How to play
Each player has 15 checkers and races them around the board, in opposite directions, into their home (the last six points), then bears them off. The board here stands upright: White moves down the left column and up the right, and bears off at the top right. Online, Black sees the board turned so their own checkers do the same.
Roll two dice and move one checker by each number (the same checker twice if you like). Doubles play four times. You can land on an empty point, on your own checkers, or on a point with a single checker of the other player’s, which hits it to the bar. A point with two or more of their checkers is closed.
A checker on the bar must come back in, in the other player’s home, before you move anything else. Once all fifteen of your checkers are home you can bear off: a die takes off a checker from that point, or from the furthest point back if the die is bigger. You must use both dice if you can (or the bigger one if only one fits).
The first to bear off everything wins one point, or two for a gammon if the other player hasn’t borne off any, or three for a backgammon if they also still have a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home. There’s no doubling cube.
Tips
Make points (two or more checkers together) rather than leaving single checkers where they can be hit, especially in your home board, where a closed point keeps a hit checker stuck on the bar. Six closed points in a row (a prime) can’t be passed at all. When the race is clear, just run home. The pip counts under the dice show who’s ahead.