Understanding the Backgammon Starting Position

To be able to understand your backgammon starting position, you must first understand the board setup. The backgammon board has 24 triangles which mark where you checkers start and where they can move. They are numbered 1 to 24, though the numbers are not visible as players move in opposing directions and so this would cause confusion. Point number 24 for Player A is Point number 1 for Player B.

The board setup and backgammon starting position is the same for most backgammon versions, whether online or offline. Each player places their backgammon checkers in a line on specified points. The backgammon starting position for your checkers is as follows; five checkers are placed on each players 6 and 13 points, three checkers are placed on each players 8 point, and 2 checkers are placed on the 24 points.

You will see that the backgammon starting position for each player mirrors their opponents on the board. Both players have backgammon checkers on either side of the board, but the opponents backgammon checkers will not sit on the same point as your own.

Now you have mastered the board setup and know what the backgammon starting position looks like, you need to consider your initial move. It may appear straight forward as the board setup is clear, but you need to ensure that you study all your options from the first roll of the die. A bad first move can ruin the whole backgammon game.