- Ace Point
- The 1-point on either side of the board. Your ace point is your 1-point; your opponent's ace point is their 1-point (your 24-point).
- Anchor
- A made point (two or more checkers) in your opponent's home board. Anchors provide a safe re-entry point for hit checkers and restrict your opponent's movement. The 4-point and 5-point are the most valuable anchor positions.
- Back Game
- A defensive strategy where a trailing player holds two or more deep anchors in the opponent's home board, waiting to hit a blot during bearing off. Requires good timing to succeed.
- Backgammon
- The highest level of winning — bearing off all your checkers while the opponent has not borne off any AND still has a checker on the bar or in your home board. Worth 3 times the stake (or cube value).
- Bar
- The raised ridge dividing the board in half. Hit checkers are placed on the bar and must re-enter the game through the opponent's home board before any other moves can be made.
- Bar Point
- The 7-point. Called the bar point because it is next to the bar. An important strategic point for building primes.
- Bear Off
- The final phase of the game. Once all 15 checkers are in your home board, you remove them by rolling matching point numbers. The first player to bear off all checkers wins.
- Blitz
- An aggressive attacking strategy aimed at hitting opponent blots and closing out the home board while the opponent has checkers on the bar. A successful blitz can end the game quickly.
- Block
- A made point that prevents the opponent from landing on it. Also used loosely to refer to a series of made points (see Prime).
- Blot
- A single checker alone on a point. Blots are vulnerable to being hit by the opponent and sent to the bar.
- Builder
- A checker placed in a strategic position where it can help make (cover) a desired point on the next roll. Builders are typically on adjacent points to the target.
- Closed Board
- A home board where all six points are made (occupied by two or more checkers). An opponent on the bar cannot enter against a closed board and must forfeit their turn.
- Contact
- A position where the two players' checkers have not yet completely passed each other. When contact remains, hitting is still possible. A "no contact" position means the game is a pure race.
- Cover
- To place a second checker on a point that has a single blot, making it a safe made point. Also called "making" the point.
- Crawford Rule
- In match play, when one player is one point away from winning the match, the next game (the Crawford game) is played without the doubling cube. After the Crawford game, normal cube use resumes.
- Cube
- Short for doubling cube. A die marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 used to raise the stakes during a game. See Doubling Cube.
- Direct Shot
- A die roll of 1-6 that can hit a blot. Six or fewer pips away. Compare with Indirect Shot.
- Doubling Cube
- A special die used to multiply the game's stake. A player proposes to double before rolling; the opponent must take (accept the higher stake) or drop (concede the game at the current stake). After taking, only the taker can redouble.
- Drop
- To decline a double and concede the game at the current stake. Also called "passing."
- Gammon
- A win where the loser has not borne off any checkers. Worth 2 times the stake (or cube value). More common than a backgammon but less common than a single game.
- Golden Point
- The 5-point on either side. Your own 5-point is the single most important point to make in the early game. Your opponent's 5-point is the most valuable anchor.
- Home Board
- Your inner board — points 1 through 6. All checkers must be in the home board before bearing off can begin. Also called the "inner board."
- Indirect Shot
- A combination shot requiring both dice to reach a blot (7-12 pips away). Less likely than a direct shot but still a real threat, especially with doubles.
- Jacoby Rule
- A rule used in money games: gammons and backgammons only count as extra points if the cube has been turned at least once during the game. Encourages cube action and speeds up play.
- Outer Board
- Points 7 through 12 on either side. Your outer board is between your home board and the bar; your opponent's outer board is on the other side.
- Pip
- A single unit of movement. Each point on the board is one pip. A die showing 5 allows 5 pips of movement.
- Pip Count
- The total number of pips all your checkers must travel to bear off. Used to determine who leads the race. The starting pip count is 167 per player.
- Point
- One of the 24 narrow triangles on the board. Also used to describe a made point (two or more checkers).
- Prime
- A series of consecutive made points. A 6-prime (six in a row) is a perfect blockade that no checker can pass. A 4-prime or 5-prime is still extremely powerful.
- Running Game
- A strategy used when ahead in the pip count. Avoid contact and race checkers to the home board as fast as possible.
- Slot
- To voluntarily place a blot on a point you want to make, hoping to cover it on the next turn. A common but risky opening tactic.
- Split
- To separate your two back checkers by moving one forward. Splitting creates flexibility and chances to make anchors but exposes blots.
- Take
- To accept a double. The taker keeps the cube at the new value and now owns the right to redouble.
- Timing
- Having moves available when you need them. Good timing means your position still has useful moves; bad timing means you are forced to break key points or leave blots prematurely. Timing is critical in back games and priming battles.
