How to Bear Off in Backgammon

Bearing off is the last stage of the game: taking your checkers off the board, one die at a time. The first side to take off all 15 wins.

Step 1 of 4

All fifteen home
Once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you can start bearing off. Each die takes a checker off the point with its number: a 6 takes one off your 6-point, a 4 one off your 4-point. Checkers you bear off go into the tray on the right.

If one of your checkers is hit while you are bearing off, it has to come back in and travel home again before you can bear off any more.
Take two off
You rolled 6-4. You could use a die to move a checker down inside your home board instead, but in a race like this, every checker off brings you closer to winning.
Your move
Bear off two checkers, one with the 6 and one with the 4.
A die higher than you need
When a die is higher than your highest point, it bears a checker off from the highest point you have. Your highest checkers here are on your 4-point, so the 5 can take one off from there.
Your move
Bear off two checkers with this 5-2.
A die with nothing to take off
You rolled 4-1. Your 4-point is empty, but you still have checkers on your 6- and 5-points, above it.

What can the 4 do?
Question

What you learned

You can bear off once all 15 of your checkers are in your home board.
A die bears off a checker from the point with its number.
A die higher than your highest point bears off from the highest point.
If its point is empty and checkers stand above it, a die must move one of them down instead.
A checker hit during the bear-off has to come back home before you bear off again.

Unit 1The rules

Unit 2First strategy

Take it to the table.

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