Learn backgammon
Short, practical guides to play better backgammon, from your very first roll onwards.
New to the game? Start with the rules of backgammon and keep the glossary at hand.
Learn gathers practical guides for every backgammon player. There are nineteen: the best play for all 15 opening rolls, move notation, when to double, take or pass, dice odds, how to count pips, when to hit, which anchor to hold, the five game plans, priming, blitz, holding, the back game, bearing off, gammons, the main variants, your PR, tournaments, mistakes and match play. More guides will follow, each focused on one skill.
The best way to use them is simple: read a guide, then try what it teaches at the board. In Practice mode, the Megammon Engine grades every move as you play it and draws the best move on the board, so you can check a guide against your own decisions, one roll at a time. You can play the bot with no sign-up, so reading and practicing are only a click apart.
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Backgammon back game: how to play it, and when to avoid it
What a back game is, how it differs from a holding game, which anchors to hold, why timing decides it, the gammon risk, defending against one, and the cube.
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Backgammon holding game: how to play from behind
What a holding game is, how it differs from a back game, when to choose it, how to play it, when to break and run, defending, and cube tendencies.
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Backgammon notation: how to read and write moves
Point numbers, moves like 13/7 8/7, hits, the bar and bearing off, doubles, cube actions and how to read a full match transcript.
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Backgammon blitz: attack hard, close the board
What a blitz is, when to start one, how to sustain the attack, close out the board, when it fails, defending, and cube tendencies.
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Backgammon priming: build a prime that holds
What a prime is, how to build and walk a full six-point prime, keep timing, escape an opponent's wall, and read the cube in priming games.
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Backgammon match play: the Crawford rule and thinking at the score
Match play to N points, the Crawford rule, post-Crawford doubles, free drops, DMP, and how the score changes checker play and the cube.
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Common backgammon mistakes: what beginners get wrong, and how to fix it
The common beginner mistakes in backgammon: playing too safe, stacking checkers, ignoring the race and the cube, and how to fix each one with practice.
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Backgammon tournaments: how they work, and how to prepare
How backgammon tournaments work: knockout, double elimination and Swiss formats, divisions, over-the-board rules, the clock, etiquette, and how to prepare for your first event.
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Gammons in backgammon: how to win one, and how to save one
What a gammon and a backgammon are worth, when to play for a gammon and when to stop, how to save one when you're losing, and how gammons change the cube and match play.
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How to get better at backgammon: measure your PR, then lower it
What your PR means, how it's calculated and what a good one is, then a 5-step plan to lower it: review your matches, drill your mistakes and fix your cube.
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Backgammon variants: the other games on the same board
Nackgammon, hypergammon, acey-deucey, Turkish tavla, the Greek tavli games, long nardy and jacquet: what each variant changes, and which one to learn first.
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Backgammon anchors: which to make, and when to let go
What an anchor is, why the golden point is usually the best one, when to make an anchor, how to play from it, when to give it up and how to play against one.
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How to count pips in backgammon: the pip count made easy
What the pip count is, why it starts at 167, four quick ways to count it, how rolls and hits change it, and how to tell who is ahead in the race.
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When to hit in backgammon: blots, hits and safe play
What a hit is worth in pips and tempo, 5 reasons to hit and 5 to play safe, how risky hitting loose is, which blot to leave, and when to slot.
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Bearing off in backgammon: how to take your checkers off fast and safely
The bear-off rules in brief, the fastest technique in a race, how to bear off safely against contact, and when to save or play for a gammon.
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Backgammon strategy: the 5 game plans and when to use them
Racing, priming, blitzing, holding and back games: what each plan aims for, how to choose between them, and 8 strategy tips for beginners.
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Backgammon odds and probabilities: the numbers behind every move
The 36 rolls, the chance of hitting a blot at any distance, entering from the bar and bearing off, and how to count shots at the board in seconds.
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Backgammon doubling strategy: when to double, take or pass
The take point, the doubling window, too-good positions, race rules of thumb and the cube in match play: the ideas behind every cube decision.
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Backgammon opening moves: the best play for every roll
The best play for each of the 15 opening rolls in one chart, the four simple ideas behind them, and what changes in match play.
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