Ban-sugoroku: Rules and How to Play
Ban-sugoroku is the old Japanese form of backgammon, played from Heian courtiers to Edo townsfolk. Two players race fifteen stones home with two dice.
Objective
Ban-sugoroku is the backgammon that Japan played from the 7th century to the 19th. Each player races fifteen stones around a board of 24 points toward their own home, cutting lone enemy stones and blocking points along the way. The first player to bring all fifteen into their home wins.
Setup
- Two players. The board has twelve points on each side. On your side, from the left, they are In 1 to In 6 (your home) and Out 6 to Out 1. Your opponent names their side the same way.
- Black and white have fifteen stones each. From your side: two on their In 1, five on their Out 1, three on your Out 5 and five on your In 6 — the same as backgammon. Your opponent mirrors you.
- Your stones travel right along the top row from their In 1, drop to the bottom row at the right-hand end, and travel left to your home at the bottom left. Your opponent goes the other way.
- The starting player is decided in advance: the first seat starts by rolling both dice, and the start alternates on every Play again. A house rule has each player roll one die instead, the higher starting and then rolling both dice.
How to play
- Two dice are rolled for you at the start of your turn. There is no roll button.
- Move a stone the number shown on a die. The two dice may be played by one stone in sequence or by two stones.
- Doubles move only twice — not four times as in modern backgammon.
- You may not stop on a point holding two or more enemy stones. Empty points, your own points and points with a single enemy stone are open.
- Stopping on a single enemy stone cuts it: it goes to the band in the middle of the board.
- While you have a cut stone, nothing else may move. Bring it back in on your opponent's home at the point matching a die, then play what is left. If neither die lets it in, your turn is over.
- Use as many dice as you legally can: both if any order allows it, otherwise the higher one. With no legal move at all, your turn is skipped.
- While dice are still unused you can Undo back to the start of your turn.
Winning and scoring
- Iri-gachi: you win the moment all fifteen of your stones are in your home. Any die left over is not played.
- Mushi-gachi: if, when you win, your opponent has a cut stone and all six of your home points hold two or more of your stones, the win counts double.
- Mujō-gachi: if your home is then stacked 2-2-2-3-3-3 or 2-3-2-3-2-3, the win counts triple.
- A house rule makes that closed-home shape (muji-gachi) win on the spot instead, or switches it off.
- Another house rule switches to the earlier Edo rule of bearing off: once all fifteen are home, take them off the board, and the first to take all fifteen off wins.
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the late Edo rule set (iri-gachi) described by Jun Kusaba of the Japan Backgammon League |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the late Edo rule set (iri-gachi) described by Jun Kusaba of the Japan Backgammon League)
House rules
Defaults follow the late Edo rule set (iri-gachi) described by Jun Kusaba of the Japan Backgammon League. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to finishHow to finishYour home is the six points (inner 1 to inner 6) where your stones finish. Iri-gachi wins the moment all fifteen are home. Bearing off also requires taking every stone off the board after that; it is closer to modern backgammon and takes a little longer. | Iri-gachi (late Edo): win the moment all fifteen stones are in your home. Bearing off (early Edo): once all fifteen are home, take them off the board — exactly by the die, or your furthest stone when no stone is further than the die — and the first to take all fifteen off wins. | Iri-gachi | Adjustable |
| Muji-gachiMuji-gachiA cut stone is one that has been hit and sits off the board; its owner cannot move anything else until it re-enters. So if your opponent has a cut stone and you block all six of your home points, they cannot move (muji). “Bigger win” makes finishing in that shape count double or triple, “Win on the spot” wins as soon as you make it, and “Off” gives it no special effect. | Your opponent has a cut stone and all six of your home points hold two or more of your stones. "Bigger win" follows Jun Kusaba of the Japan Backgammon League: winning with that shape counts double, and triple with a home of 2-2-2-3-3-3 or 2-3-2-3-2-3. "Win on the spot" follows the Japanese and English Wikipedia: making the shape wins at once. | Bigger win | Adjustable |
| Who starts | Alternate: the first seat starts by rolling both dice, and the start alternates on every Play again (Jun Kusaba). Roll: each player rolls one die and the higher starts, then rolls both dice (Japanese Wikipedia). | Alternate | Adjustable |
Terms
- Point
- One of the 24 places on the board, twelve on each side. Yours are named In 1 to In 6 and Out 6 to Out 1 from the left.
- Home
- Your six points In 1 to In 6. Bring all fifteen stones here to win.
- Cut
- Stopping on a lone enemy stone and taking it off the board.
- Cut stone
- A stone that has been cut and waits in the middle band. It must come back in before anything else moves.
- Muji-gachi
- A closed home while your opponent has a cut stone. By default, winning with that shape counts double (mushi-gachi).
- Dice names
- Every pair of dice has an old name, such as Chōroku (double 6), Shushi (double 4) or Goroku (6–5). The name of each roll is shown by the dice.
FAQ
Which way do the stones travel?
Right along the top row, down at the right-hand end, then left along the bottom row into your home at the bottom left. Arrows in the middle band show the way. Your opponent travels the other way.
What happens on doubles?
You move twice with that number, not four times.
What happens to a cut stone?
It waits in the middle band. On your turn it must come back in on your opponent's home, at the point matching a die, before any other stone may move.
What about the dice left when my last stone gets home?
They are not played. You win the moment all fifteen are home.
What is muji-gachi?
It is the shape where your opponent has a cut stone and you hold all six home points with two or more stones each. By default, winning with that shape counts double (mushi-gachi), or triple with a 2-2-2-3-3-3 or 2-3-2-3-2-3 home. House rules make it win on the spot, or switch it off.
Where do these rules come from?
Ban-sugoroku changed over the centuries and has been reconstructed in more than one way. The default here is the late Edo rule set described by Jun Kusaba of the Japan Backgammon League; the form given by Wikipedia (muji-gachi wins on the spot, roll for the start) and the earlier bearing-off rule are house rules.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-26 · Run by Qdan, Inc.