Backgammon Crawford rule: a complete match example

The Crawford rule suspends doubling for one game in a match: the first game played after either player reaches a score one point short of the target. Neither player may use the cube during that game. Gammons and backgammons still count. If the match continues, the Crawford restriction ends and normal match cube rules apply.

In a match to 5, reaching 4 points triggers the Crawford game next. Reaching 3 does not. In a match to 7, the trigger is 6 points.

When does the Crawford game happen?

Check the score between games. The game that takes someone to one-away is completed under its existing rules; you do not cancel a double that was legally accepted in that game. Mark the following game as Crawford and set the cube aside.

Once that Crawford game finishes, mark it as used. There is no second Crawford game when the other player later reaches one-away, and there is no repeated Crawford game just because the leader's score stays the same.

A complete five-point match example

Here is an original match ledger. Every game happens to finish with the cube still at 1, so a single win earns one point and a gammon earns two. Players are allowed to leave the cube unused even when doubling is available.

The match begins at 0–0. Scores below are Alex–Bo after each game. “Before” means Crawford has not happened; “after” means it has already been used.

Alex first reaches one-away at the end of game 4. Neither player may double in game 5. Alex wins the match at the end of game 7.

Game 5 is the only Crawford game. Bo reaching 4 after game 6 does not trigger another one.

There is a separate limit at 4–4: either player wins the match with an ordinary single game at cube value 1. The cube is therefore dead for both players. Calling game 7 post-Crawford does not make a useless double legal. The cube guide explains ownership and normal doubling procedure.

Gammons still count in the Crawford game

Crawford removes cube actions, not the scoring value of the result. A single is worth one point, a gammon two and a backgammon three because the cube stays at 1.

For example, if Alex leads 4–2 in a five-point match and Bo wins a gammon in the Crawford game, the score becomes 4–4. If Bo instead wins a backgammon, Bo reaches 5 and wins the match immediately. There is then no post-Crawford game to play.

A gammon requires the loser to have borne off no checkers. A backgammon adds the further condition that the loser has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board. See single, gammon and backgammon scoring for examples.

What changes after Crawford?

The one-game ban ends, but the ordinary rules still matter. The cube begins each new game in the centre at a value of 1. An eligible player considers a double on their turn before rolling. A player for whom the current cube value already suffices to win the match has a dead cube and cannot offer a valid double.

At 4–3 after Crawford in a five-point match, the trailer can offer a double at a legal opportunity. If it is accepted, a single win on a 2-cube earns the trailer enough points to finish the match. This explains why post-Crawford play feels different, but is not a recommendation about a particular position or take decision.

Crawford, Jacoby and casual play

Crawford belongs to match play, where players race to a target score. It is not a rule for independent money games. Jacoby is a different convention used in some money play; it changes when gammon and backgammon bonuses count. It is not used in standard match play and does not cancel gammon scoring in the Crawford game.

Before a home match, agree the target score and use a visible score sheet. Write “Crawford next” when someone first reaches one-away, then “Crawford used” after that game. In an organised event, follow the event's rules and ask the director if a cube was used by mistake.

Common questions

Does Crawford happen as soon as someone reaches match point? It governs the following game. The game that produced the score has already ended.

Can the trailing player double during Crawford? No. The ban applies to both players for the whole Crawford game.

Is every game at 4–3 Crawford in a five-point match? No. The score alone is insufficient: you must also know whether the Crawford game has already been played.

Does a one-point match need a cube? No. Either player wins the match by winning the game at cube value 1, so the cube is dead for both players.