---
title: Hypergammon
slug: hypergammon
board: "24-point board"
players: "2"
parent: backgammon
order: 6
win: Bear off all 3 pieces before your opponent
special: "3 pieces per side placed on the last three points. Games last 10–15 minutes. Fully solved by computer."
engine:
  topology:
    type: track
    positions: 24
  players: [white, black]
  setup: "0:1W,1:1W,2:1W,21:1B,22:1B,23:1B"
---

## Hypergammon

A short-form Backgammon variant using only 3 pieces per side, placed on the last three points of the home board. Games are dramatically faster than standard Backgammon — often finishing in under 15 minutes — while retaining the full rules including hitting, the bar, and bearing off. Hypergammon is fully solved computationally: perfect play has been calculated for all positions. Used in speed tournaments and for teaching probability concepts.


{{svg:hypergammon-board.svg "Hypergammon — starting position"}}
### Components

| Item | Qty | Notes |
|------|-----|-------|
| **Board** | 1 | 24-point board |
| **Checkers** | 6 | 3 per player |
| **Dice** | 4 | 2 per player |
| **Doubling cube** | 1 | Optional |

### Setup

Each player places 3 checkers on their final three home board points:

- 1 checker on the 1-point
- 1 checker on the 2-point
- 1 checker on the 3-point

These pieces are already in the home board but must be borne off in the usual way — they cannot simply be removed immediately; each die must allow the bear-off.

### Rules

All standard Backgammon rules apply:

- Roll two dice each turn and move pieces forward.
- Hitting a blot sends it to the bar; must re-enter in opponent's home board before any other move.
- Doubles give four moves.
- Doubling cube may be used (optional in casual play).

### Bearing Off

Since all pieces start in the home board, bearing off begins immediately. Roll and remove a piece from the matching point. If no piece is on the rolled point, move a piece from a higher point toward a lower point, or bear off from the highest occupied point when a higher number is rolled.

### Strategic Note

With only 3 pieces, single games are heavily influenced by dice, but across a match the skill gap is significant. The key decision points are when to hit, when to run, and when to double.

### Winning

First player to bear off all 3 pieces wins. Gammon and backgammon scores apply as in standard play.

### Attribution

Hypergammon. Modern tournament variant, origin unknown (popularised in the 1990s). Public domain rules. Source: Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA).