Backgammon setup: how to set up the board
Each player has 15 checkers. They go on four points, and your opponent sets up exactly the same way on their side, like a mirror. This is how it looks:
The setup, checker by checker
The numbers are from each player’s own side: 1 is the last point in your home, and 24 is the farthest.
| Point | Checkers | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 2 | In your opponent’s home, the farthest point. These are your two back checkers. |
| 13 | 5 | The midpoint: on your opponent’s side, at the end nearest you. |
| 8 | 3 | On your side, two points before your home. |
| 6 | 5 | In your home, its first point. |
An easy way to remember it: 2, 5, 3, 5. Fifteen in all.
Which way each side moves
- Each player moves from their own 24 point to their own 1 point, that is, from the opponent’s home to their own. The two players move in opposite directions.
- Your home can be on the right or the left, near you or far. It doesn’t matter, as long as both players mirror each other and both homes are on the same side of the board.
- The strip in the middle of the board is the bar. A checker that gets hit goes there and comes back into play through the opponent’s home.
Common setup mistakes
- Five checkers on the 12 point instead of the 13. The 13 is the first point on your opponent’s side, not the last on yours.
- Three checkers on the 7 point instead of the 8. There is one empty point, the 7, between the 8 and your home.
- Both players moving the same way. If your homes are on different sides of the board, one of you is set up backwards.
And in Plakoto (Mahbusa)?
In Plakoto all 15 checkers start together on the farthest point, the 24, and the game starts from there. The full rules: Mahbusa.
What next
Here the board sets itself up, so you can start playing right away. All the rules, from the first roll to bearing off: Backgammon rules.