- A -
Ace-Point
The one point.
Ace-Point Game
A game where
you have two or more checkers on
your opponent's
ace-point, and your hope
of winning depends on getting a
shot, hitting it, then keeping his
hit checker from coming back around.
If you hold a single point in your
opponent's board and it's a different
point, sometimes you can be said
to be playing a "Deuce-point
game"
or "Three-point game" but these
terms are less commonly used.
Advanced Anchor
A made point
higher in your opponent's board
than the 24-point. In general, advanced
anchors are good because (a) they
give you more opportunity to hit
his checkers if he brings them into
his outfield and (b) they give you
a better opportunity to escape your
own checkers.
Anchor
A made point
in your opponent's inner board.
You start with an anchor on the
24-point.
Automatic Doubles
A rule,
sometimes
used in money play and
Chouettes
and never
in match play. When automatic doubles
are in effect, if the first roll
(where each player rolls one dies)
is a double, the cube is turned
one level. Sometimes there can be
a limit of, say, one or two doubles.
This rule has no effect except to
increase the stakes at random, which
adds to the excitement of gambling
for some players.
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- B -
Backgame
A game where
you hold two (or sometimes three)
points in your opponent's board,
and he has a lead in the race. You
hope to make points in your board
and eventually your back checkers
make some of his rolls awkward to
play, so you hit him one or more
times and you have already made
it hard for him to come back in.
Backgames can often be won even
though you are far behind in the
race, but they also lead to many
gammons and even backgammons when
they are lost. (See also "Holding Game.")
Bar point
The 7-point
Bearin phase
The phase
of the game in which you are bringing
all your checkers to your inner
board. Usually, but not necessarily,
this term would be applied when
your opponent has at most one point
from which he could possibly hit
you.
Bearoff game phase
The phase
of the game in which you have moved
all your checkers to your inner
board and are removing them from
the board.
Beaver offer
A rule commonly
used in money play and
Chouettes, and never in match
play. If your opponent doubles and
you feel you are actually the favorite,
you may say "Beaver." You turn the
cube an additional level, but you
keep control of the cube. You may
only do this as soon as you are
doubled. Some players allow a "Raccoon"
in which if you Beaver, the opponent
who doubled can have the cube turned
yet again. Beavers are rare, because
they require the players to have
very different opinions of the current
board position. (When the
Jacoby Rule
is in effect,
there are some positions where both
a double and a beaver can be theoretically
correct.)
Backgammon Blitz
A game plan where
you hit your opponent aggressively
in your inner board, often hitting
loose, hoping that before he hits
you back too many times you can
make several points and perhaps
even close him out.
Backgammon Blot
A single checker
on a point
Builder play
A checker,
either a
blot or
a spare, that is available
to make new points without giving
up old ones.
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- C -
Chouette play
See "How to play
a chouette game".
Closeout position
A position where
your opponent has one or more checkers
on the bar and you have made all
the points in your inner board,
so he can't move. A closed board
is when you have all the points
in your inner board made.
Contact position
The opposite
of a
non-contact
position. Non-contact positions
favour the player with the lower
pip count remaining - if you are
trailing in pip count you often
want to maintain contact.
Cover point
To put a second
checker on a
blot, making the point.
Crawford Rule
Named for Johnny
Crawford, a rule used universally
in match play. When one player reaches
a score where he needs one point
to win the match, his opponent may
not double in the next game only.
Most online software is set up to
not allow such doubles. In real-life
tournaments, rules vary as to what
happens if an illegal double is
made. Most players take the cube
off the board at the beginning of
the Crawford game.
Crunch
A position where
you have one or more checkers back,
and have made a lot of points in
your inner board. If you have to
start giving up those points because
you have to move checkers in, you
are said to be "crunching."
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- D -
Dance
To have a
checker on the bar and fail to enter.
Also referred to as flunk, fail.
Deuce-point
The two-point.
Direct shot
A checker that
can be hit by your opponent with
a roll of 6 or less.
Drop
To
forfeit the game when your opponent
doubles. Called "resign" on the
MS Gaming Zone.
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- E -
Backgammon Equity
"Equity"
is the value of ownership. In backgammon,
it means either the value of your
game, or your chances of winning
the match.
Tournament
Backgammon
tournament that begins according
to a prefixed time and date.
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- F -
Fan
See "Dance"
Game Flunk
See "Dance"
Fly shot
A checker
that can be hit by your opponent
with a roll of 7 or more.
Free-roll Tournament
A competition
that has no entry fee.
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- G -
Golden Point
The 5-point.
This is not an "accepted" term but
you may hear it. Paul Magriel, in
his excellent book on backgammon,
coined this term to emphasize the
importance of owning the 5-point.
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- H -
Hit loose
Hitting an
opponent's checker where you cannot
make the point, but have to leave
a blot.
Holding Game
A game in
which you have one point made over
which your opponent's checkers have
to pass before getting off, and
except for that, your checkers have
all passed your opponent's. Usually
you are trailing in the race, but
slightly enough that a big set of
doubles (if you are able to use
them to escape your back checkers)
will make you more or less even.
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- I -
Indirect shot
See
fly shot.
Inner board (or
inner table, or infield)
The six lowest-numbered
points for each player. Your "inner
board" is the points numbered 1-6
for you, your opponent's inner board
are his points numbered 1-6.
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- J -
Jacoby Rule
Named for
Oswald Jacoby, a rule never used
in match play and almost always
in money play and
Chouettes. If the cube has
not been turned, the winner cannot
score a gammon or backgammon. This
rule eliminates situations where
a player postpones doubling because
he has a small chance of a gammon;
it encourages him to double, the
opponent drops, and they get on
to the next game.
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- M -
"Made" point
A point with
two or more checkers on it.
Midpoint
The 13-point.
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- N -
Noncontact Game
A position
where all your checkers have passed
all your opponent's, so that no
further hits are possible.
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- O -
Outer board (or
outer table, or outfield)
The points
numbered 7-12.
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- P -
Play65 or Play
65
In some countries
play65 is the way the board game
is referred to online, originating
from the Persian language, shesh
besh is Persian for backgammon,
which means 6 and 5, but is also
an online synonym for the backgammon
game. Thus play65 has become a popular
way to communicate the new online
name for the famous board game play65.
Prime
A solid row
of made points - in theory six points
in a row, but often used for a 5-in-a
row - as in a "5-point prime."
Backgammon Proposition
An agreement
between two (or more) players to
set up a board and play out a given
position many times, to settle a
difference of opinion about the
proper action. Stakes are almost
always involved.
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- R -
Racing position
See "Non-contact position"
Rake
Fee charged
by the hosting company, which is
taken from winner's proceeds
Return shot
A situation
where, in hitting an opponent's
checker, you leave him some rolls
where he can hit you on his next
turn.
Runners
The two men
in your opponents
inner board.
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- S -
Slot
To move a
single checker to an unoccupied
point, with the intention of trying
to cover it in the near future so
as to make the point.
Spare
A checker
in excess of two on a point. It
is a spare because it can be moved
without giving up the point.
Split
To move one
checker off your opponent's
ace-point, hoping to either
run that checker to safety or to
make an
Advanced
20Anchor.
Stripped Point
A point which
has two checkers on it, but whose
primary value is to help make further
advanced point, and which further
is in range of a direct shot by
the opponent if you move one of
the checkers.
Satellite Tournament
The winner
of a satellite competition receives
a free entry to another tournament.
Sit-and-go Backgammon
Tournament
Tournament
that begins only after a certain
number of players have registered.
Single Games
The most
common style of competition, where
games are played independently.
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- T -
Take
To continue
play when doubled.
Table Stakes
The limit
on the money that can be placed
on a single game. This is the highest
amount which can be won or lost.
Timing
Timing refers
to whether your position is likely
to improve or disintegrate over
time. It most commonly refers to
being behind in the race when you
would like to maintain your board
without crunching while waiting
for a shot.
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