Backgammon Dictionary

A way to settle a difference of opinion about whether a position is a take or a drop by playing a series of games starting with the position in question. The player who believes the position is a take plays the taking side owning a 2-cube and gets one point added to his score for each game played.

Bear off.

The minimum game winning chances at which it is correct for a player to accept a double; the point at which a player is equally well off accepting a double or refusing a double; a player's drop point.   Compare: Raw take point.

Hit a blot.

A Persian game similar to Western backgammon (1).  See: How to Play Takhteh.

A game popular in Bulgaria in which players pin opposing blots rather than hit them.  See: How to Play Tapa.

A Turkish game similar to Western backgammon.  See: How to Play Tavla.

The Greek name for games played on a backgammon board. These typically include Portes, Plakoto, and Fevga.  See: How to Play Tavli.

Tournament director.

The first strong neural-net backgammon program (1991), written by Gerald Tesauro.   See: Temporal Difference Learning and TD-Gammon and Learning from the Machine.

In a chouette, the players lead by the captain who play against the box; the captain and his crew.

A checker-play decision which primarily depends on tactical considerations. See post by Adam Stocks.  Compare: Positional Play.

An inadvertent clue as to whether you will be taking or dropping if offered a double. See post by: Tad Bright.

A plot showing how a position's equity is distributed among each of the 6 x 6 upcoming rolls. It provides a way to visualize aspects of a position such as volatility and duplication.

A unit of time in positional development equal to half a roll.

A hit designed to forestall the opponent by depriving him of half a roll when the opponent threatens to hit a blot or make an important point, or needs to consolidate a disorganized position.

To intentionally place a blot in a position where it can be hit with the idea of enticing the opponent to give up a strategic point (2).

A player's two-point.

A formula devised by Edward O. Thorp for making doubling decisions in pure race games. It is a modification of the basic pip count designed to take into account elements of checker distribution. Each player's Thorp count is his pip count, plus 2 for each of his checkers still on the board, minus 1 for each of his occupied home board points, plus 1 for each checker on his one-point. Then the player on roll increases his count by 10 percent if it is more than 30. Thorp advises: Double any time your count does not exceed the opponent's by more than 2; redouble any time your count does not exceed opponent's by more than 1; accept the double if your count does not exceed doubler's by more than 2. See post by Simon Woodhead. For a comparison with other methods, see the article, "Cube Handling In Noncontact Positions".

The third point (1) in a player's home board, counting from the edge of the board toward the bar.