Play backgammon against the computer
Play backgammon or Turkish tavla against a computer opponent, free and without signing up. There are seven levels, and every one is clearly labelled as a bot, so you always know you are playing a program and not a person.
The seven levels
| Level | What to expect |
|---|---|
| 1. Beginner | Learning the game. Leaves checkers open and misses easy hits. |
| 2. Beginner+ | Knows the basics but still makes plenty of mistakes. |
| 3. Casual | A relaxed café opponent. Plays sensibly, slips now and then. |
| 4. Casual+ | Plays solid moves. Loose play gets punished sometimes. |
| 5. Club | A strong club player. Rarely gives you a free shot. |
| 6. Club+ | Very strong. Mistakes are small and rare. |
| 7. Expert | The engine at full strength. Expect to lose, and learn. |
The home page shows four levels; More levels opens the other three. Start lower than you think: a level that wins about half the time teaches the most.
How the bots play
Every level is the same engine: wildbg, an open-source backgammon neural network that runs inside your browser. The lower levels add a measured amount of random error to its choices, so they make human-sized mistakes instead of random moves. Expert plays the engine at full strength. Bots move quickly, with no fake thinking pauses.
Bots play tavla with the Turkish rules or backgammon with international rules, but never use the doubling cube. Matches are 1, 3 or 5 points from the home page, longer in Custom game.
Always labelled as bots
A bot always has the word "bot" in its name and its own avatar. A bot never takes a person's seat, not even when someone disconnects from an online game, and bot games never change your rating.
What you can do in a bot game
- Take your time. Bot games are untimed, and you can leave and come back; the match is saved on your device.
- Undo a move before you confirm it, and ask for a hint when you are stuck.
- Review the game afterwards: the engine marks your mistakes and shows the better move.
- Play offline. Once the site has loaded, bot games work without a connection.
Questions people ask
Is it free to play backgammon against the computer?
Yes. No ads, no coins and no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your games kept across devices.
How strong is the Expert bot?
It is the engine at full strength, which beats almost every human player over a long match. Expect to lose, and learn from the review.
Do the bots cheat with the dice?
No. The dice are made before the game starts and sealed, and you can check every roll afterwards. See fair dice.