Use and Care Manual

off. If a checker is hit during the bear-off process, the player must bring that
checker back to his home board before continuing to bear off. The first player to
bear off all fifteen checkers wins the game.
Doubling
Backgammon is played for an agreed stake per point. Each game starts at one
point. During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a sufficient
advantage may propose doubling the stakes. He may do this only at the start of
his own turn and before he has rolled the dice.
A player who is offered a double may refuse, in which case he concedes the
game and pays one point. Otherwise, he must accept the double and play on for
the new higher stakes. A player who accepts a double becomes the owner of the
cube and only he may make the next double.
Subsequent doubles in the same game are called redoubles. If a player refuses a
redouble, he must pay the number of points that were at stake prior to the
redouble. Otherwise, he becomes the new owner of the cube and the game
continues at twice the previous stakes. There is no limit to the number of
redoubles in a game.
Gammons and Backgammons
At the end of the game, if the losing player has borne off at least one checker, he
loses only the value showing on the doubling cube (one point, if there have been
no doubles). However, if the loser has not borne off any of his checkers, he is
gammoned and loses twice the value of the doubling cube. Or, worse, if the loser
has not borne off any of his checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the
winner's home board, he is backgammoned and loses three times the value of the
doubling cube.
Optional Rules
The following optional rules are in widespread use.
1. Automatic doubles. If identical numbers are thrown on the first roll, the
stakes are doubled. The doubling cube is turned to 2 and remains in the
middle. Players usually agree to limit the number of automatic doubles to
one per game.
2. Beavers. When a player is doubled, he may immediately redouble
(beaver) while retaining possession of the cube. The original doubler has
the option of accepting or refusing as with a normal double.