How to play Nackgammon.
Nackgammon is backgammon with two extra checkers at the back. The rules don't change, the game does: four checkers are much harder to bring home than two, so the fast race turns into a long fight over points.
Nackgammon at a glance
- Checkers
- 15 a side
- Start, from your side
- 2 on the 24-point, 2 on the 23, 4 on the 13, 3 on the 8, 4 on the 6
- Direction
- Opposite, as in backgammon: you go from 24 down to 1, your opponent from 1 up to 24
- Doubling cube
- Yes, if you set a match and switch it on. A Play now game is a single game without it
- Hitting or pinning
- A lone checker that gets hit goes to the bar
- Scoring
- 1, 2 or 3 points: a win, a gammon, a backgammon, times the cube
Two more checkers at the back.
Take the backgammon setup and move one checker off your 6-point and one off your mid-point. Both go to your opponent's 2-point. Your opponent does the same on their side.
That leaves you 194 pips to bring home instead of 167. The roll that gets a back checker to safety in backgammon does less here, because three more are still behind it, and your opponent has time to build a wall in front of them.
Nackgammon rules, in order of play
Set up. Two checkers on each of your opponent's 1-point and 2-point, four on the mid-point, three on your 8-point, four on your 6-point. That's the 24, 23, 13, 8 and 6 counted from your side, and your opponent mirrors it.
Open. Each side rolls one die. The higher die plays both numbers as its first turn. A tie rolls again.
Move. Each die is its own move, to any point not held by two or more of your opponent's checkers. Doubles play four times. Play both numbers if you can, and the higher one if you can only play one.
Hit. Landing on a lone checker sends it to the bar. A checker on the bar enters your opponent's home board before anything else moves.
Double. With the cube on, either side can offer a double before rolling. In a 1-point game the Jacoby rule is its own switch on the door: with it on, gammons and backgammons count only once the cube has been turned.
Bear off. Once all fifteen are in your home board you bear them off. The first side with none left wins.
The bkgm.com page plays Nackgammon with the cube and Jacoby, and on the door both are yours to set. The Play now button keeps it simple: one game, no cube, no clock.
Nackgammon strategy
A few tips, not rules. Each one follows from having four checkers back.
- Make an anchor early. With four back you nearly always can, and a held point in the other home board means you don't get shut out.
- Don't count on a quick race. A lucky 6-5 moves one of four, so plan your position for the long game.
- Build points in a row in front of the other side's back checkers. There are four of them to trap, so a prime pays more than it does in backgammon.
- Keep your timing in mind. Back games come up more often here, and they only work if your front position hasn't collapsed by the time you hit.
Where Nackgammon comes from
Nackgammon is named after its inventor, Nack Ballard. bkgm.com says it needs more skill than the regular game and calls it a positional one, with more priming and back games and less attacking and blitzing. It also says games tend to run quite a bit longer, though we have found no source that puts a number on it.
Nackgammon questions
What is the Nackgammon setup?
Backgammon's, with one checker from the 6-point and one from the mid-point moved to the opponent's 2-point. You end up with 2 on the 24, 2 on the 23, 4 on the 13, 3 on the 8 and 4 on the 6.
How is Nackgammon different from backgammon?
Only in the setup. Every rule of play is the same, but four back checkers make the game slower and more positional.
Can I play Nackgammon online for free?
Yes. Play Nackgammon now starts a game against a bot at once, with no signup and no download. You can also play a bot or with a friend from the door, where you set the match length and the cube.
Is Nackgammon rated here?
No. Nackgammon games are unrated and played without a stake. They aren't in the rated queue, at tables or in tournaments.
Does GNU Backgammon understand Nackgammon?
Yes, it is the only variant here it can read. The medium and hard bots ask it for their moves, and GNU Backgammon analyses finished games. PRO members see that analysis in the replay.
Other games to try
- Hypergammon goes the other way, with three checkers a side.
- Portes keeps the backgammon start but drops the cube.
- Tavla is the Turkish game with two extra limits.