Backgammon Dictionary

Neural network.

Pure race.

An easy decision.

Cocked dice.

A position with a flexible game plan; a game where there is more than one reasonable strategy for winning, such as racing, priming, or blitzing (1).

A consolation tournament for losers of the first round of the main tournament. Losers in later rounds of the main event do not get to enter the consolation event.  Compare: Progressive Consolation.

Norwegian Backgammon Federation.   Website: www.norgesbackgammonforbund.no.

Single game.

A match score expressed in terms of the number of points (4) needed to win the match rather than the number of points won so far. For example, a score of 5-1 in a match to 7 would be "2-away/6-away". Normalized scores are used in match equity tables.

The method of representing the moves of a game. See post by Dean Gay.

The tournament division for the weakest players, particularly those who do not desire the stronger competition and higher entrance fees of the other divisions.   Compare: Intermediate Division and Open Division.

A player who is new to backgammon.  Compare: Intermediate and Advanced level.

A play which cannot be profitable for any possible sequence of future rolls.

The ratio of the probability of an event happening to that of its not happening, or vice versa. Usually the higher number is given first. For example, the odds of rolling double 6's are "35 to 1 against".

Said of checkers which have been borne off.

A model for estimating winning chances in a pure race based on the players' pip counts. In this model, all of a player's pips are represented by just one checker on a infinitely-long backgammon board. The one-checker model overestimates winning chances in positions where one side has more wastage than the other. See post by: Hugh Sconyers.

The deepest point (1) in a player's home board, the point farthest from the bar and closest to being borne off; also called the ace-point.

A backgammon variant where the goal is to be the first player to bear off all of your checkers. There is no doubling cube and no bonus for gammons or backgammons (2). Since you never lose more than one point (4), back games are more of an option in this variant than in regular backgammon. See posts by Lou Poppler and Bernhard Kaiser.

The player whose turn it is. You are on roll as soon as your opponent picks up his dice to end his turn, and before you throw the dice to begin your own turn. For example, the only time you may double is when you are on roll.

Where a checker is placed after it is hit. When you have a checker on the bar, you may not move any of your other checkers until that checker has been entered back onto the board.

Steaming.