Find the Best Backgammon Move
For any position and any roll — with proof, not folklore.
Tap to add or remove checkers, or drag a checker to move it. Drag to the right tray to bear off.
The engine (~3 MB) loads on first analysis and then runs instantly in your browser.
What “best move” actually means
In backgammon the best move is a mathematical fact, not a matter of taste: it is the legal play that leaves you the highest expected score once every continuation is accounted for. Sometimes the best move is obvious — an opening 3-1 makes the 5-point, and nothing else is close. Sometimes it is genuinely counterintuitive: safe-looking plays that quietly give up win percentage, or bold hits that look reckless and are correct by a wide margin. Without an engine, you simply cannot tell these apart reliably; with one, the answer takes a second.
The results table here does more than name the winner. The diff column prices every alternative in equity, which is how you calibrate your own judgment: a play 0.002 behind is a coin-flip you can take on style, while 0.080 behind is a blunder to remember. If you are building fundamentals, the fifteen opening rolls are the natural syllabus — they repeat forever, the answers are settled, and learning them pays off in every game you will ever play.
Frequently asked questions
Is there always a single best move in backgammon?
There is always a play with the highest equity, but some decisions are so close that the top plays are practically equivalent. The equity differences in the results tell you which kind of decision you are looking at.
Why does the best move sometimes leave a blot?
Because safety has a price. Leaving a shot often buys board position, priming chances or gammon threats worth more than the risk of being hit — the engine counts both sides of that trade exactly.