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Accept a Double: When a player agrees to continue playing a game at twice the stakes after his opponent offers a double.

Ace Point Game: When a player is trapped on the opponent's ace point and remains there in the hope of hitting a blot as the opponent brings his checkers home and bears them off.

Anchor: A point occupied by two or more of a player's checkers on the opponent's side of the board.

Automatic Doubles: An optional rule in money play which states that if both players roll the same number on the first roll of a game, the stakes are to be doubled.

Back Game: A strategy wherein the losing player holds two or more points in the opponent's home board in the hopes to hit blots left by the opponent as the opponent brings his checkers home and bears them off.

Backgammon: If a player bears off all 15 of his men before his opponent has borne off a single man, and he still has one or more men in your home board or on the bar, you win a backgammon, or a triple game.

Bar: A ridge down the center of the board dividing a player's home and outer boards. The bar is not counted as a space. Place where hit blots are placed until they reenter into play.

Bear In: When a player moves a checker into his home board in preparation for bearing off.

Bear Off: A player bears off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides, and then removing that checker from the board. Men borne off the board are not re-entered into play. The player who bears off all his men first is the winner.

Beaver: When one player thinks he is the favorite after accepting a double, he may immediately turn the cube to 4 without forfeiting his option to double again later. This is called a "beaver".

Black: One of the participants of a backgammon game, presumably the one using darker-colored checkers.

Block: A point occupied by two or more of a player's checkers on the player's side of the board.

Blockade: A series of blocks arranged to prevent escape of the opponent's runners.

Blot: A single man on a point is called a "blot". If you move a man onto an opponent's blot, or touch down on it in the process of moving the combined total of your cast, the blot is hit, removed from the board and placed on the bar.

Board: Backgammon is played on a board consisting of twenty-four narrow triangles called points. The triangles alternate in color and are grouped into four quadrants of six triangles each. The quadrants are referred to as a player's home board and outer board, and the opponent's home board and outer board. The home and outer boards are separated from each other by a ridge down the center of the board called the bar.

Box: At the start of a chouette each player throws one die and in the event of a tie there is a re-roll. The player rolling highest becomes the "box". The box plays against all other participants who joined together as a team.

Break Contact: To move the last of a player's checkers past the last of the opponent's checkers and proceed to the final stage of the game in which there is no hitting or blocking.

Captain: At the start of a chouette each player throws one die and in the event of a tie there is a reroll. The player rolling highest becomes the "box". The box plays against all other participants who joined together as a team. The second highest roller becomes the "captain" of the team. The captain rolls the dice and makes the plays for the team.

Centered Cube: The state of the doubling cube before either player has offered a double.

Checkers: Thirty round stones, 15 each of two different colors, generally referred to as men.

Chouette: A form of backgammon for more than two players that are often played in club situations. For more information on chouettes see our Beginner's Basic section.

Close Out: When a player sets up blocks on all six points of his home board while the opponent has a checker on the bar. The opponent is prevented from entering his checker and must forfeit his turn until at least one of the blocked points is opened.

Closed board: A Player who has made all six points in his home board is said to have a "closed board". If the opponent has any men on the bar, he will not be able to re-enter it since there is no vacant point in his adversary's home board. Therefore, he forfeits his rolls, and continues to do so until such time as the player has to open up a point in his home board, thus providing a point of entry.

Closed Point: A point containing two or more of the opponent's checkers.

Cocked Dice: Dice that has landed on a checker, off the board, or in any manner other than flat on the right half of the board. The roll is disqualified and both dice must be re-thrown.

Contact: A position in which it is still possible for one player to hit or block the other.

Crawford Rule: If you are playing an n-point match and your opponent is ahead of you, if he gets to n-1 points according to the Crawford Rule you are not allowed to use the doubling cube in the following game.

Cube Decision: The choice of whether or not to offer a double, or to accept or refuse an offered double.

Dice cup: Used to shake and cast the dice. (Again, it is more convenient to have two dice cups.)

Dice: Numbered from 1 to 6. (For convenience, two pairs of dice, one for each player, are generally used.)

Double Match Point: A match in which both players need just one point to win or where the doubling cube has reached a level such that the winner of the game also wins the match.

Doublet: Dice throw where the same number appears on both dice, for example, 2-2 or 3-3. The caster of a doublet is entitled to four moves instead of two. Thus, if he rolls 3-3, he can move up to four men three spaces.

Doubling cube: A six-faced die, marked with the numerals 2,4,8,16,32 & 64. This is used to keep track of the number of units at stake in each game, as well as to mark the player who last doubled.

Doubling: Backgammon is played for agreed upon stakes. During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a sufficient advantage may propose doubling the stakes. The player does so by indicating the appropriate doubled figure with the doubling cube. For more information on doubling see our Beginner's Basics section.

Drop: To refuse a double.

End Game: The phase of the game which starts when either player begins to bear off or at which no further contact is possible.

Enter: To move a checker from the bar to a point in the opponent's home board according to a roll of the dice. When a player has a checker on the bar, this is his only legal move.

Exposed Checker: A blot within range of a direct shot.

Forced Play: A roll of the dice for which there is only one legal play.

Gammon: When a player bears off all 15 of his men before his opponent has borne off a single man, you win a gammon, or a double game.

Go Out: When a player achieves the points necessary to win a match.

Heavy Point: A point with more than three checkers on it.

Hit: If a player's checker lands on one of his opponent's blots it "hit." A man that has been hit is placed on the bar and must re-enter in the opposing home table.

Holding Game: A game in which one player occupies a point or points on the opponent's side of the board, making it difficult for the opponent to bring his checkers home safely.

Holland Rule: In post-Crawford games the trailer can only double after both sides have played two rolls. It makes the free drop more valuable to the leader. The Holland rule is rarely used.

Home Board: The side of the board where the players bear off their checkers. Each player's home board comprises that player's points one through six. Also called the Inner Table.

Jacoby Rule: Gammons and backgammons count only as a single game if neither player has offered a double during the course of the game. This rule speeds up play by eliminating situations where a player avoids doubling so he can play on for a gammon. The Jacoby rule is primarily used in money games.

Making a point: A player makes a point (takes control of one of the triangles on the board) by positioning two or more of his men on it. He then owns' that point, and his opponent cannot move a checker to that point nor touch down on it when taking the combined total of his dice with one man.

Match Play: When backgammon tournaments are held to determine an overall winner, the usual style of competition is match play. Competitors are paired off, and each pair plays a series of games to decide which player progresses to the next round of the tournament. This series of games is called a match. Matches are played to a specified number of points. The first player to accumulate the required points wins the match. For more information on match play see our Beginner's Basic section.

Match Point: A match score in which the leading player needs just one more point to win.

Match: A series of games between two players which ends when one player wins by accumulating the required number of points.

Money Play: The normal style of competition in which games are played independently and the competitors bet on the result. For each game, the loser pays the winner the agreed initial stake multiplied by the value of the doubling cube and further multiplied by two for a gammon or three for a backgammon.

Move: The advancement of a player's checker according to the value showing on each of the pair of dice. A move constitutes one of: entering a checker from the bar, moving a checker the number of pips indicated on the die, or bearing off a checker.

Open point: A point that is not occupied by two or more opposing checkers.

Outer Board: The side of the board away from where the players bear off their checkers. Each player's outer board comprises that player's points seven through twelve. Also called the outer table.

Own the Cube: To be the most recent player of the current game to have accepted a double, and the only player who may offer the next double.

Partner for the Box: Chouettes of eight or more players often permit the box to take a partner. The partnership is offered in rotation, starting with the captain and moving on down the line. If no one offers to be the box's partner, a partner may be chosen by lot from among the team members other than the captain.

Pass: Refuse a double.

Pip: One of the dots on dice that indicate numeric value or a unit of distance on a backgammon board corresponding to the difference in point numbers.

Point: One of the twenty-four narrow triangles on a backgammon board or a unit of scoring in match play.

Points: The twenty-four narrow triangles that comprise a backgammon board. Points alternate in color and are grouped into four quadrants of six triangles each. They are not numbered on most backgammon boards.

Prime: If a player "makes" or takes control of six points in a row on the board he has completed what is called a "prime". Creating a prime means that an opposing man trapped behind a prime cannot move past, for it cannot be moved more than six spaces at a time---the largest number on a die.

Quadrant: One quarter of the playing area on a backgammon board. The first quadrant comprises a player's points 1 to 6, the second quadrant points 7 to 12, the third quadrant points 13 to 18, and the fourth quadrant points 19 to 24.

Raccoon: If the opponent still believes he is the favorite after the first player's beaver, he may immediately turn the cube another notch to 8. This is called a "raccoon."

Race: A position in which it is no longer possible for either player to hit or block.

Redoubles: After the first double has been accepted all subsequent doubles in the same game are called "redoubles". If a player refuses a redouble, he must pay the number of points that were at stake prior to the redouble. Otherwise, he becomes the new owner of the cube and the game continues at twice the previous stakes.

Refuse a Double: A player who is offered a double may refuse, in which case he concedes the game and pays one point. Otherwise, he must accept the double and play on for the new higher stakes.

Runner: A checker on the bar or in the opponent's home board.

Runners: The two men that are located on the opponent's 1-point at the beginning of a game. The runners have to travel the full length of the track to be borne off.

Running Game: The final stage of a backgammon game when the two forces have no further contact or a strategy whereby a player tries to bring his checkers home and bear them off with little or no interaction with the opponent.

Single Game: Any won game which is neither a gammon nor a backgammon.

Spare Checker: An extra checker that can be used for hitting or making a point without leaving behind a blot.

Stake: The amount wagered by the participants in a game of backgammon. The current stake is the initial stake multiplied by the value of the doubling cube.

Take/Drop Decision: The choice of whether to accept or refuse a double.

Take: Accept a double.

Triple Game: Backgammon.

Turn the Cube: To offer a double.

White: One of the participants of a backgammon game, presumably the one using lighter-colored checkers.