Backgammon vs Chess
Backgammon and chess are two of the oldest board games still played seriously around the world, and they're often sold on the same board. But they test very different skills. Here's how backgammon compares with chess — and with go and checkers.
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The short answer
| Backgammon | Chess | |
|---|---|---|
| Chance | Dice every turn | None |
| Information | Both players see everything | Both players see everything |
| Core skill | Probability, risk, timing | Calculation, planning, pattern memory |
| Typical game | 5–15 minutes; matches of several games | From 1 minute (bullet) to several hours |
| Can a beginner beat an expert? | In a single game, quite often | Practically never |
| Draws | Impossible | Common at a high level |
| Pieces | 15 identical checkers each | 16 pieces of 6 kinds each |
Backgammon and chess: different kinds of thinking
In chess, if you calculate better, you win — there is no randomness to hide behind. In backgammon, you can't calculate a single "correct line", because you don't know what you'll roll next. Instead, every move is a bet: how many of the 36 possible rolls hurt you, how many help you, and how bad the bad ones are. Strong backgammon players are good at exactly that kind of judgment. For example, a lone checker six points from an opposing checker is hit by 17 rolls out of 36 if nothing blocks the way; twelve points away, by only 3.
That's why the two games reward different people. If you enjoy deep, exact calculation, chess is the purer test. If you like weighing risk, reading a race and making the best of a bad roll, backgammon is the more forgiving and more social game.
Luck, skill and who wins
Chess has no luck, so the stronger player wins nearly every game. Backgammon has a lot of luck in a single game — which is exactly what makes it fun to play against anyone — but the luck evens out. Over a match to 7 or more points, or over hundreds of games, the better player comes out ahead with near certainty. Rating systems in both games reflect this: in backgammon the FIBS formula gives longer matches more weight because they contain less luck. More in is backgammon luck or skill.
How computers changed both games
Computers beat the best chess players in the 1990s. Backgammon fell around the same time, to programs trained by playing against themselves with neural networks rather than by brute-force search. In both games, these programs then rewrote parts of opening theory: in backgammon, several long-standard opening moves were replaced by plays the bots preferred. You can see the modern consensus on our opening moves page.
Backgammon vs go
Go, like chess, has no luck and perfect information, and it's even deeper: it was the last classic board game where computers overtook humans, in the 2010s. Go is about territory on a 19×19 grid; backgammon is a race with combat along a single track. If go appeals to you because of strategy and shape, the closest thing in the backgammon family is long nardy, where nothing is hit and the whole game is about building blocks.
Backgammon vs checkers
Checkers (draughts) is also luck-free; at the top level it's famously drawish, and the standard 8×8 game has been computer-solved — perfect play leads to a draw. Backgammon has no draws at all: every game ends with a winner, and often a gammon. The two do share equipment, though: draughts pieces make good backgammon checkers, as long as you find three extra per side.
Which should you learn?
- Want to play friends of any level and have close games? Backgammon.
- Want a game where only your own skill counts? Chess or go.
- Short on time? Backgammon — a one-point match takes a few minutes.
Learning backgammon takes about ten minutes: start with how to play backgammon or the one-page rules, then play the computer on Beginner.
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FAQ
Is backgammon harder than chess?
They're hard in different ways. Chess demands deep calculation of exact lines; backgammon demands judging probabilities and risk. A weaker player wins a single backgammon game far more often than in chess, but over a long match skill still decides.
Is backgammon a game of luck or skill?
Both. A single game has a lot of luck; over many games and longer matches skill wins out. See our page on luck and skill in backgammon for the numbers.
Why is a backgammon board on the back of a chess board?
Because both are classic two-player games and the boards fit on two sides of one folding box. The backgammon side has 24 triangles; the chess side has 64 squares.
Can you play backgammon with chess pieces?
Not properly — you need 15 checkers per side and two dice. Checkers (draughts) pieces work as backgammon checkers, but a checkers set has only 12 per side, so you'll need three more of each color.
Is there a backgammon site like chess.com?
NARDEON works in a similar spirit: play people online, ranked games with a rating, friends by link, a computer opponent and replays of your matches — in the browser, free.
Updated: October 24, 2026