Backgammon - Glossary
We bring you a complete a - z of common terms in Backgammon, if you would like to keep this list at the side of your computer please feel free to download our free PDF glossary. Click here
Acey-deucey - a Backgammon variant which gives players extra turns if they roll a 1 or 2
Ace Point Game - where a player has two or more checkers on his opponent’s ace point and the player’s hopes of winning depend on getting a shot, hitting it, then keeping his hit checker from coming back around.
Advanced Anchor - A point higher in an opponent’s board than the 24 point. Generally advanced anchors are good for several reason’s firstly they give you more opportunity to hit the opponents checkers if he brings them into the players outfield and you have more opportunities to escape your checkers.
Anchor - where two or more of your opponents checkers occupy a point on your home board.
Automatic Double - where certain rules apply an automatic doubling of the value of the game is effected when both players roll the same number when deciding who goes first.
Automatic Doubles - This rule is sometimes used in money play but never in match play. When automatic doubles are in effect, if the first roll (where each player rolls one die.) Is a double, the cube is turned one level. Sometimes there can be a limit of say, one or two doubles.
Backgammon - where one player bears off all of his checkers while his opponent still has one or more checkers on the bar or in the opponents home board this counts for triple a normal games points
Back Game - a game strategy where two or more points are occupied in your opponents inner board.
Back pieces: The two checkers you have which are furthest from your homeboard.
Bar - The area where blots are placed after being hit, normally a raised divider between the home and outer boards.
Bar Point - Either of the two points in the outer board adjacent to the bar the 7 or 18 point.
Bear Off - To remove a checker from the home board by rolling a number is equal to or greater than the point on which the checker sits.
Bearin phase - during the game the point at which a player brings all his checkers to the opponents inner board.
Beaver: A particular doubling rule whereby the person who is offered a double can redouble and keep control of the cube at the same time
Beaver Offer - a commonly used rule in money play but never in match play, if an opponent doubles and a player feels he is actually the favourite, he may say ‘beaver’ and turn the cube an additional level, but he keeps control of the cube. This can only be done as soon as the player is doubled.
Blitz - an aggressive tactic where your opponent hits you on the inner board often quite loosely in the hope that before you can hit back he would have taken points and even closed you out.
Blot: A single chequer which can be ‘hit’
Bot: A robot player
Build: A strategy whereby you attempt to set up good holding positions, often moving towards a priming strategy
Close Out Position
Checker - one of the playing pieces.
Closeout Position - where an opponent has one or more checkers on the bar and a player had made all the points in his inner board so the opponent can’t move. A closed board is when a player has all the points in his inner board made.
Contact - where each player has checkers remaining which haven’t passed those of there opponents while contact remains blots may be hit.
Cover - to make a block on a single point.
Crawford Game - First game in a match wherein one player is within a single point of winning the match. That’s when the Crawford rule applies. See next item.
Crawford Rule - forbids the doubling cube being used for the first game after one player has reached a score exactly one point less than the objective score for a match.
Crunch: Crunching your board involves spoiling an even spread of checkers which are preventing your opponent from coming into your home board. Sometimes it is necessary to crunch your board to avoid being ‘hit’ in the outfield.
Cubeless Equity - Value of a position ignoring the use of the doubling cube. This is a value between -3 & +3 that takes into account the probabilities of either side winning a single, double or a triple game. If at a given point in the game neither party can make a gammon, the cubeless equity of a player simply is the probability of him/her winning the game, minus the probability of the opponent winning the game.
Cube: The doubling cube determines the number of points that the game is worth
Deep Anchor - Where an anchor is on the opponents one or two point position.
Double - the act of offering the doubling cube, thus doubling the stakes of the current game.
Doubles - when the dice after a roll are identical for instance: 6/6, 4/4 etc
Doubling Cube - a six sided die which is not rolled, but is marked with powers of two and used to track the stakes of the current game.
End Game - Part of the game when one player starts to bear off their checkers.
Equity - In Backgammon it means the value of a players game, or the chances of a particular player winning the match.
Full Prime - six consecutive points that completely blocks the opponent from moving checkers in front of the prime to behind the prime (see illustration.)
Gammon - where one player removes all their checkers before their opponent can remove any counts as a double win.
Gammon-go: A strategy whereby you need a gammon to make up the points difference. For example, you are 6-2 down in a 7 point match and need a doubled gammon to even out the score. It suggests a more aggressive approach to chequer play.
Gammon-save: A strategy whereby you are well ahead in a points match and want to avoid being gammoned. It suggests a more cautious approach to chequer play.
Golden Point - when you occupy your opponents 5 point with two of one’s own checkers, useful for preventing primes. (see illustration.)
Hit - where you move onto a point occupied by an opposing blot, there by moving the opposing checker to the bar.
Holding game: A strategy whereby you are building position but not attempting to advance your back checkers, hoping for a ‘hit’ on an opponent’s pieces. You usually play a holding game when behind on pip count.
Home Board - The part of the board containing points 1 - 6. This is where you move your checkers to before they can be borne off. It is also where your opponent must place any piece which have been hit and put on the bar
Inner Board
Inner Board - another name for home board.
Jacoby Rule - a rule which allows gammons and backgammons to count for double and triple stakes only If one or more players have doubled during the game.
Jellyfish: A widely respected program which plays backgammon and simulates various moves and positions to judge chequer play. Other similar programs include Snowie Snowie and Gnu Backgammon.
Match - a series of games which are played until one participant reaches a predetermined score.
Matchplay: This is a points match. A single game undoubled and where neither player has been gammoned is worth 1 point.
Mid Point - Mid point the two points furthest from the bar numbered 12 and 13. (see
illustration.)
Moneyplay: A method of play whereby players play individual games for a specific amount per point rather than playing first to a certain number of points.
Normalized Match Score - an expression of the number of points needed by both sides to win a match, for example in a 9 point match player one has won 8 points and player 2 has won 7 the normalized score would be 1 away/2 away.
Notation - The common way of describing the movement of checkers around the board from 24 down to 1on your home board. Reverse numbering applies when an opponent is having their turn, with 24 now referred to has the 1 point etc. A move of a single checker is indicated by the start and the end number separated by a slash. If a move results in a checker being hit then an asterisk is added to the number on which a checker was hit.
Open Point - a point on the board which is not occupied by two or more checkers.
Piece: checkers, men.
Pip - the marking on the face of a die,
Pip Count - the number of remaining pips needed to bear off all checkers.
Point - one of the 24 narrow triangles on a backgammon board, or the value of a single game of backgammon, not taking into account the effects of the doubling cube, gammon or backgammon.
Prime: A strategy whereby you attempt to box your opponent’s checkers in by establishing a solid line of six points with two checkers on each.
Race - a game in which there is no longer any contact see illustration.
Redouble - a further doubling of the cube, after one player has doubled then any further offer by the other player constitutes redoubling.
Shot: A shot is either a blot (single piece) or a hit on a blot.
Split - where two checkers which are together on one point are then split to individual points therefore leaving them as blots.
Timing - normally refers to a player’s position and whether ii is likely to get better or worse over time. Normally refers to being behind in the race when a player would like to keep his board without crunching while waiting for a shot.
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