How to Set Up Backgammon: Mastering the Ancient Game's Foundation

Backgammon boards have witnessed more human drama than most furniture ever will. From Roman soldiers playing tabula in dusty camps to modern tournaments in Monte Carlo, this deceptively simple racing game has outlasted empires. Yet for all its historical gravitas, setting up the board correctly remains a stumbling block for newcomers—and occasionally, for players who should know better.

Setting up backgammon isn't just about placing checkers on triangles. It's about understanding a spatial logic that has evolved over millennia. Once you grasp the underlying pattern, the setup becomes second nature, like tying your shoes or remembering your phone number. But until that moment of clarity arrives, the board can look like an intimidating geometry puzzle.

The Board's Architecture

Before we dive into checker placement, let's talk about what you're looking at. A backgammon board consists of 24 narrow triangles called points, alternating in color (traditionally dark and light). These points are arranged in four quadrants of six points each. The board is divided down the middle by a vertical partition called the bar.

Each player claims two quadrants as their territory: a home board (or inner board) and an outer board. If you're sitting across from your opponent, your home board is the quadrant to your right, closest to you. Your outer board is the quadrant to your left, also on your side. Your opponent's boards mirror yours on their side.

The points are numbered 1 through 24, but here's where it gets interesting—each player counts from their own perspective. Your 1-point is in your home board's far right corner (as you face the board), while your opponent's 1-point is directly across from yours in their home board. This means your 24-point is your opponent's 1-point, and vice versa. It's like two people describing the same street from opposite ends.

The Sacred Formation

Now for the actual setup. Each player starts with 15 checkers of their color—traditionally one player uses white or light checkers, the other black or dark. The initial arrangement follows a specific pattern that has remained unchanged since medieval times:

Place two checkers on your 24-point (which is your opponent's 1-point). These are your back men, the loneliest pieces on the board, deep in enemy territory. They have the furthest to travel.

Put five checkers on your 13-point. This is in your outer board, forming what players often call the "midpoint." It's a crucial strategic position.

Stack three checkers on your 8-point, in your outer board close to the bar.

Finally, place five checkers on your 6-point in your home board. These lucky pieces are already close to home.

Your opponent mirrors this setup exactly. When done correctly, the board displays perfect symmetry—each player's setup is a reflection of the other's. If you were to fold the board along the bar, the checkers would align perfectly.

The Direction of Play

Understanding movement direction is crucial before your first roll. Both players move their checkers in opposite directions around the board. If you're moving counterclockwise, your opponent moves clockwise. Think of it as two armies passing each other on a circular track, each racing toward their own finish line.

You're aiming to move all your checkers into your home board (points 1-6) and then bear them off the board entirely. Your back men on the 24-point have to traverse the entire board—through your opponent's home board, their outer board, your outer board, and finally into your home board. Meanwhile, those five checkers starting on your 6-point are already most of the way home, the teacher's pets of the backgammon world.

Common Setup Mistakes

Even experienced players occasionally botch the setup, especially after a few drinks or during casual games. The most frequent error? Placing checkers on the wrong points, usually confusing the 13-point with the 12-point, or the 8-point with the 9-point.

Another classic mistake involves the two back men. Some players put them on the 23-point instead of the 24-point, giving themselves a slight illegal advantage. It's the backgammon equivalent of a false start in track—you might not mean to cheat, but you're still breaking the rules.

I've also seen players set up with all their checkers going in the same direction, which would make for an interesting variant but isn't standard backgammon. Remember: you and your opponent move in opposite directions, like cars on a two-way street.

The Doubling Cube

While not part of the initial board setup, the doubling cube deserves mention. This six-sided die (showing 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64) starts in the middle of the bar, belonging to neither player. It's not used in casual games, but in competitive play or when gambling, it adds a psychological warfare element that can turn a simple race into a high-stakes showdown.

The cube starts at 1 (though no face shows this number). Either player can propose doubling the stakes before rolling, and their opponent must accept or forfeit the game. Once accepted, the cube shows 2 and belongs to the accepting player, who alone can propose the next double. It's like a hot potato that multiplies the pressure each time it's passed.

Regional Variations and House Rules

While the standard setup I've described is universal in tournament play, home games sometimes feature variations. In Greece, where the game enjoys almost religious devotion, players often start with different arrangements for plakoto or fevga, local variants with their own setup patterns.

Some casual players in the American South use what they call "speed setup"—all checkers start stacked on the bar, and players enter them according to their dice rolls. It's not traditional backgammon, but it does eliminate setup errors and speeds up the initial phase of the game. Purists hate it, naturally.

The Ritual of Setup

There's something meditative about setting up a backgammon board. Unlike chess, where each piece has its own personality and starting position, backgammon checkers are identical soldiers arranged in predetermined formations. The ritual of counting out checkers and placing them on their points connects you to thousands of years of players who've performed the same motions.

In Damascus coffeehouses, I've watched old men set up their boards with the same careful precision their grandfathers likely used. In Silicon Valley startups, I've seen engineers approach the setup like a programming problem, developing systems to ensure accuracy. The setup transcends culture, yet each community brings its own flavor to the process.

Digital Age Considerations

Online backgammon has eliminated setup entirely—the computer handles it instantly and flawlessly. This convenience comes at a cost. Players who learn exclusively online often struggle with physical boards, like GPS-dependent drivers suddenly forced to read a paper map. The tactile experience of placing checkers helps cement the game's spatial relationships in your mind.

If you're learning backgammon, I strongly recommend starting with a physical board. The act of setting up reinforces the board's geography and the relationship between points. Plus, there's satisfaction in the click of checkers on wood or the muffled thud on felt-lined boards that no digital version can replicate.

Beyond the Setup

Once your board is properly arranged, you're ready for the opening roll. Each player rolls one die, and whoever rolls higher moves first, using both dice for their opening move. If you both roll the same number, you roll again—the universe insisting on a clear beginning.

The setup might seem arbitrary to newcomers, but it creates a perfectly balanced starting position. Neither player has an advantage, and multiple strategic paths remain open. You might play a running game, racing your back men home as quickly as possible. Or you might build a prime—a wall of consecutive points that trap your opponent's checkers. The setup accommodates all strategies equally.

Mastering backgammon setup is like learning to tune a guitar—it's the unglamorous foundation that makes beautiful play possible. Get it wrong, and nothing that follows will work properly. Get it right, and you're ready to explore one of humanity's most enduring games, a perfect blend of strategy and chance that has captivated players from ancient Mesopotamia to modern Manhattan.

The board awaits, its points empty and full of possibility. Twenty-four triangles, thirty checkers, two players, and infinite variations. Set it up correctly, and you're not just arranging pieces—you're participating in a tradition older than most religions, more widespread than most languages, and more enduring than most empires. Not bad for a game that fits in a briefcase.

Authoritative Sources:

Bray, Chris. Backgammon for Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, 2008.

Jacoby, Oswald, and John R. Crawford. The Backgammon Book. New York: Viking Press, 1970.

Robertie, Bill. Backgammon for Winners. New York: Cardoza Publishing, 2002.

Trice, Walter. Backgammon Boot Camp. San Francisco: The Fortuitous Press, 2004.

United States Backgammon Federation. "Official Rules of Backgammon." usbgf.org/rules-of-backgammon/. Accessed 2024.