Backgammon Instructions on Bearing Off
The backgammon bearing off phase is when a player can take their checkers off the board. This is one of the most important parts in backgammon since the ultimate goal of the game is to be the first to take all their checkers out. Here are backgammon instructions on bearing off that detail what's allowed and what's not allowed in this crucial phase of the game.
The only condition that must be met in order to take checkers off the board is that a player's entire pieces must be on their home board for the bear off to start. This is the basic rule in the bearing off phase and is the basis for the following backgammon instructions.
This is also followed when a player already has some pieces borne off and any of the remaining checkers is hit and sent to the bar. That barred checker must be advanced all the way to the player's inner quadrant before any other piece can be borne off in accordance with the rule above.
As part of backgammon instructions, you must bear in mind that the basic rule is a condition to start taking checkers out of the board. That means one isn't required to bear off when this condition is met. Depending on the roll, a player can choose to move pieces further into their inner board rather than bear them off. Of course, the only exception is when a roll's only legal move is to bear checkers off.
Backgammon instructions on bearing off also include the right way of playing a roll when one throws a combination higher than the pips needed to bear off. That is to get the piece on the subsequent highest point when no checker is on the point indicated by the die.
Let's say you've got one checker each on the three-point, two-point and ace-point then you roll a five-four. Following backgammon instructions, your legal moves are to bear off pieces on the three-point and two-point leaving the lone checker on the ace-point for your next roll.
Remember that you can only start taking pieces off when all (or remaining) pieces are on the home quadrant. If your roll permits, you can choose to move in pieces rather than bear them off. And lastly, pieces on the next highest point are required to be borne off when a roll indicates a point without a piece on it. These are backgammon instructions one must keep in mind to properly follow rules in the bear-off phase of the game.