Backgammon Rules: Bear Off
The original objective of backgammon is to see which player wins the race. Both players race to get all checkers to their respective home boards and to bear each checker off the backgammon board. The bear off is the last stage of a backgammon game though there are games that won't reach this part of the game (that is when one player resigns or surrenders to the opponent).
The bear off is said to be the final part of a game of backgammon. Let's take a look at the rules behind the bear off process and make this part of a backgammon game easier on us. Let's start with a working definition of the bear off. Technically, when we say bear off in backgammon, we refer to the process of removing a checker from the board according to the roll of the dice. The player who gets to bear off all checkers from off the backgammon board wins the game.
However, players are not allowed to bear off any backgammon checker without bringing all of their checkers inside the home board. The bear off process can only be done when a player brings in all 15 checkers into the home board.
Once all checkers are inside the home board, a backgammon player can commence to bear off checkers. To do this that player must roll the dice. A player may bear off a checker whose point matches the number on the dice. So if you roll a three and a one during, you can bear off a checker on the one-point and one checker from the three-point.
If you roll the dice and the there is no checker on the specified point then you must move the checker on the higher point closer to the ace-point (i.e. one-point). For example you roll a three but have no checker on the three-point but have checkers on the four-point; you then get to move a checker on the four-point three points forward.
Continuing on, if in case there are no checkers on a higher point when you rolled the three then you are permitted to bear off a checker from the highest numbered point. As in the case of our example, you get a three on the dice with no checker on the three-point or any higher number point (i.e. points four to six) but have checkers on the two-point, you then are allowed to bear off a checker from the two-point.
These are the rules covering the bear off stage of backgammon. The rules are pretty easy and quite practical to follow. Take time to understand and practice the bear off before moving forward in backgammon.