Backgammon Quiz

Ten questions a round — rules, terms, openings and the variants

How well do you actually know the game? Ten questions per round, drawn from a larger pool, so a second attempt is not the same paper. Every answer comes with the reasoning and a link to the guide it is based on. Nothing is recorded, nothing needs an account — go and play when you are done.

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Every question, with the answer

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Basics

How many checkers does each player have?

15 — Fifteen each, thirty on the board in total. Read more

In the standard setup, how many checkers start on your 13-point?

Five — The 13-point (the midpoint) holds five — the biggest stack of the opening position: 2 on the 24, 5 on the 13, 3 on the 8 and 5 on the 6. Read more

What is the pip count at the start of a standard game?

167 — 167 for each side. (Nackgammon starts at 194, Hypergammon at 69.) Read more

Terms

What is a blot?

A point with exactly one checker — A lone checker on a point. It can be hit and sent to the bar. Read more

What is an anchor?

A point you own inside your opponent's home board — A made point in the opponent's home board. It keeps your back checkers safe and gives you a base to work from. Read more

You bear off all fifteen checkers before your opponent bears off a single one. What is that called?

A gammon — A gammon — worth double. If they also still have a checker on the bar or in your home board, it is a backgammon, worth triple. Read more

Rules

One of your checkers is on the bar. May you move a different checker first?

No — the checker on the bar must enter first — While you have a checker on the bar, nothing else may move. If it cannot enter, you forfeit the turn. Read more

You roll 4-4. How do you play it?

Four moves of four — Doubles are played four times — 4-4 gives you four moves of four. Read more

You can only play one of your two numbers, and either one would be legal on its own. Which must you play?

The higher one — You must use as much of the roll as possible, and when only one number fits, the higher one is compulsory. Read more

When may you start bearing off?

Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board — All fifteen must be home first. If one gets hit later, you must bring it all the way back before bearing off again. Read more

Your opponent has two checkers on a point. Can you land there?

No — two or more enemy checkers block the point — A point held by two or more opposing checkers is blocked. A single one is a blot and can be hit. Read more

Openings

Which opening roll is generally considered the best?

3-1 — 3-1 makes the 5-point (8/5, 6/5) straight away — the most valuable point on the board. Read more

What is the standard play with an opening 6-1?

13/7, 8/7 — make the bar point — 6-1 makes the bar point (your 7-point), the second most valuable point after the 5-point. Read more

Which roll produces the “lover's leap”?

6-5 (24/13) — With 6-5 a back checker runs all the way from the 24-point to the safety of your own 13-point. Read more

Can your very first move of a game be doubles?

No — the opening is decided by one die each, and ties are re-rolled — Each player casts a single die and the higher one starts, playing both dice. A tie is re-rolled, so the opening is always two different numbers — which is why there are fifteen opening rolls, not twenty-one. Read more

Variants

How many checkers does each player have in Hypergammon?

Three — Three, starting on the 24-, 23- and 22-points. Every other rule is unchanged. Read more

How does Nackgammon differ from backgammon?

Each side starts with four back checkers instead of two — One checker from the 6-point and one from the 13-point start on the 23-point instead, so each player has four checkers to bring home from the far corner. Read more

Where the answers come from

Every question here is settled by the rules, the starting position or established opening theory — nothing that strong players would argue about. The guides behind them: how to play, the board setup, the complete rules, the opening moves, strategy, and the variants Nackgammon and Hypergammon.