Backgammon Glossary

Every backgammon term you will meet at the board or in a strategy book, defined in a line or two. Point numbers are counted from your own side, so your 24-point is your opponent's 1-point. For how the terms fit together in play, see the backgammon rules.

Ace Point

Your 1-point, the deepest point in your home board. Your opponent's ace point is their 1-point, which is your 24-point, where your two back checkers start.

Anchor

Two or more of your checkers on a point in your opponent's home board. An anchor gives a hit checker a safe place to land. The most valuable anchors are on your opponent's 5-point and 4-point, your 20 and 21-points.

Back Game

A plan for a player far behind in the race: hold two or more anchors deep in the opponent's home board and wait for a late shot. It needs good timing and often a deficit of 70 pips or more.

Backgammon

The biggest win: the loser has borne off no checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board. Worth 3 times the value on the doubling cube.

Bar

The raised strip down the middle of the board. Hit checkers wait on the bar and must re-enter in the opponent's home board before their owner can make any other move.

Bar Point

Your 7-point, the point next to the bar in your outer board. With your 4 and 5-points it is one of the most valuable points to make, and 6-1 makes it on the opening roll.

Bear Off

Removing checkers from the board once all 15 of yours are in your home board. A die removes a checker from the matching point. The first player to bear off all 15 wins.

Beaver

An optional money-play rule: a player who is doubled takes and immediately redoubles, keeping the cube. Not used in match play or on our board.

Blitz

An attacking plan: hit enemy blots and make home-board points so the opponent stays on the bar, aiming to close them out. A successful blitz often wins a gammon.

Block

A made point that the opponent cannot land on. Also used for a run of made points (see Prime).

Blot

A single checker alone on a point. An enemy checker that lands on it hits it and sends it to the bar.

Builder

A checker, usually in your outer board, placed within reach of a point you want to make so that more of your rolls make it.

Closed Board

A home board with all six points made. A checker on the bar cannot enter against it, so its owner cannot move until a point opens.

Contact

A position where the two sides' checkers have not yet passed each other, so hitting is still possible. With no contact left, the game is a pure race.

Cover

To add a second checker to a point holding your own blot, making it a safe made point.

Crawford Rule

A match-play rule named after John R. Crawford. In the first game after either player gets within one point of winning the match, the doubling cube is out of play. It returns from the next game on.

Cube

Short for the doubling cube, marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64. See Doubling Cube.

Dance

To fail to enter from the bar because neither die matches an open point in the opponent's home board. The whole turn is lost.

Direct Shot

A shot at a blot 6 or fewer pips away, which a single die can hit. Compare Indirect Shot.

Doubling Cube

The cube used to raise the stakes. Before rolling, a player may double if the cube is in the middle or on their side. The opponent takes, playing on at twice the stake and owning the cube, or drops and loses the stake as it stood before the double.

Drop

To refuse a double and lose the game at once, paying the stake as it stood before the double. Also called a pass.

Gammon

A win in which the loser has not borne off any checkers. Worth 2 times the value on the doubling cube.

Golden Point

The 5-point. Your own 5-point is the most valuable point to make early. Some writers, following Paul Magriel, use the name only for the opponent's 5-point, the best anchor.

Hit

To land on an enemy blot, sending that checker to the bar.

Home Board

Your points 1 to 6, also called the inner board. All 15 of your checkers must be here before you can bear off.

Indirect Shot

A shot at a blot 7 or more pips away, which needs both dice combined. At 7 pips only 6 of the 36 rolls hit.

Jacoby Rule

An optional money-play rule named after Oswald Jacoby: gammons and backgammons count as single games unless the cube has been turned during the game. Not used in match play or on our board.

Made Point

A point holding two or more of your checkers. The opponent cannot land on it.

Match Play

Play to an agreed number of points, with each game adding its points to a running total. The tournament format, and the one that uses the Crawford rule.

Midpoint

Your 13-point, at the far end of your opponent's outer board. Five of your checkers start there.

Money Play

Play in which each game is settled on its own at an agreed stake. Optional rules such as beavers and the Jacoby rule belong to money play.

Outer Board

Your points 7 to 12, between your home board and the far half of the board. Your opponent's outer board is points 13 to 18 in your numbering.

Pip

One point of movement. A die showing 5 moves a checker 5 pips.

Pip Count

The total number of pips your checkers must travel to bear off. The lower count leads the race. Each player starts on 167.

Point

One of the 24 narrow triangles on the board. Also short for a made point.

Prime

A row of consecutive made points. Six in a row, a full prime, cannot be passed until it breaks.

Running Game

A plan for a player ahead in the race: avoid contact and race checkers home to bear off first.

Slot

To place a single checker on a point you want to make, planning to cover it next turn. With opening 2-1, 13/11 6/5 slots the 5-point.

Split

To separate your two back checkers by moving one off the 24-point, as 24/23 does with opening 4-1 and 5-1.

Take

To accept a double. The game continues at twice the stake and the taker owns the cube, so only they can make the next double.

Timing

How long you can keep the strong parts of your position before being forced to break them. It decides back games and priming battles.