“B” Backgammon Terms

An exchange of loose hits in which both players try to gain a key point.

A kind of collusion in a chouette. Two or more players silently agree to share their winnigs, thus if either of them is in the box and the other is captain, the captain deliberately makes bad moves or wrong doubling decisions. (From Philipp Martyn on Backgammon, p. 162.)

A large checker play or cube error, especially one made out of recklessness or inattention.   Compare: Whopper. See post by Daniel Murphy.

A backgammon board.

One of the four quadrants that make up the playing area: your home board, your outer board, the opponent's home board, and the opponent's outer board.

A player's home board. For example: a strong board is a home board with several made points; an n-point board is a home board with n points made; to make your board means to close all the points in your home board.

See: Starting Position.

See: Starting Position.

A play that leaves one or more blots that the opponent can easily hit.   Compare: Safe Play.

See: Magriel's Safe-Bold Criteria.

Cover a blot.

A computer program on a backgammon server that plays and competes just as if it were a human player.

Any computer program that can play backgammon (1) and analyze positions (such as Jellyfish, Snowie, or GNU Backgammon).

[Short for "man in the box," a person in a difficult or trying position.]  The player in a chouette who plays alone against all the others.

A roll of 6-6 (double 6's).

A roll of 6-6 (double 6's).

A roll of 6-6 (double 6's).

To take apart, as in break a point, break a prime, or break one's board.

To remove a checker from a point (1) that contains only two checkers, thus leaving an open. (The opposite of make a point.)

To open one or more points (2) in a prime.

To move past the last of the opponent's checkers, so that no further hitting or blocking is possible. The game becomes a pure race.

To open one or more points (2) in your home board after having made your board.

An incomplete prime with a gap in it.