About Backgammon on Suvi
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games there is: two players race fifteen checkers each around a board of 24 points and bear them off, with two dice deciding how far you go. Land on a lone enemy checker and you send it back to the start; build walls of points and your opponent can't get past. On Suvi you can play backgammon online free against the computer at three levels (Easy plays for fun, Medium knows its points and blots, Hard looks at every roll you could throw back) or play a friend on one phone. The full rules are here: the bar, bearing off, doubles played four times, gammons and backgammons, and an optional doubling cube. Nothing to download and no account needed.
How to play
- Choose vs Computer (Easy, Medium or Hard) or Two players, and who goes first. The first turn plays the opening roll.
- Tap Roll, then tap a checker and one of the lit points to move it by a die. Doubles let you move four times.
- Land on a lone opposing checker to hit it onto the bar; it must come back in before its owner moves anything else.
- When all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board, bear them off. First to bear off all fifteen wins.
- Win before your opponent bears off any checker for a gammon (2 points); if they still have one on the bar or in your home board, it's a backgammon (3).
Controls
On a phone or tablet: Tap Roll (or the dice). Tap a checker, then a lit point or your tray to bear off; Undo takes back a checker move, Done ends your turn.
On a desktop: Click to roll and move: a checker, then a lit point. R or Space rolls, Enter is Done, Backspace or Z undoes a checker move, H asks for a hint.
Tips
- Make points (two or more checkers on one point) rather than leaving single checkers, called blots, where they can be hit.
- Your 5 point and your 7 point (the bar point) are the most useful to make early on.
- Count pips: the numbers under the board show how far each side has to go. Ahead in the race, get past and run; behind, hold a point in your opponent's home board and wait for a shot.
- Several points in a row (a prime) trap the checkers behind it. Six in a row can't be jumped at all.
- With the cube on, double when you're clearly ahead but not yet sure to win; take a double if you'd still win about one game in four.
Read the full guide: “Backgammon strategy for beginners” →
Questions
- Can I play backgammon against a friend?
- Yes. Choose Two players and pass the phone between turns; type both names and the score for the evening is kept at the top. To play a friend on their own phone, choose Online with a friend and send the invite link. There's no account to make: it asks once for your date of birth, and online play isn't open to under-13s.
- How good is the computer?
- Easy moves at random but likes to hit. Medium judges every move by the race, the safety of its checkers and the points it holds. Hard also works out what you could roll back for every move it considers, and is a proper game for a decent player.
- Are the dice fair?
- Yes. Every roll comes from a random seed set when the game starts, the same for both players, and the computer never sees a roll before it happens. Doubles come up one roll in six, as with real dice.
- Is there a doubling cube?
- Yes, off by default. Tap the cube in the middle of the board to switch it on for your next game. Before rolling you may offer to double the points; your opponent takes and plays on, or drops and loses the current points.
- Can I undo a move?
- Within your turn, yes: Undo takes back checker moves until you tap Done. Once a turn is done it stands, as on a real board, because the next rolls are already set.
- Is it free?
- Yes. Backgammon against the computer at Easy, Medium or Hard, a game for two on one phone, and a game with a friend by invite link are all free, with no account and nothing to download. Your record at each level is kept on this device.
More Backgammon
Similar games
- Four in a Row — Drop discs, line up four. Play the computer or a friend on one phone.
- Sea Battle — Hide your fleet, hunt theirs. Play the computer, or a friend on your own phones.
- Solitaire — Klondike, Spider and Free Cell. A winnable daily deal in each.
Who made it
Backgammon is a Suvi Original, written and tested by Brasslight Games. Every puzzle is generated and checked by our own tools; nothing is copied from another site.