Backgammon Bearing Off Rules: A Complete Guide

New to backgammon? Despite being more difficult than other commonly-played games, it’s much easier to pick up than most people believe. After you’ve played a few rounds, you’ll have a good understanding of how the game works — and from there, you’ll be on your way to becoming a backgammon master.

Whether you’re a newcomer or an expert, you’ll need to know about the bearing off process. After all, if you have ambitions to win, then it’s the bearing off process that’ll make it possible.

We’ve put together a detailed guide on everything you need to know about bearing off below, though if you’re one of those people who prefer to learn by doing, then load up a game at 247backgammon.org. As well as offering a convenient way to play, the website also provides a convenient way to learn the rules, since the moves you can make are clearly highlighted.

OK, with that out the way, let’s take a closer look at what you need to know about bearing off.

Understanding Bearing Off in Backgammon

Why is bearing off so important in backgammon? Because it determines who wins! The first player to bear off all of their pieces is declared the winner of the game.

You can’t just start bearing off and removing pieces from the board, however. Before doing so, you’ll need to meet the bearing off requirements.

The first rule is that all of your pieces must be on your home board. If there are any outside or on the bar, then you’ll need to wait until you begin bearing off.

Note that the bearing off process doesn’t just determine who wins the game. It also determines how they win.

Let’s say you’ve cleared all of your pieces and have won the game. If your opponent has managed to clear off any pieces, then your victory will just be a standard win. If they haven’t bore off any of their pieces, then you’ll have earned a ‘gammon’ victory. And if your opponent hasn’t yet moved all of their pieces into their home board, or they still have some on the bar, then your victory will be a ‘backgammon.’

If you achieve backgammon, then give yourself a big pat on the back — those types of victories are rare, occurring only around 1% of the time.

Strategic Tips for Bearing Off

If you thought that moving all of your checkers into home territory and then slowly removing them all was all it took to be successful when bearing off, then you’re in for a rude awakening! Getting your pieces into position is a good starting point, but remember that there are still plenty of things that can derail your success.

You’ll need to take a strategic approach to removing your pieces. Failure to do so will give your opponent an opportunity to forge a path to victory of their own.

There’s no magical way to guarantee success when bearing off, but there are things you can do that’ll increase your chances of success, such as the following tips:

Bear Off The Last Pieces Into Your Home Board First

Not all pieces in your home board should be treated equally. Why? Because some are more vulnerable than others. The pieces that enter your home board last will be in a comparatively weak position since they’ll still be close to the bar. It wouldn’t take much for your opponent to transport that piece to the bar, which would then halt your path to victory. You’ll be able to recover and can still win the game, but it’s not preferable.

The solution? Work on bearing off those pieces first. The pieces closer to home are relatively easy to bear off. If you’ve got the checkers on the outer edge off the board, then you can be reasonably confident that you’ll secure victory.

Take Your Time and Be Methodical

There’s a need for speed when bearing off. However, while it’s in your interests to be quick when bearing off, remember that leaving yourself vulnerable to your opponent can put your path to victory in jeopardy.

You’ll need to move a piece to the bar if it gets hit, which will slow you down. Plus, in your eagerness to get all of your pieces off the board, you might end up slowing down your own progress. It can be difficult to bear off as quickly as possible when you have multiple pieces on lower points.

You can prevent this issue by taking a considered, methodical approach. Work to get your pieces off your board, but be mindful of your vulnerabilities — your opponent wants to win just as much as you do!

Bearing Off Rules Explained

As you might expect from a game that has plenty of rules, there are some strict criteria you’ll need to meet before you can begin bearing off. If you play online at 247backgammon.com, you’ll know when you’re able to begin bearing off, since the process will be automatic; we won’t let you remove any pieces until it’s valid to do so!

If you’re playing at home or with others, then keep the following rules in mind.

Home Board Must Be Full

The most important thing to remember is that you can’t begin bearing off your pieces until all of your pieces are on your home board. If they’re not there, or they’re on the bar, then you won’t be able to bear off your checkers, no matter how tempted you might be!

Rolling the Right Number

You’ll need to roll the right number in order to bear off a piece. For example, if you have a piece in the number five position, then you’ll need to roll a five to remove it from the board. Note that it’s possible to remove a piece if you roll higher than its position. For example, if you have a piece in the number two position and roll a four, you can take it off the board.

Mastering Doubles in Bearing Off

If you’ve rolled doubles, then you can use that to your advantage to help you bear off your pieces more quickly. It’s best to focus on the checkers that are furthest away — normally, they can be the most difficult pieces to remove from the board, but when you’ve got the power of doubles it can become much easier.

Rolling doubles can also be highly effective if you’re behind and need to catch up. With one roll, you can bear off multiple pieces and put yourself back in contention — though always be mindful of overextending, since that’ll put you in a vulnerable position.

Blocking Strategies in Backgammon

You’ll be primarily focused on bearing off all of your pieces, but if your opponent is beginning to pull ahead, then it might be worthwhile looking at using blocking strategies. This will make it more difficult for them to bear off, and also for them to reenter from the bar if they’ve been hit.

However, don’t commit too much energy to blocking — you’ve got your own game to win, too!

Removal of Pieces: The Rules

You’ve done the hard work, and you feel that you’ve done enough to earn victory. The problem is that your opponent thinks the same way.

Remember that you can’t begin bearing off any pieces until they’re all in your home board, so first and foremost, make that the priority. Once they’re there, you can begin removing the pieces by rolling the corresponding number (rolling a 4 will allow you to remove the piece that’s in the number 4 position).

Rolled a higher number than you need? Don’t worry — you can still bear off any pieces that are in a position lower than that number.

Get Off the Bar: Backgammon Tips

As we’ve already clarified, you can only bear off pieces when all of your checkers are on your home board. If your opponent manages to make a hit, then the piece will be sent to the bar. You won’t be able to achieve victory until it’s back in play, so let’s look at some tips for making sure that’s the case.

Re-enter Quickly

You might have a bunch of different priorities when you’re playing backgammon, and having a piece on the bar might not be at the top of your list.

Sometimes, players delay because they’re waiting for the perfect timing. Ignore that thinking, and get your piece back into play as soon as possible.

Re-enter Close To Home

You’ll need to re-enter the checker into your opponent’s home turf. You can make your ultimate goal — getting the piece into your home territory — easier by re-entering as close as possible to home.

The Essentials of Backgammon Bearing Off

Ultimately, bearing off is a component of backgammon — it is the game. The objective of backgammon is to get all of your pieces off the board, and it’s bearing off that makes that possible. Remember to be mindful of leaving your pieces in vulnerable positions, however — just because you’re in a good position, that doesn’t mean victory is assured!

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