How Does a Game of Backgammon End?
The goal is to bring all your checkers home and bear them off first. So a game isn't decided by captures or a checkmate but by a race: whoever gets rid of all fifteen checkers first wins. The rule is the same in backgammon and long nardy.
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The last stage: bearing off
You may start bearing off (taking checkers off the board) only when all 15 of your checkers are in your home board — the last six points of your path. Until then the game goes on as usual. Once everyone is home, each number on the dice takes off a checker from the point with that number, or moves a checker inside the home board. Details and examples: bearing off rules.
The last move and the win
- The game ends the moment your last checker leaves the board. Your opponent doesn't move again.
- If the first number is enough for your last checker, the second isn't played — it isn't needed.
- There are no "answering" moves: even if your opponent is one roll from finishing too, whoever finished first wins.
That's why every roll counts at the end. Occasionally it's better not to take a checker off but to play a move inside your home board and spread the rest so that the next rolls aren't wasted.
How big the win is
| Result | The loser… | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Single game | bore off at least one checker | 1 |
| Gammon (mars) | bore off none | 2 |
| Backgammon (koks) — backgammon only | bore off none and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board | 3 |
More in gammon vs backgammon and backgammon scoring.
Can you end a game early?
Yes — by resigning, when the position is hopeless and there's no point playing on. Over a real board, players agree on what a resignation means: usually the loss of the game, sometimes with a gammon if it was unavoidable.
On NARDEON, Resign in an online match gives your opponent the whole match, so the game asks you to confirm. A match is also lost if your clock runs out, or if you don't come back within a minute after losing the connection.
End of a game vs end of a match
Online you play a match — to 1, 3, 5 or 7 points. After each game the winner's points are added to the score, and a few seconds later the Next game begins. The match ends when someone reaches the target. In each new game the first move is decided by the opening roll again — see who goes first. After the match you can offer your opponent a Rematch: if they accept, a new match starts with the same settings.
Common end-of-game arguments
- "I'd have finished next turn too!" Doesn't count: whoever takes off the last checker first wins.
- "You can't bear off a lower point with a higher number." You can, if there are no checkers left on the higher points — that's the bear-off rule.
- "A checker in my home board means a backgammon" in long nardy. There's no backgammon (koks) in long nardy, and NARDEON doesn't count one.
How to finish faster
- Bring the stragglers home first: you can't bear off until all 15 are in.
- Fill your home board evenly, without gaps — fewer rolls are wasted during the bear-off.
- If the race is lost, change your goal: bear off at least one checker and avoid the gammon. The race math tells you when that's the case.
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FAQ
When is a game of backgammon over?
The moment one player bears off their last checker. The opponent doesn't get another turn, even if they'd finish on their next roll.
Do you have to use both dice on the last move?
No. If the first number takes off your last checker, the second one isn't played — there's nothing left to move.
What happens if you resign?
Over a real board, players agree — usually it's the loss of the game, sometimes counted as a gammon if one was certain. On NARDEON, Resign in an online match hands your opponent the whole match, so the game asks you to confirm.
Is there a backgammon (triple) in long nardy?
No. In long nardy a win is 1 point, or 2 for a mars if the loser bore off nothing. The 3-point backgammon exists only in backgammon.
Updated: October 25, 2026