Backgammon is an ancient board game that has been played for centuries in many cultures. It involves two players competing against each other to move their pieces around the board and bear off all of their pieces before their opponent does. After You managed to move all your pieces to your home, it’s time to win the game by bearing off your pieces. In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about bearing off.
What are the rules for bearing off?
- A player can remove a piece that is on a point that matches one of the numbers of the dice, for example, if the player rolled 3, he can remove the piece that is on point 3 in the home base:
- If the dice numbers are lower than what the player needs in order to remove, the player must move the pieces regularly, look at this example:
The player has pieces on 4,5,6 and he rolled 1 and 2, so he must move 1 and 2 ( or 2 and 1 ).
- A player can move and then remove:
- If the dice numbers are higher than what the player needs in order to remove, the player removes the closet larger number:
Notice that the player can remove the largest number that exists after 6 (the number the dice indicate), in this case, is 3. So one piece of the 3’s can be removed. 2 and 1 can’t be removed in this case! If there were no 3’s, one of the 2’s can be removed.
- If the player rolled the exact number for removing and there are no larger pieces, he must remove it! for example:
The player must remove the 4’s piece. If there was a piece on point 5 or point 6, the player can choose between removing the 4’s piece and moving the 5’s or 6’s.
Those are the rules of bearing off in Backgammon.
Do you need to roll the exact number to bear off in Backgammon?
In general. the answer is no. As mentioned above if you have a larger die number than the larger point that contains pieces, you can remove the piece.
Notice that in some variants of the game – like in Mexican Backgammon, you do need the exact number to bear off.
What is the strategy for bearing off in Backgammon?
The strategy for bearing off in Backgammon is basic. If there is no opponent’s piece that can hit your pieces, bear off the pieces on the highest point as you can. If the opponent’s piece can still hit you, try to bear off from the highest point as long as you don’t create a blot. In addition, try to bear off and move until the opponent can’t hit you anymore. A good tip is to keep an even number of pieces on points that can still be hit.
To sum up
Now that you know the rules and strategies of bearing off in Backgammon, it’s time to start practicing. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes while learning, as those will help you improve your game. With enough practice and dedication, you’ll soon become an expert at bearing off in Backgammon! Good luck!
