Backgammon Glossary
A
Anchor
A point occupied by two or more of a player's checkers in his opponent's
home board.
B
Bar
The ridge that runs down the center of the playing board, dividing
the Home and Outer boards. Checkers are placed on the bar after
they have been Hit by your opponent.
Bear (Off)
The removal of a player's checkers from the board at the end-stage
of the game, after all of the checkers have been brought into the
home board.
Blot
A lone, single checker occupying a point. Blots are vulnerable
to being hit by the opponent's checkers.
BackGammon
A finished game of backgammon in which the loser did not manage
to bear off any checkers and has one or more checkers on the bar,
or in his opponents Home board. A Backgammon triples the stake
indicated by the doubling cube at the end of the game.
Bear-In
The moving of checkers into your Home board before the bearing-off
stage can begin.
Beaver
An immediate re-double by a player who has just accepted a doubling
of the stakes from his opponent. Players who offer a beaver remain
in control of the Doubling cube.
C
Checkers
Playing pieces used in Backgammon. Each player begins with 15 checkers,
either light or dark in color. Traditionally white begins play,
advancing pieces in a counter-clockwise direction.
Closed Point
A point containing two or more checkers of a single color. Player
controls or owns the point.
Comeback Shot
A move in which a player hits his opponent's blot, having just
re-entered a checker from the bar to the board.
Crawford Rule
If a player comes within one point of winning a series, then the
next game will be played without the option of using the Doubling
Cube, if you decide to play using the Crawford Rule.
Current Stake
The starting stake of the game multiplied by the value of the number
indicated on the doubling cube.
D
Die
Singular form of dice (2 dice, 1 die)
Direct Hit
When a player hits his opponents blot using the number from only
one of the two rolled dice.
Double
An offer by either player during game play to double the stakes
of the game. Offers to double may only be made after the first
turn has been taken, and before the player has rolled dice. The
opponent decides to either accept or refuse the double; if he refuses
the double, he automatically loses the game, and if he accepts
the offer, the stakes are doubled and ownership/control of the
doubling cube is passed to him.
Double Hit
Hitting two of your opponents blots in one turn, either as a direct
or indirect hit.
Doubles
To roll the same number on both dice. Double numbers are played
twice (e.g. Double 5 = four moves of 5 points each)
Doubling Cube
A die (with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 marked on its faces)
used for increasing and keeping track of the stakes of the game.
See "DOUBLE" for
further details.
E
End Game
The last stage of a game, when either player begins to bear off
his checkers from the board.
Enter/Re-Enter
The moving of a hit checker from the Bar, back onto an open-point
on the opponents Home board. A player may not advance his checkers
around the board until all pieces have been removed from the bar
and returned to play.
F
Forced Play
A situation in which only one legal move is allowed, as dictated
by the numbers rolled.
G
Gammon
A finished game of backgammon in which the loser did not manage
to bear off any checkers but did not have any of his pieces on
the bar or on the opponent's home board. A Gammon doubles the stake
indicated by the doubling cube at the end of the game.
Global Timer
An overall timer used in each game of Backgammon. Beware: unlike
the Ply Timer which is reset at the start of each turn, when the
Global Timer runs out, the game is lost! Think of Global time as
emergency time and always try to finish a move using the given
Ply Time.
H
Heavy Point
Any point which is occupied by more than three checkers.
Hit
Landing on an open point on which your opponent has a single checker
(a blot). The blot is then removed from the board and placed on
the bar.
Home Board
Quadrant of the playing board containing points 1-6 (each player
has separate home board). Each player must advance all his checkers
to his own home board before bearing off. Also used to enter
hit checkers from the bar. Also known as "Inner
board".
I
Indirect Hit
When a player hits his opponents blot using the numbers from
both two rolled dice.
J
Jacoby Rule
If neither player has accepted a Double during a game, then Gammons
and Backgammons count as 1 point only, if you decide to play using
the Jacoby Rule.
Joker
A particularly lucky roll that that may unexpectedly change the
outcome of a game.
L
Loose Play
A move in which a player leaves one or more of his single checkers
(blots) in a vulnerable position.
M
Make A Point
When a player takes control of a point by placing two or more checkers
on that point, closing it to his opponent.
O
One-Point
The first point on a player's home board, also called the ace-point.
Opening Roll
The first roll of the game, which determines who will start play.
Both players roll one die at the same time, and the player with
the highest number begins, using both his number and that of his
opponent in his opening move.
Open Point
A point containing a single checker (blot), or no checkers at all.
Either player may land on an open point.
Outer Board
Quadrants of the playing board containing points 7-12 (for both
players), separated from the home boards by the bar
Own A Point
To be in control of a point by having two or more of your checkers
on that point. A player may not land on a point owned by his opponent.
P
Pip
A pip is a unit of distance between two points on a Backgammon
board. It is also the name given to the dots on dice.
Ply Timer
The amount of time a player has to complete each turn. The Ply
Timer is reset at the end of each turn. Once it runs out, a player's
Global Timer begins to run.
Point
One of the 24 narrow triangles found on a Backgammon board. Points
alternate in color between white and brown and are numbered 1-24
for each player, starting at the player's Home board (so that
Point 1 for player A will be point 24 for player B and vice-versa).
Prime
Six consecutive closed points, all owned by the same player.
Checkers belonging to the opponent can become trapped behind
a prime until
it is broken.
Q
Quadrant
A Backgammon playing board is broken down into four equal sections,
quadrants, each containing six points. Points 1 to 6 are located
in the first quadrant, points 7 to 12 in the second, points
13 to 18 in the third, and points 19 to 24 in the fourth.
R
Rake
A small fee charged by BGroom (or any gaming site) for hosting
money games. The amount varies depending on game type and wager
size. Click here to see a detailed break down of Rake fees.
Rating System
Each player is given a rating between 0-1,800+ as an indication
of their skill in playing Backgammon. The rating is based on
a player's performance record: games won and lost, to whom they
were
won or lost. The amount by which a player's rating changes depends
on the difference between their rating number and that of their
opponent. A win by a low rated player against a high rated player
will boost the ranking of the lower player and lower the ranking
of the higher player, more so than if the highly rated player
had won. A legend of rating color codes can be found in the BGroom
lobby. The rating system used on BGroom is the standard, internationally
recognized Backgammon rating system.
Re-Double
Any double that is made after the initial double of the game
is known as a re-double. Only the player who has control of the
doubling
cube may offer a re-double.
S
Starting Position
The set position of the checkers at the beginning of each game.
Each player has checkers laid out in the following order: 2 checkers
on his point-24, 5 checkers on point-13, 3 checkers on point-8,
and 5 checkers on point-6.
