Dibzi game guideBackgammon is a conversation with chance.
Backgammon has the warmth of a café game and the tension of a race. The dice create the weather; your choices decide how you travel through it.
The game that travelled with people
Backgammon belongs to one of the oldest families of board games. Ancient race-game boards have been found in Mesopotamia and Iran, showing that people were rolling and moving pieces thousands of years ago.
The modern form grew through the Persian, Arab, and European worlds. Its name is often linked to an old English expression describing the game’s board and movement.
Its appeal survived because it balances luck with judgement. A lucky roll can open a door, but only a thoughtful player knows which door is worth taking.
How to play backgammon
Backgammon has the warmth of a café game and the tension of a race. The dice create the weather; your choices decide how you travel through it.
1. Race your checkers
Each player moves 15 checkers around 24 narrow points in opposite directions, trying to bring every checker into their home board.
2. Read the dice
Each die is a move. You can use the numbers on two different checkers or combine them for one checker if the intermediate landing point is open.
3. Bear off
Once all your checkers reach your home board, remove them from the board. The first player to bear off everything wins.
A fact worth sharing
Backgammon’s ancestors were being played long before the modern chessboard existed.
Modern backgammon added a doubling cube, turning a quiet race into a game of confidence and negotiation.
Strong players do not just ask “what can I roll?” They ask “what position will I leave after the roll?”
Roll, read, respond
Dibzi makes backgammon feel like it belongs in the same room as your friend, even when you are playing from different places.
Backgammon questions, answered
How much of backgammon is luck?
Luck decides the roll, but judgement decides how well you use it. Over many games, good decisions matter more and more.
What is a blot?
A blot is a lone checker. If your opponent lands on it, that checker is hit and sent to the bar.