Backgammon Bar Rules: A Guide for Beginners

Success in backgammon is in large part about how you apply strategy and skillful thinking to the luck of the dice you roll. However, before you can do that, you need to ensure that you understand the core mechanics of the game. One of the most important of those mechanics is the “bar,” an important element that can effectively dictate the pace of the game.

If you’re a beginner, it’s important to understand the bar and the rules around it. Even if you’re more experienced, make sure that you’re not forgetting the importance it plays in your game. In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about the backgammon bar, from entering and escaping to strategic moves that can give you an advantage.

Understanding the Backgammon Bar

The bar in backgammon is the name we give to the central divider that runs down the middle of the board, separating the two halves of place. When you hit an opponent’s checker (or piece) with your own, then you send it to the bar, removing it from play for the moment. The bar is effectively like the “jail” or “graveyard” in other games. You can’t use the checkers that are in it. That is, of course, until you re-enter your checker back into the board.

In Backgammon, each player has 15 checkers, and the board is divided into four quadrants. There’s the player’s home board, the player’s outer board, the opponent’s home board, and the opponent’s outer board. All of the pieces start in each player’s outer board. Then, you spend turns moving your checkers from the starting position in the outer board, towards and into the home board, and then you bear your checkers off the board, effectively crossing the finishing line with them. Victory is won by bearing all of your pieces off the board before the opponent does the same for their own. As pieces can only move in one direction, progress is typically halted by either defending positions so that the opponent can’t pass or by sending their pieces to the bar.

When you hit an opponent’s piece with your own, they are removed and sent to the bar, providing that they are a blot (aka, they don’t have any other pieces in the same space.) Not only do pieces on the bar have to be re-entered into play at the cost of a roll, but the player cannot move any other checkers until they have freed all checkers from the bar.

Rules for Entering from the Bar

When a piece is sent to the bar, the player must roll dice to have it re-enter the board. In order to do so, they have to roll a number that would allow them to land on an open point on the opponent’s home board. Like all boards, the opponent’s home board has six points (also known as positions, from 1 to 6). These positions can be occupied by one or more checkers belonging to either player. The following outlines the rules on how you can re-enter pieces from the bar:

Rolling to Re-Enter

When your turn comes, if you have any checkers on the bar, then you have to use your dice rolls to bring at least one of them back onto the board before you can move any of your other pieces currently on the board.

Open Points

In order to put a checker back in play, you have to roll a number that would allow it to land on an open point. For instance, if you roll a 3 and a 4, then you can choose to have the checker move to position 3 or position 4 on the opponent’s home board. However, they can only do this if they are free, which is when they are either empty or occupied by your own checkers. You cannot move into a space occupied by an opponent’s checkers unless they are a blot (there’s only one of the opponent’s checkers in the space.) If you can’t enter onto an open point, you lose your turn and must try again on your next roll.

Single or Multiple Checkers on the Bar

If you have more than one checker on the bar, you must roll to re-enter each checker one by one. The dice rolls must correspond to open points in the opponent's home board. If neither die allows for a valid re-entry, the player loses the turn and must wait for the next opportunity.

If a checker is on the bar, then the first and only valid move is to re-enter it when possible. If you’re not able to re-enter the checker, then rather than spending the dice elsewhere, you have to skip your turn. This can make it very frustrating if you have multiple pieces stuck on the bar and are unable to re-enter.

Navigating Backgammon’s Jail

The bar functions like "jail" in backgammon, and navigating this jail requires both luck and strategy. When your checker is sent to the bar, it is effectively in limbo and cannot contribute to your position until re-entry. Being in jail is a vulnerable position, as it forces you to focus entirely on re-entering rather than advancing or defending other checkers on the board.

When you’re playing competitively, being sent to the bar multiple times is one of the outcomes you most want to avoid, as it can lead to a major setback, losing your turn economy and allowing a greater advantage to the opponent. As such, players often aim to send the opponent’s checkers to the bar, to allow them more opportunities to control the board while their rival’s progress. By learning how to take advantage of the bar, you can manipulate the pace of the game.

Navigating backgammon’s jail and reducing time spent on the bar is all about prioritizing open points in the opponent’s home board, and keeping an eye out for when moves might put you at risk of being sent back to the bar. Since being sent to the bar drastically limits your options for movement (since you have to wait until you can free your pieces first), you want to do what you can to prevent it, such as building a strong formation in your own home board, deterring the opponent from trying to hit your checkers.

To effectively navigate the jail and reduce time spent on the bar, prioritize open points in your opponent's home board and anticipate when certain moves might increase your risk of being sent back to the bar. Likewise, building a strong formation in your own home board can help deter opponents from hitting your checkers, reducing the likelihood of getting stuck in jail.

Strategy to Escape the Bar

While escaping the bar can sometimes feel like a matter of luck, there are strategic steps that can increase your chances of re-entering efficiently:

Identify Open Points

Keep an eye out for any try to always bear in mind the open points in the opponent’s home board, especially as they’re making their moves. This way, you can better your expectations for when you can re-enter.

Avoiding Risky Moves

Sometimes, it’s better to play conservatively and avoid leaving blots (single checkers) that your opponent can hit. This way, you minimize the risk of being sent back to the bar and focus on advancing your pieces in a controlled manner.

Build Your Home Board

Building up your own home board can offer you a means to shift things in your favor, too. This way, if you’re able to send your opponent’s piece back to the bar, it becomes harder for them to re-enter, too. When you’re in a stalemate position of both having checkers on the bar, having a more tightly guarded home board is going to help you get back into play soon.

Effective bar strategy involves balancing the desire for progress with the need to play defensively. Sometimes sacrificing a checker to the bar temporarily can be a worthwhile tradeoff if it supports a longer-term plan of gaining control over the board.

Key Rolls to Leave the Bar

You may not be able to control what rolls you when trying to leave the bar, but it’s still a good idea to know what rolls could be more advantageous, and when they can offer you an opportunity to get back on the board.

Rolling Doubles

When you roll doubles, you get four moves. For instance, if you roll two fours, you can move four spaces four times, rather than two times. If the point associated with that number is open, you can use the roll to place a checker onto it and move additional checkers on the board.

Rolling High and Low Numbers

Having a range of high and low numbers in your roll (such as a 2 and a 6) increases the likelihood of finding an open point for re-entry. High rolls provide flexibility for open points further away in your opponent's home board, while low rolls can help with points closer to the bar.

Keeping these rolls in mind allows players to remain patient and calculate their options effectively, using the numbers rolled to optimize re-entry chances.

The Role of Blots in Backgammon

As mentioned, blots are what we call it when a single checker is on a space. Blots are vulnerable pieces that can be sent to the bar when hit by the rival’s pieces. Blots can be used to put pressure on opponent positions or to make aggressive and bold plays that can send multiple opponent pieces to the bar. When considering moves that leave blots, players should weigh the potential benefits of advancing or capturing versus the risk of being hit.

Leaving Blots

It may sometimes be advantageous, or even necessary, to leave a blot by moving one piece off of a position it shares with another of your pieces. That said, it’s wise to only leave blots where it may be tough for the opponent to hit them, or when you can potentially gain a lot more than you risk.

Hitting Opponent’s Blots

Sending an opponent’s checker to the bar by hitting a blot can delay their game, as they must roll for re-entry before making any further moves. Capturing blots in your own home board can be particularly effective, as it blocks your opponent’s re-entry options, slowing their progress even more.

Using Blots Strategically

Advanced players use blots as part of their offensive strategy, creating opportunities to capture, disrupt, or block the opponent’s checkers. Beginners can learn from this approach by cautiously testing when leaving a blot might yield a strategic advantage.

Understanding when and where to leave blots is a significant part of mastering backgammon, as it blends elements of risk management with strategic positioning.

Mastering Backgammon’s Capture Rules

When you land one of your checkers on a space occupied by an opponent’s blot and send it to the bar, this is what we call capturing or hitting. Effectively being able to capture opponent pieces without having your own captured is often the core of a game of backgammon. Use the capturing rules to your advantage.

Capture Opportunities

The best captures disrupt your opponent’s progress, such as when they’re in their home board or close to bearing off their checkers. Focus on creating these opportunities so you can majorly delay them.

Blocking Opponents

If you control a lot of points in your home board, it can make sense to shift focus to capturing enemy checkers. If you can occupy a lot of your home board spaces, you have a greater chance of preventing the rival from re-entering them, wasting their turns.

Deciding When Not to Capture

Sometimes, capturing may not be the best option. If capturing could put your checker in a vulnerable position or open up your home board, it might be better to leave the opponent’s checker on the board and focus on bearing off or consolidating your checkers.

Backgammon Is All About Understanding The Bar

An understanding of backgammon’s bar rules is key to developing a strategic approach to how you play. Mitigating the risk of having your pieces sent to the bar and capturing them strategically is the true meat of the game. By applying these guidelines and strategies, new players can improve their skills and enjoy the tactical depth that makes Backgammon an enduring and exciting game.

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