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Backgammon: play the computer or a friend

Play backgammon (tawla) against our computer at level 1, 2 or 3. Or invite a friend with a link and play each other online.

How to play

  • You play the white checkers and move them around the board from point 24 down to point 1, into your home board at the bottom right. The computer plays black and moves the other way.
  • Tap Roll the dice. Then tap a checker and tap the green point where it should go. Each die is one move; a double (for example 4 and 4) gives you four moves.
  • You can land on an empty point, on your own checkers, or on a point with just one black checker: that “hits” it and sends it to the bar. You can’t land where the computer has two or more.
  • If one of your checkers is on the bar, you must bring it back in first, into the computer’s home board at the top right.
  • When all 15 of your checkers are in your home board, you can bear off: tap a checker, then the green tray on the right.
  • The first to bear off all 15 checkers wins. If the loser has not borne off any, it’s a gammon (a double win).
  • Made a mistake? Tap Undo before you tap Done.
  • Pick Level 1 (relaxed: the computer plays at random), Level 2 (sensible) or Level 3 (careful: it avoids leaving checkers open to hits and builds blocks).

Play a friend online

  1. Tap 👫 Play a friend, type your name and tap Create invitation link.
  2. Send the link to your friend, for example with the Send on WhatsApp button. Keep the page open.
  3. Your friend opens the link, types their name and taps Join the game. The opening roll decides who starts. Each of you sees your own checkers in white at the bottom, and you watch your friend’s moves live.
  4. When the game ends, tap Play again for a rematch. You can also Resign or Leave the game at any time.

Questions people ask

Is it free?

Yes. Free, with no sign-up and nothing to install. It works on phones, tablets and computers.

Are the dice fair?

Yes. Every roll is random, for you and for the computer. The computer never sees your next roll.

Can I play against a friend?

Yes. Tap Play a friend, create an invitation link and send it to your friend (WhatsApp works well). When they open it, you play each other live on your own phones or computers. Nobody needs an account.

Is there a doubling cube?

Not in this version. Each game is a single game; a gammon is shown as a double win.

Is my game saved?

Yes, on your own device, at the start of each of your turns. Your wins and losses are counted for each level.