Backgammon Rules FAQ
The basic rules of backgammon fit on a page, but the same questions come up at every table. Here are short, definite answers — checked against the rules NARDEON uses — with long nardy differences where they matter.
Play for freeNo sign-up, no download — right in your browser
Moving
1. Can you stack checkers? Is there a maximum on a point?
Yes, and there's no maximum. Any number of your own checkers can share a point. Very tall stacks are usually bad strategy — those checkers aren't doing anything — but they're legal. Some old rule books mention a limit of five; modern rules have none. More on the set: backgammon pieces.
2. Can you land on a point with your own checkers?
Yes, always. Points with your own checkers are open to you whatever the number.
3. Can you move one checker with both dice?
Yes, if the point where it stops in between is open. The full explanation, with doubles and hits on the way: can you move one checker twice.
4. Can you move backwards?
No. In backgammon the two players move in opposite directions, each toward their own home; in long nardy both go the same way round. See which way the checkers move.
5. Can you pass if you don't like your roll?
No. If any legal move exists you must play it, using both dice whenever possible. Details: what if you can't move.
Hitting and the bar
6. Do you have to hit?
No. Hitting a blot is a choice, never an obligation.
7. Can you hit more than one checker in a turn?
Yes. Each die can hit, so two hits are common, and with doubles even more. One checker can hit on its intermediate stop and again on its final point.
8. Can you move other checkers while one is on the bar?
No. Every checker on the bar must come back in first. If you can't enter, your whole turn is lost. See the bar rules.
9. Can you hit in long nardy?
No. Long nardy has no hitting and no bar. A point with even one opposing checker is simply closed to you.
Bearing off
10. Can you bear off with a checker on the bar or outside home?
No. All 15 checkers must be in your home board. If one of your checkers is hit during the bear-off, it has to re-enter and come all the way home before you continue.
11. Can you bear off with a higher number than needed?
Only from your highest occupied point. If you roll a 6 and your farthest checker is on the 4-point, you bear off from the 4-point. If you still have checkers on the 6-point or higher, the 6 must be played there. Examples: bearing off.
12. Do you have to bear off when you can?
No — you have to play the dice, not necessarily bear off. Moving a checker deeper inside your home board is also a legal way to use a die.
Blocks, dice and scoring
13. Can you build a wall of six points?
In backgammon, yes — a full prime of six points is legal and very strong. In long nardy, a six-point block is only allowed if at least one opposing checker is already past it.
14. What if a die lands crooked or off the board?
Over a real board, a die that isn't flat inside the playing area is re-rolled — both dice are rolled again. Online the dice are generated by the server, so this never comes up.
15. Do you have to double the score with doubles?
No. Doubles on the dice mean you play the number four times; they don't change the score. Doubling the value of a game is a separate thing done with the doubling cube, which NARDEON doesn't use. Points per game are explained on the scoring page.
Want to check a rule yourself?
Open a game against the computer or on one screen: NARDEON only allows legal moves, so you'll see immediately what the rules permit. The full text is on the backgammon rules and long nardy rules pages; to test yourself, try the rules quiz.
Play for freeNo sign-up, no download — right in your browser
FAQ
Is there a limit to how many checkers you can stack on one point?
No. Backgammon has no maximum: you can put as many of your own checkers on a point as you like, even all 15.
Do you have to hit if you can?
No. Hitting is always optional. You only have to play your dice; whether that move hits is your choice.
Can you move checkers backwards?
No. Your checkers only move forward, toward your home board. In backgammon a hit checker starts again from the bar, but that's not a backwards move by you.
Can you bear off if you have a checker on the bar?
No. You can only bear off when all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, and a checker on the bar isn't.
Can you split one die between two checkers?
No. Each die is one move by one checker. A 5 can't be played as 3 plus 2.
Updated: October 24, 2026