How to Play Tavla (Backgammon): Complete Rules for Beginners

Tavla — known internationally as backgammon — is one of the oldest board games still played competitively today, and it's the backbone of GAMEAREA's Classics catalog. Here's everything you need to play your first game with confidence.

The board and setup

The board has 24 triangular points split into four quadrants of six. Each player starts with 15 checkers arranged in a fixed formation: 2 on their 24-point, 5 on their 13-point, 3 on their 8-point, and 5 on their 6-point (mirrored for the opponent). You move your checkers in opposite directions around the board toward your own "home board."

Rolling and moving

Each turn you roll two dice and move checkers by the number of pips shown — you can move one checker twice or split the move between two checkers. Rolling doubles (e.g. 4-4) lets you play that number four times instead of two.

Hitting and the bar

If you land on a point occupied by a single opposing checker, you hit it — sending it to the bar. A checker on the bar must re-enter the board at the opponent's home board before any other move is allowed. Two or more opposing checkers on a point form a "block" you can't land on.

Bearing off

Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you can start bearing them off — removing them from play using your dice rolls. The first player to bear off all 15 checkers wins the game.

Ready to put the rules into practice? Play Tavla on GAMEAREA against real opponents with ranked and casual matchmaking.