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Backgammon Glossary

Backgammon players have a word for almost everything. Here are the terms you'll meet in our guides, on the board and at the club, in plain English and in A to Z order.

ABCDEGHIJMNOPRST

A

Ace point
Your 1-point, the deepest point in your home board. Checkers here are out of play for most of the game.
Anchor
Two or more of your checkers on a point in your opponent's home board. An anchor gives your back checkers a safe base and can't be hit.

B

Back checkers
Your checkers furthest from home, usually the two that start on your 24-point.
Back game
A plan for when you are far behind: you hold two anchors in your opponent's home board and wait for a late shot.
Backgammon (the result)
A win where the loser has borne off no checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board. It is worth three times the stake.
Bar
The raised strip down the middle of the board. Checkers that are hit are placed on it.
Bar point
Your 7-point, the first point outside your home board, next to the bar.
Bear off
To remove a checker from the board once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board.
Beaver
A house rule in money games: a player who is doubled can take and immediately redouble while keeping the cube.
Blitz
An all-out attack: hitting checkers and making home board points fast, aiming to close your opponent out.
Blot
A single checker alone on a point. It can be hit.
Builder
A spare checker placed where it can help make a new point on a later roll.

C

Closed board
A home board with all six points made. A checker on the bar can't enter against it.
Closeout
Hitting a checker while you have a closed board, so your opponent can't move at all until you open a point.
Crawford rule
In match play, the doubling cube can't be used for one game, the first game after a player gets to one point short of winning the match.
Cube
Short for the doubling cube, a die marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 that keeps track of the stake.

D

Dance
To fail to enter a checker from the bar because every point it could enter on is blocked. Your whole turn is lost.
Direct shot
A blot six or fewer points away from an enemy checker, so it can be hit with a single number on one die.
Double
Either a roll where both dice show the same number, played four times, or an offer to double the stake with the cube.
Drop
To refuse a double and lose the game at the current stake. Also called a pass.

E

Enter
To bring a checker from the bar back into play, on an open point in your opponent's home board.

G

Gammon
A win where the loser has not borne off any checkers. It is worth twice the stake.
Golden point
Your 5-point, often called the most valuable point on the board.

H

Hit
To land on an enemy blot and send it to the bar.
Holding game
A plan where you keep an anchor on your opponent's side, usually their 4 or 5-point, and wait for a shot as they bring their checkers home.
Home board
Your 1-point to 6-point, the quarter of the board where your checkers must all be before you can bear off.

I

Indirect shot
A blot seven or more points away, which can only be hit by a combination of both dice.

J

Jacoby rule
A rule in money games where gammons and backgammons count as single games unless the cube has been turned.

M

Make a point
To put two or more of your checkers on the same point, so your opponent can't land there.
Market loser
A sequence that makes your position so much better that your opponent would no longer take a double. Doubling before it happens avoids losing your market.
Match
A series of games played to a set number of points, such as 5, 7 or 11.
Midpoint
Your 13-point, on your opponent's side of the board, where five of your checkers start.
Money game
A single game played for an agreed stake per point, as opposed to a game in a match.

N

Nackgammon
A variant invented by Nack Ballard where each player starts with four back checkers instead of two.

O

Open point
A point you can land on: empty, held by your own checkers, or holding a single enemy checker.
Outer board
Your 7-point to 12-point, the quarter of the board on your side away from your home board.

P

Pass
To refuse a double and lose the game at the current stake. Also called a drop.
Pip
One point of movement. A checker on your 8-point needs 8 pips to bear off.
Pip count
The total number of pips all your checkers must travel to bear off. Both sides start on 167.
Point
One of the 24 narrow triangles on the board.
Prime
A row of made points next to each other. A full prime of six points can't be jumped.

R

Race
A position where all contact is over, so the game is decided only by who bears off first.
Redouble
A double made by the player who owns the cube, turning it to the next number.
Running game
A plan where you are ahead in the race and try to get your checkers home safely, avoiding contact.

S

Shot
A chance to hit an enemy blot.
Single game
A win where the loser has borne off at least one checker. It is worth the stake once.
Slot
To place a single checker on a point you want to make, hoping to cover it next turn before it is hit.
Split
To move your two back checkers to different points, usually early in the game.
Stack
Too many checkers on one point. A tall stack is usually a sign of wasted checkers.

T

Take
To accept a double and carry on playing for twice the stake.
Take point
The lowest winning chance at which taking a double is correct, about 25% in a money game.
Tempo
A turn of time. Hitting a checker costs your opponent tempo, because they must use part of their roll to enter.

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