top of the board from right to left, then along the bottom from left to right, and bears off into the bottom tray. Dark makes the same journey in the other direction and bears off into the top tray. The point numbers flip to the side whose turn it is, so each player always sees their own 1-point to 24-point. That makes it easy to talk about moves, and to look them up in our opening moves table.

The two numbers at the top of the screen are the pip counts for Light and Dark. Both start on 167. The side with the lower number is ahead in the race.

Tips for playing on one screen

Lay a tablet flat between you. It feels most like a real board, and both players can reach their checkers.
On a phone, turn it sideways and pass it across after each turn.
Agree on Undo before you start. Most players allow changes until Done is pressed, which matches the real rule: a turn ends when you pick up your dice.
Teaching someone new? Leave the point numbers on and use Hint together. Talk through why a move is good, not just where it goes.
Keep a running score. The Light wins and Dark wins counters stay until you reset them, so you can play a set of games over an evening.

Why play backgammon face to face

Backgammon has been a two-person game for about 5,000 years. Much of the fun is in the moment the dice land: the groan when your opponent rolls the one number that hits you, the cheer when you roll a double to escape. Playing side by side keeps that. It's also the best way to teach the game. A new player picks up more in three games next to someone who knows it than in an hour of reading.

If you'd like to practise between games, you can always play against the computer at four levels from Easy to Extreme.

The rules in short

Each side has 15 checkers and moves them by the roll of two dice. A double is played four times.
You can land on an empty point, a point with your own checkers, or a point with a single enemy checker, which is then hit and put on the bar.
A checker on the bar must come back in before anything else moves.
When all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you bear them off. The first side to bear off all 15 wins.
Winning before the other side has borne off any checkers is a gammon, worth two games. If they still have a checker on the bar or in your home board, it's a backgammon, worth three.

For everything else, see the full backgammon rules or the beginner guide to how to play backgammon. If you're setting up a real board as well, our setup guide shows where every checker goes.

Questions

Can two people play backgammon on one device?: Yes. On this page two people share one phone, tablet or computer. Light and Dark take turns rolling and moving, and the board tells you whose turn it is.
Can I play a friend who is somewhere else?: Not yet. This mode is for two people sitting at the same screen. Playing a friend on another device is something we would like to add later.
Who goes first?: Each side rolls one die. The higher number goes first and plays the two numbers just rolled, as in a game over a real board. If both dice match, they are rolled again.
Why do the point numbers change?: The numbers are always counted from the side whose turn it is, so the player moving can read their own 1-point to 24-point. You can switch the numbers off in Settings.
Is the score kept?: Yes. Light wins and Dark wins are counted at the top of the screen and saved in your browser on that device. Reset them in Settings when you start a new evening of games.
Is there a doubling cube?: Not yet. Each game counts on its own for now. If you play for points, you can keep a real cube next to the screen and turn it by hand.