Backgammonia

About Backgammonia

Backgammonia is straightforward backgammon on a screen. You roll the dice, move your checkers around the board, hit your opponent onto the bar when you catch them alone, and race to bear everything off before they do. There is a computer opponent and a two-player mode for playing someone sitting next to you.

The point is that the old set is no longer needed — the board, the checkers and the dice are all here, and a game takes as long as a game of backgammon takes. Like the other board games on this shelf, it plays perfectly well with the sound off.

How to play

Roll the dice, then click or tap the checker you want to move and the point you want to move it to. Each die is a separate move. Landing on a point with a single enemy checker sends it to the bar, and once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board you can begin bearing them off. First player to bear off everything wins.

Controls

• Mouse — click to roll and to move checkers
• Touch supported
• 2 players on one device, or vs computer

Tips to win

• Do not leave single checkers where an opponent roll can reach them; safety beats speed early.
• Build points in your home board before racing — a blocked opponent cannot re-enter from the bar.
• When you are clearly ahead in the race, stop hitting and just run for home.

Backgammonia strategy guide

Mouse or touch, nothing else. You click to roll and click to move your checkers. The old set is no longer needed — the board, the checkers and the dice are all here, and you can play classic backgammon against the computer or against a friend in 2 players mode on the same device.

Each die is a separate move. Rolling two numbers gives you two moves, not one move of their sum, and that distinction is where most newcomers go wrong. It means a roll can often be played in several genuinely different ways, and choosing between them is the whole game. Look at both orders before you commit the first checker.

Do not leave blots you cannot afford. A single checker alone on a point can be hit and sent to the bar, costing you most of its progress. Early in the game, safety beats speed: a slightly slower move that leaves everything paired is usually better than a fast one that leaves a checker exposed to a likely roll.

Build your home board before you race. Points you own in your home board are points your opponent cannot re-enter on from the bar. Getting several of them made before you start hitting turns an ordinary hit into a genuine problem for them, whereas hitting with an open home board just sends a checker back that re-enters immediately.

Know when the game has become a race. Once the two sides have passed each other and no further contact is possible, hitting is off the table and the only thing that matters is pip count. At that point stop playing safe, stop trying to be clever, and simply run for home — and if you are clearly ahead in the race, get there without taking a single unnecessary risk.

Backgammonia FAQ