Backgammon is a classic two-player board game combining strategy, luck, and timing. Here's a basic guide on how to play:

1. Objective: The goal is to move all your 15 checkers into your home board and then bear them off (remove from the board). The first player to bear off all checkers wins.
2. Setup: The board has 24 triangular points divided into 4 quadrants. Each player places their checkers in a specific starting position (example: White has two on point 24, five on point 13, three on point 8, and five on point 6; Black's checkers are placed opposite). White moves counter-clockwise, Black clockwise.
3. Starting the game: Each player rolls one die; the higher roll starts and must play the rolled number combination.
4. Moves: On your turn, roll two dice and move your checkers accordingly. You can move one checker the sum of the dice or two checkers separately based on each die's number. Rolling doubles lets you move four times the number shown (e.g., rolling double 2 means four moves of 2 points).
5. Hitting and entering: If you land on a point with a single opponent checker (blot), you hit it, sending it to the bar. That checker must re-enter the board before you can make other moves.
6. Bearing off: Once all your checkers are inside your home board, you start bearing them off by rolling dice matching the points where your checkers reside.
7. Strategies: Common strategies include priming (blocking your opponent with a wall of checkers), blitzing (aggressive hitting and closing their home board), racing (moving fastest to bear off), and holding (keeping anchors in opponent’s territory).

Backgammon combines dice luck with strategic play for positional advantage. Practice and learning different strategies improve your chances of winning.