Long backgammon rules: a complete guide with examples

Updated: October 16, 2026

You can learn long backgammon in ten minutes and keep getting better at it for years. Here are all the rules used on NardPlay — the same ones played in Azerbaijan and Russia.

Board and checkers

The board has 24 points — 12 on each side — split into four quarters of six points. Each player has 15 checkers of their colour. At the start, all of them stand on the "head", the outermost point on their side. The two heads are diagonally opposite each other.

Direction and moves

Both players move counter-clockwise around the whole board: from the head through four quarters to their home, the last quarter.
A checker moves as many points as the die shows. Two dice are two separate moves: you can play them with two checkers or with one checker in a row (with 5-3, one checker can move 5 and then 3 more).
A double (1-1, 2-2 … 6-6) is played four times.
If both dice can be played, both must be played. If only one can, the larger one is played.

Who starts

Each player throws one die. The higher number starts. On a tie, both throw again.

The opponent's point

You may not land on a point that holds even one of your opponent's checkers. There is no hitting at all in long backgammon, which is why taking good points early matters so much.

The head

Only one checker may leave the head per turn. The exception is the very first roll of the game: with 6-6, 4-4 or 3-3 two checkers may leave the head, because that double cannot be played in full with one checker.

No six points in a row

You may not build a "fence" of six occupied points in a row unless at least one opponent checker is already ahead of it. Otherwise the opponent would be completely locked in. If one of their checkers has passed it, the fence is allowed.

Bearing off

When all 15 of your checkers are home, you can start taking them off the board. A die bears off a checker from the point of its number. If that point is empty, you must move a checker from a farther point; if there are none farther, the checker on the farthest occupied point comes off.

Winning and mars

The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins. On NardPlay a normal win against an equal opponent is worth 100 rating points.
Mars is a win when the opponent has not borne off a single checker. It counts triple: 300 points.
Home mars: the opponent brought all checkers home but bore off none. On NardPlay it is also worth 300 points.

Time per move

On NardPlay you have two minutes for each roll and move, and the timer is always visible. A player who runs out of time or leaves the game loses; if the position threatened mars, a mars is counted. The same rule applies when you resign.

Now that you know the rules, try them out. Start with games against the bot: it plays strongly but, like a real player, sometimes slips — good practice.

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