Backgammon
2 players · 10–20 min
Backgammon here is played as Bulgarian "tabla" (Portes) — the most popular variant in Bulgaria. You bring all 15 of your checkers home and bear them off before your opponent; the match is played to 5 points (3, 5 or 7 by choice).
Play BackgammonHow to play Backgammon
- Rolling. You roll two dice and move your checkers according to the numbers shown; doubles are played four times. Each new game is opened by the winner of the previous one.
- Hitting. A lone opponent checker can be hit — it goes to the bar and must re-enter before that player moves any other checker.
- Bearing off. Once all your checkers are in your home board, you start bearing them off.
- Points. A plain win scores 1 point, a "mars" (the opponent hasn't borne off a single checker) scores 2; there is no doubling cube.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Backgammon?
Backgammon is played by two people with dice; you move 15 checkers around the board and win a game by being the first to bear off all of them. The match is played to 5 points.
What is a mars in backgammon?
A mars is a win where the opponent hasn't borne off a single checker — it scores 2 points instead of 1.