Is backgammon a game of luck or skill?

Both: single games swing on dice, but across many games the better player wins decisively — position, safety and timing compound.

What should a beginner focus on first?

Two habits: don't leave unnecessary blots, and make points in front of your opponent's rear checkers. Those two cover most beginner losses.

Can I learn backgammon by playing free online?

Yes — TimeWellLost's backgammon runs free in the browser with statistically fair dice and a first-game tutorial that teaches movement, hitting and bearing off as you play.

Learn Backgammon: A Complete Beginner's Guide

Backgammon is a two-player race game played on a board of 24 triangles (points) with 15 checkers each and two dice — one of the oldest games still played, with roots going back about five thousand years. You race your checkers around the board into your home quarter and then bear them off; the first player to remove all fifteen wins. Dice provide the luck, but checker placement decides who wins over time.

▶ Play Backgammon free — learn by doing

How a game works, step by step

Know your direction. Your checkers travel one way around the four quadrants toward your home board (bottom-right on our board); your opponent's go the opposite way.
Roll and move. Each turn you roll two dice. Each die moves one checker that many points — one checker can use both dice in two hops. Doubles are played four times.
Blocked and open points. You may land on any point except one holding two or more enemy checkers. Two of your own checkers on a point "make" it — safe for you, blocked for them.
Hitting. A lone checker (a blot) can be hit: land on it and it goes to the bar, and its owner must re-enter it in your home board before doing anything else.
Bearing off. Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board, dice remove them — exact rolls, or higher rolls from your rearmost point. First to bear off all 15 wins; if the loser bore off none it's a gammon (2 points).

A worked example

You roll 6-5 on the opening. The classic beginner-safe play is "lover's leap": run one back checker 6 then 5, from your opponent's home board to safety in their outer board. It escapes one of your two most vulnerable checkers before a wall forms in front of it.

Five mistakes every beginner makes

Leaving blots inside your opponent's home board, where hits cost the whole trip back.
Racing with your rear checkers too late — escape them early, before they're trapped.
Never hitting: sending an enemy checker back 20+ pips is usually worth a small risk.
Stacking six checkers on one point — flexible pairs beat tall towers.
Ignoring the pip count: if you're clearly ahead, stop fighting and just run.

Glossary

Point: One of the 24 triangles. "Making a point" = holding it with 2+ checkers.
Blot: A lone checker that can be hit.
Bar: The middle ridge where hit checkers wait to re-enter.
Pip count: Total dice-distance you still need to bring every checker home and off.
Bearing off: Removing checkers once all fifteen reach your home board.
Gammon: Winning before the loser bears off a single checker — double points.

Learning FAQ

Is backgammon a game of luck or skill?: Both: single games swing on dice, but across many games the better player wins decisively — position, safety and timing compound.
What should a beginner focus on first?: Two habits: don't leave unnecessary blots, and make points in front of your opponent's rear checkers. Those two cover most beginner losses.
Can I learn backgammon by playing free online?: Yes — TimeWellLost's backgammon runs free in the browser with statistically fair dice and a first-game tutorial that teaches movement, hitting and bearing off as you play.

Ready to try?

The fastest way to learn Backgammon is a real game with the rules enforced for you: play Backgammon free at TimeWellLost — the first game includes a step-by-step tutorial.