Backgammon Glossary

Backgammon has its own vocabulary, and books, programs and players use it freely. This glossary explains the terms you will meet most often, in alphabetical order. For how the rules fit together, see the rules page; for a lighter introduction to the language of the game, read our article on backgammon terminology.

A to C

• Anchor: a point held by two or more of your checkers in your opponent's home board.
• Backgame: a plan for a player far behind in the race, holding two or more points in the opponent's home board and waiting for a late shot.
• Backgammon: besides the name of the game, a win in which the loser has borne off no checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board. Worth three times the cube value.
• Bar: the raised strip dividing the board in half. Hit checkers are placed on it.
• Bar point: the 7-point, next to the bar. Your opponent's bar point is your 18-point.
• Bear in: bring the last checkers into your home board before bearing off.
• Bear off: remove checkers from the board once all fifteen are in your home board.
• Blitz: an all-out attack on blots in your home board while your opponent has checkers on the bar.
• Blot: a single checker alone on a point, which can be hit.
• Builder: a checker placed within six pips of a point you want to make.
• Closed board: a home board with all six points made. A checker on the bar cannot enter against it.
• Contact: a position in which the two sides can still hit or block each other.
• Cover: add a second checker to your own blot, making a point.
• Crawford rule: in match play, the cube may not be used in the one game right after a player first comes within one point of winning the match.
• Cube: the doubling cube, marked 2 to 64, which records the value of the game. See the doubling cube.

D to J

• Dance: fail to enter a checker from the bar because both numbers are blocked.
• Deep point: a low point in the home board, such as the 1- or 2-point.
• Direct shot: a blot six or fewer points away, which can be hit with a single die.
• Double: an offer to play the game for twice its current value; also a roll with the same number on both dice.
• Drop (or pass): refuse a double and concede the game at its current value.
• Gammon: a win in which the loser has not borne off any checker. Worth twice the cube value.
• Golden point: a common name for your 5-point, the most valuable point early in the game.
• Hit: land on an opposing blot and send it to the bar.
• Home board (inner board): your points 1 to 6, where checkers must gather before bearing off.
• Indirect shot: a blot seven or more points away, which can only be hit with both dice combined.
• Jacoby rule: an option used outside matches under which gammons and backgammons count only if the cube has been turned.

M to R

• Make a point: place two or more of your checkers on the same point, blocking it to the opponent.
• Match: a series of games played until one player reaches an agreed number of points, often 5, 7 or more.
• Midpoint: your 13-point, where five of your checkers start.
• Outer board: points 7 to 12 on your side; points 13 to 18 are your opponent's outer board.
• Pip: one point of movement. A roll of 6-3 moves 9 pips.
• Pip count: the total number of pips a player needs to bear off all checkers. Both players start at 167.
• Point: one of the 24 triangles on the board; also a triangle you hold with two or more checkers.
• Prime: several consecutive made points. A full prime of six points cannot be passed.
• Race: a position with no contact left, decided by pip count and bear-off efficiency.
• Redouble: a double offered by the player who owns the cube.
• Running game: a plan of breaking contact and moving home quickly when ahead in the race.

S to Z

• Shot: a roll or set of rolls that would hit a blot.
• Slot: place a single checker on a point you hope to cover next turn, accepting the risk of being hit.
• Split: separate your two back checkers, usually to prepare an anchor or escape.
• Stack: pile many checkers on one point, which wastes them.
• Take: accept a double and continue the game at the higher value, gaining ownership of the cube.
• Timing: how long a player can keep his position before being forced to break important points.