Backgammon — known across the Arab world as Tawla, Tawlet al-Zahr or, in Iraq, Tawli — is one of the oldest board games still played today. From the cafés of Damascus, Beirut and Baghdad to family gatherings in Amman, Cairo and the Gulf, the clack of checkers and the roll of the dice are part of everyday life. In Turkey the same game is called Tavla.
The idea is simple: each player races fifteen checkers around a 24-point board and bears them off. The depth comes from the choices. Every roll offers several ways to move, and you must weigh running for home against blocking your opponent, safety against risk, and when to hit a lone checker to send it all the way back. Luck decides a single roll; skill decides the game.
On Dananeer you can play backgammon online for free on iOS, Android and the web at play.dananeer.io. Challenge a friend in a private room and trash-talk over live voice and video chat, face opponents on any device with cross-play, or practise offline against bots. There is no real-money gambling — just the classic game.
Components
Backgammon is played on a board of 24 narrow triangles called points, split into four quarters of six. Each player has 15 checkers of their own colour, White or Black, and the players share two six-sided dice.
Next to the board there is a bar, where checkers that have been hit wait to come back in, and a tray for each player to collect the checkers they have borne off.
Setup
Both players start with the same mirrored layout. Counting from each player’s own side, the checkers are placed like this:
| Where | Checkers |
|---|---|
| Opponent’s 1-point (the farthest point) | 2 |
| Opponent’s 12-point (the far mid-point) | 5 |
| Your own 8-point | 3 |
| Your own 6-point | 5 |
Objective
Move all 15 of your checkers into your home board — the last six points on your path — and then bear them off the board. The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins immediately. The two players travel in opposite directions, so your checkers meet your opponent’s head on.
How a turn is played
To decide who starts, each player rolls one die and the higher number goes first. Equal rolls are rolled again. After that, players take turns:
- Roll both dice. You get one roll per turn.
- Move one checker by the number on one die, and a checker (the same one or another) by the number on the other die. Each die is a separate move.
- If you roll a double, such as 4 and 4, you play that number four times instead of twice.
- If no legal move exists for your roll, your turn is lost and passes to your opponent.
Moving and hitting
A checker may land on any point that is empty, holds your own checkers, or holds exactly one opposing checker. A point with two or more opposing checkers is blocked, and you cannot land there. There is no limit on how many of your own checkers can stack on one point.
A single checker alone on a point is called a blot. If you land on your opponent’s blot you hit it: that checker is taken off the board and put on the bar, and it must start its journey again from the beginning. Keeping two or more checkers together on a point makes it safe from hits and blocks your opponent at the same time.
The bar: entering after a hit
A checker on the bar must re-enter the board in your opponent’s home board before you can do anything else. Each die shows which of those six points you may enter on: a 1 brings you in on the farthest point, a 6 on the sixth.
The entry point follows the normal landing rules. You can enter on an empty point, your own point, or a point with one opposing checker — which hits it. If both dice point to blocked points, you cannot enter and your whole turn is lost. As long as any of your checkers is on the bar, you may not move any other checker.
Bearing off
You may start bearing off only when all 15 of your checkers are in your home board and none are on the bar. A roll that exactly matches a checker’s distance from the edge takes it off: a 1 removes a checker from the point closest to the edge, a 6 from the point farthest from it.
If you roll a number higher than any point you still occupy, you may bear off a checker from your highest occupied point. You may also use a die to move a checker inside your home board instead of bearing off. If one of your checkers is hit while you are bearing off, you must bring it back in and home again before you can continue.
Using both dice
You must use as many dice as the position allows. If there is a way to play both numbers — or all four with a double — you have to find it. If only one of the two numbers can be played, you must play that one, and if you can play either number but not both, you must play the higher one.
Winning
The game ends the moment a player bears off their fifteenth checker, and that player wins. On Dananeer a single game decides the result and there is no doubling cube, so every game is played start to finish at the same stake.
Strategy tips
- Build points in a row in front of your opponent’s back checkers. A wall of blocked points makes it very hard for them to escape.
- Avoid leaving blots within six points of an opposing checker when you can — that is where they are easiest to hit.
- Get your two back checkers moving early; if they get trapped behind a wall, you may lose many turns.
- When you are well ahead in the race, stop fighting and run safely for home; when you are behind, keep contact and look for a hit.
- Count the race: each side starts 167 pips from home. Knowing who is ahead tells you whether to race or to block.
- Close points in your home board before hitting when possible, so a hit checker struggles to come back in.
Frequently asked questions
How many checkers does each player have in backgammon?
Each player has 15 checkers. They start on four points: 2, 5, 3 and 5 checkers.
What happens when you roll a double in backgammon?
You play the number four times instead of twice. For example, double 3 lets you make four moves of 3.
Can you land on a point with your opponent’s checkers?
Only if there is exactly one opposing checker, which you then hit and send to the bar. A point with two or more opposing checkers is blocked.
What happens if you cannot move in backgammon?
If no legal move exists for your roll — for example, your checker is on the bar and every entry point is blocked — your turn is lost.
When can I start bearing off?
Only when all 15 of your checkers are in your home board and none of them is on the bar.
Is Tawla the same as backgammon?
Yes. Tawla, Tawla al-Zahr, Tawli and Tavla are the regional names for backgammon, the race game played with 15 checkers and two dice.
Can I play backgammon online for free?
Yes. Dananeer lets you play backgammon free on iOS, Android and the web, against friends in private rooms with voice and video chat, or offline against bots.
