GridGammon: The GamesGrid Successor

GridGammon is where the original GamesGrid lived on. When the 1996–2008 GamesGrid Backgammon server was sold and closed in 2008, its original client software was carried to a new server by a member of the original GamesGrid team — and a large part of the community followed. That continuation is GridGammon, and it has kept running for its players ever since.

Without GridGammon, the original GamesGrid software and much of its community would have disappeared in 2008. This page tells its story in that light: where it came from, who runs it, what the software is, and how to join.

For the original 1996–2008 GamesGrid's full timeline, see the history page. For the original resident bots of that platform, see the GG bot family page.

Origin: 2008–2009, when the original GamesGrid closed

The original GamesGrid Backgammon, operated by CyberArts Inc. from December 1996, announced in February 2008 that it would close. In March 2008 the GamesGrid name passed to GameAccount Network, which put its own backgammon software under it; the original server closed that spring (see "The Record: 1996–2008, and 2021 Onward" on the history page).

In the same window — most accounts place it in 2008 or early 2009 — the original GamesGrid client software was continued by Gabriella Barclay, who had served as GamesGrid's community director during the CyberArts era. She relaunched it under a new name and a new domain — gridgammon.com — as a no-gambling, backgammon-only server.

The idea was simple: take the software the GamesGrid community loved and keep it running. No money play. Backgammon only.

The operator

The development credit on the GridGammon software reads "Jensen-Barclay". The public face of the platform is Gabriella Barclay herself, who keeps players informed through the @GridGammon account on X (formerly Twitter).

Her continuity with the original GamesGrid is what gave GridGammon its credibility from the first day. The 1996–2008 GamesGrid community recognised both the operator and the software when they re-emerged on the new domain, and a significant portion of the original membership followed.

The software: the original GamesGrid client

GridGammon's playing client is the same software architecture as the original GamesGrid client — for many players, the board and lobby they grew up with. It is downloaded as a desktop application for Windows and macOS; there is no browser-based play. The latest publicly listed version is 3.8 beta (as listed on third-party download mirror Software Informer).

What it offers:

• Real-time multiplayer match play in the original GamesGrid client
• Match recording in standard formats for post-game analysis in GNU Backgammon or eXtreme Gammon
• A rating system carrying forward the original GamesGrid ELO baseline
• No coin mechanics, no real-money play, no advertising — a clear alternative to the coin-driven mobile-app backgammon ecosystem

Where the software stands in 2026

The client is in maintenance rather than feature development. The New England Backgammon Club's client guide notes that "GridGammon is no longer being actively developed; there is no clock play; and issues occasionally arise relating to connectivity and file saving", and that the Mac client offers fewer settings than the Windows client (board appearance, personal preferences). Match timing is agreed between players.

Kept running by a very small team, the original GamesGrid software has now lived longer at GridGammon (2008–present) than it did at GamesGrid itself (1996–2008).

GamesGrid is coming back and you can be part of it.

Get your invitation

The USBGF tournament connection

GridGammon's most important institutional relationship is with the US Backgammon Federation (USBGF). GridGammon is one of three servers the USBGF lists as an approved venue for its Online Circuit — alongside GammonSite and SafeHarborGames — and a GridGammon account is one of the practical paths into USBGF online tournaments.

The fit is a natural one: a no-money, invitation-based platform, run by a known and trusted figure with verified continuity to the original 1996-era community, suits federation amateur tournaments in a way money-play servers do not.

The UK Backgammon Federation (UKBGF) runs its current online programmes on a different platform — Backgammon Hub — which UKBGF sponsors, and which hosts events such as the UKBGF Online Charity Challenge and the Backgammon Hub Online Championships. UK federation members who also hold GridGammon invitations play there independently of the UKBGF's online programme.

Account access: invitation-only

GridGammon does not offer open public registration. New accounts come by invitation, typically through one of:

• USBGF membership (US Backgammon Federation) — the most common path, via USBGF Online Circuit participation
• Personal invitation from an existing GridGammon member or from the operator via the platform's contact address (play@gridgammon.com)

That is a deliberate choice: GridGammon is built for committed tournament players, not for casual drop-in play — and it keeps the community small enough to run well with a single-operator team.

Current status

For GridGammon's current status, the operator's own channels are the reliable source: the official site, gridgammon.com, the @GridGammon account on X and play@gridgammon.com. GridGammon has kept the original GamesGrid software running for more than fifteen years.

Frequently asked questions about GridGammon

See also

• GamesGrid history — the full 1996–2010 timeline of the original platform, including the 2008 acquisition and 2008–2010 decline
• The GG bot family — the 1996–2008 in-house bots
• Xbot and Paul Magriel — the independent bot operated on the original GamesGrid by the 1978 World Champion
• Bots & AI — how the new club's 512 members are built to play like people, and GG Guru
• Backgammon rules — the standard ruleset both GridGammon and the 2026 GamesGrid use