A few questions about bearing off

Quadrant · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 19

I’m new to the game of backgammon and I just have a couple of questions in regards to bearing off.

1. What happens when you throw a double when you are bearing off?
2. What happens if you start bearing off and then your opponent hits one of your checkers back to the bar? Can you continue bearing off while you try to get your checker back to your home board?
3. If I roll a 5-6 and I only have two checkers on my three point can I bear them both off or do I have to wait to roll threes?

I’m looking forward to finding out the answers to my questions.

Ellen · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 19

Hi there. These are all good questions. I’ll start answering them from the beginning:

1. If you throw a double when you are bearing off, the double still counts twice. You get to move or bear off four checkers, depending on what your options are.

2. If you start bearing off and then your opponent hits one of your blots you must stop bearing off until you have re-entered the checker and returned it to your home board. The best way to avoid this is by refraining from leaving checkers exposed in your home board if your opponent has a checker either on the bar or in your home board.

3. If you roll a 5-6 and only have two checkers on your three point, yes, you do bear both of these checkers off. The general rule in bearing off is that when roll numbers higher than points you have any checkers on then you may bear off checkers from the highest point you can.

Hope these answers help you out, and feel free to ask any other questions you may have!