Glossary extracted starting with automatic seeds, with BOW for the domain spo and language EN

bar point	term for the 7-point.
time	1
legal play	This game corresponds to the dice throw according to the rules of backgammon.
td colspan=3	Prize Fund (Trophies, Ribbons, Medals, etc.)
opposition	A term used to describe two kings, usually in an
active	An aggressive move, line of play, or position
fish	Derogatory term for a poor player willing to play for high stakes.
master	A strong player who has achieved a USCF rating of 2200 or higher.
exposed checker	A blot within range of a direct hit.
rolling prime	Movement of a 6-prime moving forward.
hustler	A player who, by charm or other means, persuades another player to take part in game where the other player is at a disadvantage.
ace point game	On Roll: The player whose turn it is, is said to be 'On Roll'
jackpot	A elimination event, usually with a large entry fee, in which only the winner and runner-up receive prize money.
nullo play	A play which cannot be profitable for any possible sequence of future rolls.
ply	White or black's move
check	to check the option of betting - can only be done if you're first to act, or if no one else has yet bet (in which case you either need to call, raise or fold)
tee pad	A designated area where players begin each hole
normalized match score	A match score expressed in terms of the number of points needed by both sides to win the match
kid	See King's Indian Defense.
lock up a point	To make a point.
forward game	A strategy the aim of which is to quickly enter into a pure race, or any game strategy apart from the back game.
hit	Pip Count: The minimum number of pips needed to be rolled to bear off all of your checkers
rfd	Reason For Decision - something a judge has to fill out on a ballot to explain why he/she gave one team the win
raccoon	An immediate redouble by the player who just accepted a beaver.
control a point	Has more than two checkers on the point.
ace-point game	Describes a stage towards the end of the game, where player X is anchored on player Y’s one-point
gammon	A finished game where the loser failed to remove checkers
hit-and-cover	A roll whose numbers allow you to hit an opponent's blot with one part of the roll, and to cover a blot of your own at the same time with the other part of the roll.
gs	Short for Gammon-save.
dynamism	A style of play in which the activity of the pieces is favoured over more positional considerations, even to the point of accepting permanent structural or spatial weaknesses
eco	The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, a standard and comprehensive chess opening reference
break	Break is a backgammon reference to taking down made points or primes.
counterattack	Antonym: passive.
doubling on the come	Doubling on the come is backgammon lingo for offering a double in anticipation of a good roll.
sympathy flight	Consolation flight.
magriel's safe-bold criteria	Six rules that decide if a situation warrants safe play or aggressive play
k	Abbreviation for King.
intermediate move	See zwischenzug.
play	See ply.
horizon	The number of plies played in each trial of a truncated rollout
seven card stud	A poker game in which each player receives three cards to start, two down and one up
double game	A win of a
refuse a double	To resign the game at the current stakes after the opponent offers a double rather than continue play at twice the stakes. Compare: Accept a Double.
trey-point	Traditional name for the three-point.
crew	In a chouette backgammon game, the crew are the members of the team who play with the captain against the box.
hand-checking	A foul that happens when a player uses his hands to obstruct another player's movement.
amateur	The distinction between professional and amateur is not very important in chess as amateurs may win prizes, accept appearance fees, and earn any title including World Champion
open	1
twist the cube	To offer a double.
diversification	See
royal game	Commonly used description for the game of Chess.
greedy bearoff	A mode in some computer programs and on some backgammon servers where the computer will automatically bear off the maximum number of checkers possible.
general principles	Guidelines helpful to beginning players. As they gain experience, players increasingly learn the exceptions to these guidelines.
obstruction	TODO
dice mechanic	A dice mechanic is a person who is skilled in the art of manipulating the dice unfairly.
doubling cube	The doubling cube is a cube used in backgammon games to keep track of the current stakes of the game
move	A full move is a turn by both players, White and Black
ciudad de leon	The location in Spain of a major tournament on the annual international calendar, this one involving "advanced chess" (computer-assisted play).
underplay	To make a safe, unnecessarily timid play when a stronger, more aggressive play is available.
king	The most important of the Chessman, and consequently usually the largest
shark	A good player who seeks out weaker players and persuades them to play for high stakes
semiactive builder	A checker which may or may not be available to make another point, depending on the roll.
dice combination	When playing backgammon players use two dice and there are thirty-six different number combinations when using two dice.
td	A term used to describe a disc that flies generally straight.
romantic chess	Romantic chess was the style of chess prevalent in the 19th century
simulation	Rollout.
blot hitting contest	Sometimes when you are playing a weak position it is better to mix it up and hope for something constructive to happen.
ply	Term mainly used in computer chess to denote one play of either white or black
gammon rate	Probability of a game ending in a gammon or a backgammon if it is finished without a doubling cube
ghosts	Threats created in the mind of inexperienced players due to lack of confidence or fear of their opponent.
game score	The record of a game in some form of notation
post-crawford	Following the Crawford game.
forced move	A move for which there is only one reply (or if more than one reply, all but one are undesirable).
chess clock	A device made up of two adjacent clocks and buttons, keeping track of the total time each player takes for his or her moves
ace	The number one on the die.
wba	World Backgammon Association.
rating	A measure of a player's skill, calculated as a number using a generally accepted formula by an official organization
cube	This demand must be made before the doubler has thrown
draw	End of the game where neither side wins and neither side loses
benoni defense	The opening 1) d4, c5.
positional	A move or series of moves which is subtle or sneaky in nature, rather than being outwardly aggressive.
antipositional	A move or a plan that is not in accordance with the principles of positional play
big play	Adopting a forward, somewhat risky playing strategy when a safer strategy is available.
fifty move rule	A modern rule which provides that the game is drawn after fifty moves from each side without a pawn move or capture.
checker play	A move of the checkers according to the numbers rolled on the dice.
rank	A horizontal (left to right) row of squares
file	A column of eight squares
bar-point	This is the triangle closest to the bar – a player’s seventh point.
n	Abbreviation for Knight.
boxcars/boxes	term for a dice roll of 6-6.
beaver	A beaver is a doubling move used when both players agree to use it where a player may immediately redouble and retain possession of the doubling cube.
panel	A group of judges (always an uneven number) adjudicating a round, ie
unorthodox opening	See Irregular opening.
legal moves rule	A rule that says that an illegal play should be pointed out by the opponent if he notices it, and such play corrected before the game continues
handicap	See odds.
pgn	See Portable Game Notation.
td colspan=3	Rating Fees to New Windsor, NY
point	It is often correct to make a structural play to lock up a permanent asset rather than hit a blot.
gammon	Or alternatively: A money or chouette game where an automatic double has to be taken after the first roll was tied
control	To dominate or have the sole use of a file, a square or group of squares, an area of the board, etc
automatic doubles	this rule states that if both players get the same number on the first roll of the dice, then a double is called.
king	see king
full prime	A prime made up of six consecutive points that complete a blockade on the opposing player.
sudden death	A time period in a game of chess in which all remaining moves must be completed
gs	Gammon-save.
last call for breakfast	A player's final chance to make a dice throw to provide them with the possibility of victory in the game, or of saving a gammon.
kibitzer	One who observes a game or match from the side — often one who makes comments about what is happening in the game.
random seed	An integer that alone sets the cycle of dice rolls generated by a random number generator.
j'adoube	French "I adjust"
running game	Free Drop: In backgammon match play after the Crawford game when the player in the lead has the option to drop a double without reducing the number of games the trailer needs to win the match
zwischenzug	A move which interrupts an apparently forced sequence of moves, improving the position of the player making the intermediate move.
perpetual check	Although originally used to refer to such games between grandmasters, the term is now used colloquially to refer to any such game.
cpw	The abbreviation for Cubeless Probability of Winning – the chance of winning a game without the use of the doubling cube.
cup	Dice cup.
clear a point	Removing all the checkers from a particular point.
preventative sacrifice	Sacrifice made to prevent the opponent from castling.
bear off	To decide how many rolls it will take to complete a bear off you can look at the number of checkers you already have off.
insufficient material	An endgame scenario in which all pawns have been captured, and one side has only its king remaining while the other has only its king, a king plus a knight, or a king plus a bishop
flexibility	The extent to which checkers are ordered to permit the most future dice throws for a comfortable game.
doublet	Same as
jacquet	A French game with players starting at opposing corners and they go around the board in the same direction.
bar point	The bar point in backgammon is the seven point
td	The area bounded by the edges of a tee pad (if provided); otherwise, the area extending three meters perpendicularly behind the designated tee line.
casual	An unintended, non-permanent hazard on the course, such as collected water from a rainstorm or a pile of cleared brush
bar	If you have very little chance of winning a game by going forward it is correct and attempt to win from a backgame
switch	When players change the person they are guarding on the other team while play is in progress.
helpmate	A type of fairy chess composition in which both sides help checkmate Black's king.
cock shot	A cock shot is backgammon slang for entering from the bar on a roll of six-two and landing on a blot on the eight point when the only open point was the two point.
initiative	This is applied to a situation where a player has the choice to build their position or go on the offensive against the other player, and this other player has no choice but to make forced plays to stave off disaster
pawn push	The general advance of two or more connected pawns.
combination shot	A combination shot is a move of one checker using both numbers on the dice used to make a hit.
doubling on the come	Proposing a double in expectation of a good dice toss.
vig	Vigorish.
shot	A strong move that the opponent didn't expect.
anchor	A point occupied by two or more checkers.
tmp	An excess, too many points.
dyscommunication	[Coined by Danny Kleinman in Double Sixes from the Bar.] The negative impact on flexibility of having spare checkers exactly six pips apart.
knight	see knight
peanut baseball	Described as akin to Pepper, this bat-control game involved hitting lobbed pitches toward a fence featuring extra-base zones
double hit	To hit twice with the same dice roll.
trice count	Another name for the effective pip count, a concept developed by Walter Trice who wrote extensively about it.
grandmaster	The highest title (apart from World Champion) that a chess player can achieve
tell	An unintentional hint as to whether a player will accept or decline the offer of a double.
c.p.w.	C.P.W
kamikaze play	Heavy Point: A point with more than three checkers on it
crunching position	A priming game in which one side is about to collapse, but has not done so yet.
q	Symbol used for the queen when recording chess moves in English.
ladder	Used for a continuous competition where players are rated according to skill
post-mortem	Analysis of a game after it has concluded, typically conducted by one or both players and sometimes spectators (kibitzers) as well.
coffeehouse	To talk or chatter in an attempt to affect your opponent’s play.
contact play	A play that produces a lot of possible hitting sequences.
extreme gammon	A neural-net backgammon program introduced in 2009
consultation	Where members of the team suggest strategy to the captain of a chouette.
gammon	See
break	Verb: to make it to Quarter Finals, or Octo Finals at some tournaments Noun: the teams who made "the break" made it to the Quarter (or Octo) finals
dice combination	One of the 36 possible rolls using two dice.
cube in the middle	Cube in the middle is a term meaning that the doubling cube is still in the middle of the bar and neither player has ownership meaning that either of the players can offer a double at the beginning of their turn
losing position	A position in which one side appears certain to lose, assuming best play on both sides.
point	One of the twenty-four narrow triangles on the backgammon board where the players' checkers sit, or the value of a single game of backgammon before accounting for the doubling cube, or a gammon or backgammon.
awkward roll	A
royal fork	A fork between king and queen.
sydney	The roll of 1-6 to escape a prime, usually from the bar and often hitting a blot.
underdog	The player judged most likely to lose a game or match. Compare: Favorite.
silver point	[By analogy to the golden point.] A term sometimes used for the opponent's four-point, the second best point on which to anchor.
draw	(1) Playing a hand in the hope that it improves to a significantly better hand
prat	Acronym for "Position, Race, And Threats," a guideline for making cube decisions
brevity	[chiefly British] See miniature.
loose checker	Blot.
point game	Obsolete scoring method
post-mortem	The discussion of a game after it has been completed.
roll a prime	When a player moves checkers from the rear of a prime to make a fresh point at its leading edge
category	Number indicating the average strength of the field of players in a tournament, used by FIDE to calculate title qualifications--e.g., in a category 1 tournament the average FIDE rating of the competitors is in the range 2251-2275, and a category 19 averages 2701-2725.
walk a prime	Another term for rolling a prime.
grading	British numerical system for ranking chessplayers (not an Elo rating).
double bump	Double hit.
open division	The main division of a tournament; the division that any player may enter
positional	A move, series of moves, plan, or playing style concerned with exploiting small advantages.
winning percentage	A number calculated by taking the percentage of games won by a player plus half the percentage of drawn games
advantage	Having a superiority in position based on a particular imbalance or series of imbalances
on tilt	Steaming.
calculate	To carefully plan a series of moves while considering possible responses.
chess oscar	Award given by the Association of Chess Journalists for the outstanding male and female players of the year.
cube play	Cube play is another term for the act of offering, accepting or refusing doubles as well as the skill of making these cube decisions.
kibitz	Has several meanings, including viewing a game or making remarks in a game that can be heard by the players.
key square	1. An important square.
punching foul	A punching foul will get you thrown out of the game, suspended for a game and it will get you fined
master	Title offered by many national Chess federations to strong players.
automatic doubles	An optional rule in money play: If both players throw the same number on the first roll of a game, the stakes are doubled
cube	Sometimes in match play after a big swing in
j'adoube	(from French) "I adjust"
heavy point	More than three checkers are on this point
on tilt	A player loses their cool and starts to play wildly.
adjudication	Up to the 1990s, games not finished within a specified time period were adjudicated by a strong player who determines the outcome of the game.
front a prime	If player X makes a point right in front of player Y’s prime.
epaulet mate	A mating pattern in which the losing king's escape is blocked by his own pieces on either side of him.
main flight	In this elimination tournament group players start and compete until they lose, and the highest prize is offered.
in-rounds / closed rounds	The rounds that every team debates in to qualify for the break
indirect hit	A hit using the numbers on both dice together.
point	If you have several active builders aimed at a specific point the odds of
stay out	Fail to enter from the bar.
fish	Expression for an unskilled player willing to accept high wagers.
ace-point game or guff	occurs when a player has 2+ checkers anchored on his/her challenger's ace-point
move off	Bear off.
guff	A player's one-point.
owner of the cube	Whichever player last agreed to a double in the game
ratings pool	Those taking part in the ratings system.
doubles	A couple of dice thrown that have the same numbers on top.
disengage	To break all contact and turn the game into a pure race.
gwc	Game winning chances.
dutch defense	The opening 1) d4, f5.
plan	A strategy used by a chess player to make optimal use of his advantages in a specific position while minimizing the impact of his positional disadvantages.
the t.p.	A player's two-point.
bind	A position where one side's possibilities are significantly limited.
drop-take	In a chouette, an agreement between two players after a double by the box that one player will accept the double, the other will refuse, and they will share their combined earnings or loss.
decoy	1
binache	Binache is the same thing as beavers which is a style of backgammon play commonly used when playing backgammon for money that allows a player who has been offered a double to immediately double again while still keeping the doubling cube.
thorp count	This equation invented by Edward O
mco	Abbreviation for Modern Chess Openings.
portes	A slightly different Greek version of backgammon.
head-to-head	Two players set against each other for cash.
td	The place your disc stops and where you must take your next shot from.
tarrasch rule	Named after Siegbert Tarrasch, this refers to the general principle that rooks usually should be placed behind passed pawns, either yours or your opponent's.
holding point	A defensive point a player controls during a holding game, commonly the other player’s fourth, fifth, or bar-point.
unstack	To remove checkers from a heavy point.
bcm	An abbreviation for the British Chess Magazine.
intentional foul	This is when a player fouls another player without trying to get to the ball
berserker	A rash playing style characterized by frenzied attacking with one or two pieces, perhaps with little regard for strategy or danger.
prime	See break a point.
play site	A backgammon server.
dice mechanic	A player skilled at using underhanded methods to control the dice.
distribution	The arrangement of checkers among points
book	Standard, well-analyzed moves in the opening, used by top players and documented in chess literature. *
trailer	An offensive player who is following the play up court on a fast break, but because he is following the play he has a good chance of not being guarded and might be able to make a play because of this.
td colspan=3	Other Income
online backgammon	Competitive backgammon that brings players from around the world together over the Internet
bullet chess	A form of chess in which each side has 1 minute to make all their moves.
control a point	Controlling a point in backgammon means that a particular point has been made or has two or more checkers on it.
off-the-wall	A game played at the intersection of West 184th Street and Park Avenue in New York City, as recalled by Gregory Christiano
racetrack	The ring around each player's seat location, which indicates how much time the player has to make a decision before the hand is automatically folded.
pre-crawford	Before the Crawford game.
trap	A move which may tempt the opponent to play a losing move
six-point	The point next to the bar in the player’s home board (6th point)
double game	Gammon.
gammon-go	A case in match play when the player is not concerned over losing a gammon but has much to gain from winning.
own the cube	The player who last accepted a double is said to own the doubling cube
outer board	The quadrant on the board from the 7 to 12 points.
partie	French for game.
trice triangle	[Named for Walter Trice.] The ideal position to aim for during bear-in, consisting of: 7 checkers on your six-point, 5 checkers on your five-point, and 3 checkers on your four-point
positional chess	A move or style of play based on long range considerations
time limit	The amount of time allocated to each player in which a prescribed number of moves must be made.
control	To make a contact play that seizes communication with additional points.
jump shot	A description of a shot in which the player jumps in the air while shooting
early-late ratio	This ratio expresses the cost of a player doubling a little before the other player’s point or a little afterward
strategy	The foundation of a player's moves
semifinalist	One of the four participating in the semifinals of an elimination tournament.
novice	A beginning chess player.
counterplay	Possibilities for retaliation, switching from a defensive posture to an offensive posture.
no-brainer	Applied to a pure race or a straightforward choice.
triple game	Let's play backgammon! You can win a 5 pt
half a roll	One of the two numbers on a pair of thrown dice.
compensation	An equivalent advantage that offsets an advantage of the enemy's, for example material vs
direct hit	A hit using the number on just one die
beavers	This backgammon rule is used when playing for money
discovered check	TODO
fortress	A chess
battle of primes	A situation where both the players have checkers that are caught behind the other player’s Prime (a series of consecutive points).
whopper	A move or dice error costing more than 0.1 points of EMG equity.
count the position	To tabulate the players' pip counts to find out who is ahead in the race and by how much.
plakoto	A Greek game in which players pin blots rather than hit them. See: How to Play Plakoto.
initiative	Control of the game, usually due to better placement of men and easier access to
drop	If a player refuses a double offer, they drop out of the game with the current amounts wagered.
castle short	Kingside castling.
advanced anchor	a made point that is positioned on your opponent's 4 point, 5 point or 6 point
key	The key is that area underneath the basket
distance to conversion	Endgame king-pawn term; see Rule of the Square.
win	A victory for one of the two players in a game, which may occur due to checkmate, resignation by the other player, the other player exceeding the time control, or the other player being forfeited by the tournament director
automaton	A machine which purported to play Chess without human assistance.
bullet chess	A form of chess in which each side has less than 3 minutes for the entire game.
monte carlo	Location of the annual World Championship of backgammon.
double ducks	The roll of double 2's
establish a point	Gain a point.
td colspan=3	Site Rental (Try to get it free)
dice tube	See Meyer dice tube.
jsd	Joint standard deviation.
td	The round has been officially completed for all competitors when, in the director's opinion, the last group on the course has completed their final hole and has had reasonable time to walk from their final hole to tournament headquarters.
td	A manufacturer of discs, bags, and accessories
mandatory extras	This non-obligatory rule for the chouette version of the game states that if just a single team member accepts the box's initial double, that member must accept an additional 2-cube from any other team member that wants to give him one point
finalist	One of the two players competing in the finals of an elimination tournament.
pairings	Noun: doing or getting "pairings" is when the list is displayed indicating which teams will hit each other in the next round
combination	A combination reference in backgammon usually refers to a single checker being used for both numbers on the dice.
im	Abbreviation for International Master.
major split	When a player moves one of their two runners from the opposing player’s one-point to the opposing player’s four-point or five-point position.
advantage	A term used to describe the
transposition	A series of moves that results in the same position as another series of moves
efficient double	A double made at its point of maximum effectiveness, when the opponent would be correct to either accept or refuse.
tactics	A move or moves which are expected to yield benefits in the short-term.
cbs	See Classic bishop sacrifice.
odds	The relative chance of an event occurring, compared to that of it not occurring, or the opposite way round
backgammon for serious players	Cardoza Publishing, New York
control the cube	Own the cube.
theory	Known and played variations and positions in any phase of the game
anti-joker	A very bad roll; the opposite of a joker.
count the position	To enumerate the players' point counts to discover the leading player and the extent of their lead.
refutation	A move or series of moves that demonstrates a flaw in a game, move, plan, variation, or analysis.
parlay	A succession of events, each of which depends on the preceding event
space count	A method of counting the squares controlled or attacked by each side's pieces (A square can be attacked more than once.) The player ahead in the space count has a spatial advantage, and thus more mobility.
match equity table	The table indicates the chance of victory in a game based on various scores.
fan	Fan is the same as dance and is to fail at rolling numbers on the dice from the bar that will allow you to enter the board.
cube ownership	When a player has accepted a double he said to own the cube and only he can double next.
crossover	The passing of a checker from one quadrant of the board to the next quadrant.
main line	The principal variation used or analysed.
fluid pawn structure	Structures where future pawn movement is likely
take point	The smallest game-winning possibilities that make it right for a player to agree to a double
zone of attack	[Or simply the "zone".] Points 1 through 11 on your side of the board
on roll	The player whose turn it is roll now is said to be "on roll".
prime fighter	If player X agrees to a double while they have checkers trapped behind player Y’s prime.
girls	A roll of 5-5 (double 5's).
combinations of the dice	The number of possible rolls out of 36 that accomplish a specific objective.
blocking	This is a kind of a foul that consists of contact that blocks an opponent's movement or progress.
duplicate	To leave your opponent the same good number in all areas of the board
drop take	A drop take occurs in a chouette backgammon game when the box offers a double and two team members agree to share the win and loss by one accepting and the other refusing.
knight	A species of chessman
block	A point occupied by two or more checkers with a view to hindering your opponent's progress.
diagonal	The conceptual equivalent to a rank or file, but rotated 45 degrees
opposite colour bishops	Where each side has only one bishop that travels on squares of a different colour from that of the enemy
monte carlo	Where the annual World Championship of backgammon is staged.
french backgammon	A backgammon variant in which players start with all their checkers off the board and doubles are played using both sides of the dice. See: How to Play French Backgammon.
cube	Doubling on the Come: Doubling in expectation of a good roll
dynamic play	Dynamic play occurs as a result of frequent structural changes that demand constant reevaluation of one's strategy
opponents 5-point	Named after backgammon player Rick Barabino who frequently got out of trouble by getting this roll
jellyfish	The first marketed backgammon program (1994) named after TD-Gammon.
doubling window	The doubling window is a range of game winning chances that are both proper double and proper take
elo ratings system	In 1960, Arpad Elo devised a method of rating for the US Chess Federation called the Elo Rating System and most backgammon ratings systems are based on this system.
crawford rule	The Crawford rule is a standard rule in match play during a tournament that states that the game following any game when either player comes within one point of winning will not use the doubling cube
binache	Another term for a Beaver.
equity	"Equity" is the value of ownership
main flight	In an elimination tournament, the group in which players start and compete in until they lose, and which offers the largest prize. Compare: Consolation Flight.
doubler	Refers to the doubling cube.
indirect hit	A hit that uses the numbers on both dice taken together
opposition	An endgame term
double ducks	A dice throw of 2-2.
incidental contact	This is when two players on different teams come into contact with each other but a foul is not called because the contact was not intentional.
candidates match	A knockout match in the Candidates Tournament.
safe-bold criteria	See: Magriel's Safe-Bold Criteria.
bar	Roll : To throw the dice, or the numbers thrown
initial double	A double offered while the cube is still in the center, as opposed to a redouble where the player making the double has possession of the cube.
dice cup	A dice cup is a plastic or leather cup used for rolling the dice in backgammon
random seed	A numeric value that uniquely determines the sequence of dice rolls produced by a random number generator.
j'adoube	A French word commonly used by English-speaking players that means I adjust
duplication	A position in which the same number can be used constructively in more than one way
time pressure	That period of the game when one or both players have used up most of their time and must make many moves with little deliberation
benko gambit	The opening 1) d4, Nf6 2) c4, c5 3) d5, b5.
deuce point	The two point.
valve	A move which simultaneously opens one line of play while closing another.
eureka	Eureka or Eureika is a simplified variation of backgammon in which the players start with only two checkers on the one, two and three points and three checkers on the four, five and six point.
mini	A small disc which is used to mark a player's lie.
bye	What you get as a score when you can’t play a round, but are still continuing to play in the tournament. Byes don’t count for ratings, but can be either 0 points, ½ point, or 1 point (the latter in case you want to play, but are the odd person available)
cube action	Any cube decision such as to double, to accept, or reject.
claim a game	When a player proposes a double in the belief that it will not be accepted
owner of the cube	The player who last accepted a double in the game
bind	Where a player is so tied up he has trouble finding useful moves
positional	A move, a maneuver or a style of play that is based on an exploitation of small advantages.
early game	Early game is a reference to the first few moves in a backgammon game before the players have established a strategy.
sympathy flight	Another name for a consolation flight.
coffeehouse	Adjective used to describe a move, player, or style of play characterized by risky, positionally dubious play that sets traps for the opponent
td	An area that your disc must travel in order to complete a hole.
muse of chess	Another term for Caissa.
split	To break up two checkers which are together on a point and leave them as blots.
table stakes	A form of wagering where players only put down a certain, predetermined amount
combinations of the dice	Combinations of the dice is a backgammon reference meaning out of thirty-six rolls of the dice, the number it takes to accomplish a particular objective.
mid point	Either of the two points furthest from the bar; the 12-point or the 13-point.
anti-joker	An extremely poor dice throw.
break a prime	To break a prime in backgammon a player removes checkers from one or more points in a prime.
abt	American Backgammon Tour, an annual master-point competition of participants in major U.S
clean play	Clean play refers to a backgammon move that was performed legally.
move	Taking a checker forward as dictated by a number shown on one of the thrown dice
forced move	A move for which there is no legal or reasonable alternative. When we create a situation on the board where an opponent is forced to make a certain move, we have taken the "lead" at that point in the game and may also calculate farther ahead.
break contact	To move one’s checkers past the opponent’s, so that no further hitting is possible and the game becomes a pure race.
intermezzo	See Zwischenzug.
gnu	If you are unsure of the correct play in a certain situation it is often helpful to consult the decision of a Bot.
online backgammon	This refers to playing backgammon over the Internet
illegal move	A move made contrary to the rules of chess.
motif	A Java applet that plays backgammon. Website: Motif Plays Backgammon.
bar-point	A player's seven-point, so named because it is physically adjacent to the bar.
td	Another name for golf discs made from translucent plastic, like the Innova Champion, Discraft Elite-Z, and Millennium Quantum lines of discs
cube	The otter is sometimes referred to as one of the 'furry rodents' involved in doubling.
patzer	A bad chess player
bertha	Bertha is backgammon slang for playing the roll of six and five from your opponents one point to your midpoint without realizing that your opponent has already made his bar point and blocks your way.
chessmaster	See Master
playground ball	Johnson (1910) lists Playground Ball among seven "Baseball" games. The rules of this game are not explained.
fingerfehler	German for "finger slip," it is an obviously bad move made without thinking.
gens una sumus	Latin for "we are one family"
giving for game	When a chouette player announces that they are willing to pay the captain or another team member the full wager at which the game now stands for the right to take over their games
broken prime	5 or 6 points in a row with a gap is a broken 5-prime.
backgammon	Backgammon is a board game played with dice and checkers
bind	A strong grip or stranglehold on a position that is difficult for the opponent to break
score sheet	The sheet of paper used to record a game in progress
majority	A larger numbers of pawns on one flank opposed by a smaller number of the opponent's; often a player with a majority on one flank has a minority on the other.
gm	Abbreviation for Grandmaster.
checker play	Checker play refers to the act of moving one's checkers around the board according to the numbers rolled by the dice.
td	An area designated by the director prior to the start of play from which a disc may not be played
bat	Sometimes used in reference to a powerful offensive showing, "The Yankees busted out the lumber tonight with a 10–0 victory." Also timber.
refuse a double	A players resigns the game at the present stakes if they do not accept the offer of a double rather than continuing at twice the stakes.
outer boards	A
occupation	1
rebuttal/refutation	Verb: "to rebut" or "to refute" is to counter another team's points with arguments to show how they aren't valid Noun: the "rebuttal" is the official time designated for countering the other team's points, i.e
parlay	A series of events following upon from each other
adjournment	An
dragon	The Dragon is a variation of the Sicilian Defense, continuing with 2) Nf3, d6 3) d4, cxd4 4) Nxd4, Nf6 5) Nc3, g6.
latto paradox	[Named after Andy Latto, who suggested the possibility in an Inside Backgammon article, (Vol
overprotection	The technique of massing forces in support of a strong point, often a Blockade.
prophylaxis	A strategy explored by Nimzovich, where you prevent your opponent from taking action in a certain area for fear of reprisal
no look pass	When a player passes the ball to another player without looking at that player when the pass is made.
distance to mate	A phrase used to describe the number of
primes	The player with the best
fool's mate	The name given to the fastest possible
queen	Also used as a verb for the act of queening, e.g
emg equity	EMG Equity or Equivalent to Money Game Equity is cubeful equity used in match play often to compare errors between games
space	The amount of area of the chess board controlled by each side.
strategy	The reasoning behind a move, plan, or idea as opposed to the tactics: the carrying out of that plan
evergreen game	A good example of a "brilliant game," it was played in 1852 by Anderssen and Dufresne. Steinitz felt it would always remain as fresh as the day it was played, and named it thus.
last chance event	A tournament for players who lose in the first rounds of the consolation flight or later rounds in the main flight.
bar	If you have very little chance of winning a game by going forward it is correct and attempt to win from a
opening	The beginning moves of the game, roughly the first 10-20 moves
disengage	To end all contact between opposing checkers, so that hitting is no longer possible and the game becomes a simple race.
wim	Abbreviation for the Woman International Master title.
equal position	Any chess game
chess clock	A time control can require either a certain number of moves be made per time period (e.g., 40 moves in 2½ hours) or it can limit the length of the entire game (e.g., 5 minutes per game for blitz)
td	An area on the course that is a hazard, but not designed to be a hazard
thorp count	A formula devised by Edward O
general principles	"words of wisdom" to serve a a guide in selecting a move
efficient double	An efficient double is a double made at exactly the right moment when a player would be correct both ways, accepting it and refusing it.
snake eyes	A dice throw of 1-1.
cubeless probability of winning	The chance of winning the game if no doubling cube is used; also called game winning chances.
gambit	A speculative
doubles	Two thrown dice with identical numbers on their upper faces.
consolation flight	By way of compensation this competition may be organized for players who are removed from the main game of an elimination tournament at a preliminary stage.
ace-point	A point that is furthest from the bar.
opening	A variation does not have to have been played in a game, it may also be a possibility that occurs only in analysis.
evaluate	To judge the relative winning chances of either player.
td	A throw whereby arm motion first extends away from the body, then pulls the disc across the body to release and follow through
cluster count	A pip counting technique devised by Jack Kissane that involves the mental shifting of checkers to form patterns of reference positions whose pip totals often end in zero for quick and easy addition
roll-over	A backgammon variant in which players have a once-per-game option of rerolling their own dice or asking for a reroll of the opponent's dice. See: How to Play Roll-Over.
comfort station	The midpoint on the board – your 13 point.
counterclockwise	The direction your checkers move around the board when they are set up to bear off to the right
losing chances	The probability in any complex and roughly
banana split	[Because you must be "bananas" to try it
redouble	To double an additional time; after one player has doubled, a subsequent offer by the other player constitutes redoubling.
tiebreaks	This refers to a number of different systems that are used to break ties, and thus designate a single winner, where multiple players or teams tie for the same place in a Swiss system chess tournament.
defense	1
kid	King's Indian Defense.
checker play	Applies to moving of the checkers in response to the outcome of a dice throw, or in general terms, expertise in these checker movements.
eco	The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO), a standard and comprehensive chess opening reference
current stake	The initial stake multiplied by the value of the doubling cube.
race	The type of position where the contact is broken.
captain	In a chouette, the leader of the team playing against the box
race	A game in which there is no longer contact.
x-ray	Another term for skewer.
king pawn	The pawn in front of your king at the start of the game.
die	Relatively uncommon singular form of dice.
exposed checker	A lone checker or blot.
french defense	An opening most commonly beginning with 1) e4, e6 2) d4, d5.
backgammon server	A backgammon server is the computer that operates a backgammon site on the internet
cube handling	Cube decision-making talents.
mandatory double	A match play situation with the doubling cube having attained such a high level that the leading player looks certain to win; and therefore the opposing player has nothing to lose by doubling
compact position	In this game situation there are a number of made points in close proximity to each other and one or two gaps.
clock move	In a game played clock move, a move is considered completed only after the clock is pressed
hold 'em	A poker game in which each player receives two cards, with five cards dealt to the board (shared, or community, cards)
middle game	The main body of the game, which begins after the players have settled on their initial game plan. Compare: Opening Game and End Game.
td	A player may declare a lie 'unsafe', take a one stoke penalty, and place the disc no closer to the hole and within 5 meters of where the disc was
army	Collectively, a player's chessmen.
ace point club	The Ace Point Club is a very popular backgammon gambling club that can be found in New York City, New York in the United States.
gwc	Game Winning Chances: the chance of winning the current game if it is continued to the end without doubling.
mechanic	See: Dice Mechanic.
cubeless probability of winning	Cubeless probability of winning is the chance of winning a game of backgammon if a doubling cube is not used
hara-kiri play	A play which exposes blots for the purpose of recirculating the player's checkers; also known as a suicide play.
table stakes	A system of betting where the players' stake in a game is limited to an agreed fixed amount
insufficient losing changes	When a player using a nondigital-delay clock has less than 5 minutes remaining, he may claim a draw if he is clearly not losing but thinks he could end up losing on the clock in the final stages due to sudden death time pressure. The rule specifies that it must be a position in which a C player would draw against a master with no trouble. Since some tournaments are run without a master present to judge this, the use of digital-delay clocks is recommended to obviate this rule.
side pool	A distinct tournament prize coming form extra non-obligatory entry charges
anchor	An anchor is a made point or a point that is occupied by two or more checkers.
double dribble	A player is not allowed to use two hands at the same time when dribbling the ball, he can also not stop dribbling and then start again
annotated match	An annotated match is a backgammon game that is recorded and analyzed with commentary.
match winning chances	A player's chance of victory.
twist the cube	Another way of saying to offer a double.
move order	The sequence of moves one chooses to play an opening or execute a plan
firepower	Coach Pete's term referring to the sum total of the attacking force of a player's army, taking into account both material and positional factors.
duplicate dice	Duplicate dice is a technique of rolling out the same random dice rolls for two or more positions to compare the results.
point	It is important to control key points such as the 5 pt
double oneself out	A player offers a double, and if their component accepts this bid, it can gain the match for that player providing they go on to win this game.
random rounds	Usually the first one or two rounds at a tournament, where there is no way to determine the quality of the teams who debate against each other because there is no win/loss record as of yet
epd	Extended Position Description is a standard for describing Chess positions along with an extended set of structured attribute values using the ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) character set
holland rule	[Named after Tim Holland, who proposed the rule.] An optional rule in match play that was popular in the 1980's but is now rarely used
defence	(1) A move or plan which tries to meet the opponent's attack; (2) an opening played by Black, for example the Scandinavian Defence, King's Indian Defense, English Defense, etc.
doubler	Doubler is another reference to the doubling cube in backgammon.
close out	To make all six of your home board points while the opponent has one or more checkers on the bar
house	The kingside formation of a centrally-developed knight, fianchetto'ed bishop, and castled king.
critical square	See key square.
gm	Abbreviation for International Grandmaster.
acting captain	In a chouette, the crew member who plays for the team against the box after the original captain has declined box's double and is no longer in the game.
double queen pawn opening	Another common category of opening systems (d4, d5), this one resulting in a "closed" game.
chess problem	Also called composition.
kibitzing	Observing and commenting on a chess game, usually in a manner that disturbs the players
chessclock	The special clock used in timed chess games.
10 percent doubling	The cube-handling rule for pure race situations
junior	Affectionate name for a player's farthest-back checker.
cook	An unintended solution of a chess problem
stakes play	Money play.
good bishop	1
partner for the box	Chouettes with a large number of players often permit the box to take a partner
bullet chess	Chess games lasting under 3 minutes (generally one minute).
blot hitting contest	A series of rolls where both players hit a lot.
four-move checkmate	Another name for scholar's mate.
trial	Playing a position out to the end of the game once (or to the point of truncation)
budapest defense	The opening 1) d4, Nf6 2) c4, e5.
pure race	A game in which the opposing forces have disengaged so there is no opportunity for further blocking or hitting by either side
overtime	This is an extra period lasting 5 minutes that is played if the game is tied after regulation play is over
thematic move	A move which is consistent with the overall strategy pursued by the player.
bear in	Bearing in is a reference to moving your checkers into your home board in preparation for bearing off.
liquidation	The process of simplifying a position through exchanges. When a superior position is liquidated to a simpler position which is easier to play, Coach Pete refers to this process as "reduction."
connectivity	The relative space between all of the checkers.
poi	Point of Information - when a member of the opposite team stands up to question the debater speaking or to ask him/her a question
td	An abbreviation for a mini marker disc
lightning chess	A form of chess with an extremely short time limit, usually 1 or 2 minutes per player for the entire game.
establish a point	Make a point.
cup	A reference to a cup in backgammon is in regards to the dice cup.
halfball	Halfball was a game using half of a rubber ball and imaginary baserunning. It was apparently the same game as Half-rubber.
sicilian defence	An asymetrical answer to White's 1
style	Preferring certain type of positions and moves
puff	The German term for backgammon or a German version where participants enter in the same quadrant and go round the board in the identical direction.
pigeon	A person who has been cheated by a dishonest player.
elo ratings system	A system of rating backgammon players devised by Arpad Elo for the U.S
lewis chessmen	Chess pieces made of walrus tusk discovered on the Isle of Lewis (outer Hebrides) in 1831.
perpetual check	A sort of infinite cycle in which one side gives check, the other side gets out of check, the first side checks again in the same way - being unable to do otherwise without risking the loss of the game - and so on
communicate	Your checkers communicate when they are with in 6 pips of each other.
crawford game	A Crawford game is a backgammon game in match play that immediately follows any game when any player comes within one point of winning the game
ladder	A fluid method of ranking Chess players within a club or other group.
td	The imaginary line on the playing surface extending from the center of the target through the center of the mini marker disc and beyond.
kingside	The half of the board from which the king starts
motif	A Java computerized version of backgammon.
hanging	Unprotected and exposed to capture
forward anchor	Advanced anchor.
drop	Refusing a double.
brevity	(chiefly British) See Miniature.
extras	Extras is a reference in backgammon to mandatory extras which is an optional rule for both money play and chouettes.
comeback shot	Hitting an opponent's blot from the bar
broken prime	An incomplete prime with a gap in it.
dead number	A specific number on the dice which cannot be played in the current position; see kill a number.
shark	A skilled player that preys on weaker players and persuades them to play for high stakes.
sound	Correct
pivot	A pivot is when a player, who has the ball, has one foot on the ground while he moves his other foot in different directions
gammon cube	Also known as the Jacoby rule.
duplication	Same as
outer men	The three checkers that start the 8 point at the beginning of a game.
fischer random	See Chess960.
td	A disc's arc when thrown (for a right handed player throwing backhand or RHBH) will cause the disc to curve right to left.
time	Can be used in several contexts
big play	A big play is a backgammon term used to mean a very aggressive or bold move that is made when a much smaller play was available.
clear a point	To move all checkers off a point.
communicate	To communicate in backgammon is lingo for keeping your checkers within six points of one another so as to provide support and protection to one another.
takeback	Used in casual games whereby both players agree to undo one or more moves.
overage	More points than are required for victory in the match
settlement limit	A method of reducing the variance of a cubeful rollout
favorite	The favorite in a game of backgammon is the player that is most likely to win the game.
td	A type of throw in which you throw the disc over handed - more like a baseball by gripping the edge of the disc with your thumb inside the rim and releasing it vertically, throwing high and hard
inactive builder	A checker that is presently part of a prime or a block but which has the prospect of being used later to make another point.
theme tournament	A chess tournament in which every game must begin with a particular chess opening specified by the organizers, for example the Budapest Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5).
space	The notion of the initiative was used by Steinitz (e.g
omaha	A poker game in which each player receives four cards, with five cards dealt to the board (shared, or community, cards)
adjournment	Suspension of a chess game with the intention to finish it later
counterplay	When the defending side starts his own aggressive action, he is said to have or be initiating counterplay
inactive builder	A checker that is now in a prime or a block but may be used afterwards to make another point.
calcutta auction	A Calcutta auction is a lottery of entries into a backgammon tournament whereby the players are auctioned off in groups to form a pool which is distributed to the buyers of the winning groups or players.
cubeful rollout	A rollout performed with the doubling cube in play
prat	Position Race And Threats: A tool/method to help make better cube decisions.
hyzer	When using a backhand throw, a disc's flight arc which causes it to fall in the direction opposite of the throwing arm
automatic doubles	This rule may be applied where wagers are made on the outcome of the game
poh	Point on head.
diagonal	A row of squares running obliquely across the board rather than up and down (a file) or side to side (a rank).
td colspan=3	USCF Dues to New Windsor, NY
fibs	Stands for “First Internet Backgammon Server”
count the position	To calculate the number of spaces remaining for each player to bear all his checkers off the board – the totals of which are called the current
double	Offering to double the stakes of the game or winning by forfeit if the offer is declined.
backward pawn	1
scholar's mate	A four-move checkmate (common among novices) in which White plays 1
novice level	A player who is new to backgammon. Compare: Intermediate and Advanced level.
pure play	["Pure" because it focuses on one game plan.] Playing with the goal of making a prime
discovering backgammon	Shire Publications, Great Britain
cube decision	The choice of whether or not to offer a double, or the choice of whether to accept, or refuse a double that has been offered.
td	A specialty shot where the disc that is thrown flies 100-200 feet, lands on its edge, then rolls several hundred more feet
ratings inflation	If players exit a ratings pool at a lesser rating than their entry rating
cocked dice	Thrown dice which do not both land flat on the surface of the half of the board to the player's right
spanish game	Also known as the Ruy Lopez
flight	A chart showing which players play each other in an elimination tournament.
perfecta	The best possible roll; a joker.
shut out	Close out.
opposition	An endgame term meaning the king not forced to move
nco	Abbreviation sometimes used for the chess opening reference Nunn's Chess Openings
comfort station	Player X’s thirteenth-point (that also happens to be player Y’s twelfth point), where five checkers are positioned at the game’s start.
steamer	A player who lost their patience.
eco	The Encyclopedia of Chess
time pressure	When one or both players has used most of their allotted time, and must make moves with little or no thinking
swindle	A trick pulled from an inferior position.
indirect shot	Combinations of the Dice: The number of possible rolls out of the possible 36 to accomplish a specific objective
hole	A square that cannot be defended by pawns
bind	A stranglehold or grip caused by one side which restricts space for the other side.
ducks	Ducks is a backgammon reference to the roll of double twos.
touch move rule	The rule obliges player who touch a checker, with the exception of just adjusting it, to move it
unit	Another name for a chessman.
match	A series of games between two players which ends when one player acquires a predetermined number of points
hydra	A multiprocessor, hardware-based chess program
pawn storm	An attacking technique where a group of pawns on one wing is advanced in order to break up the defence.
kibitzer	One who kibitzes.
waiting move	A passive but harmless move, which is played while waiting for initiative from the opponent.
match point	The point in time in of a match when the leading player requires only one more point to win.
five card stud	A poker game in which each player receives two cards to start, one down and one up
pairing	with the most popular systems being round-robin and Swiss
cubeless probability of winning	This means, as the name implies, the chance of winning without double cubing.
confidence interval	Confidence interval is a range of values containing a rollouts convergence value.
queen	Also used as a verb for the act of promoting to a Queen, e.g
forced move	A move which is the only one which does not result in a serious disadvantage for the moving player.
draughts	English word for what the Americans call the game of checkers
split	To use half of your roll to break a low anchor and move one of your back checkers forward– example, to play a 6 from your 24 to your 18 point.
bear off	A gap will cost you half a roll during the bear off if the number rolled is the same as the point that you have the gap on.
family fork	See Royal fork.
biba	British Isles Backgammon Association.
borne off	It is important to use the numbers on the dice wisely when trying to save a gammon by getting as many crossovers as possible.
board	The playing surface for the game
control	Domination of an important square or group of squares (such as the "Center").
related squares	See corresponding squares.
knight	A chess piece which moves in an L-shaped pattern, either two squares vertically and one square horizontally, or two squares horizontally and one square vertically. The knight is the only piece that can "hop over" other pieces.
adjudication	The process of a strong chess player (the adjudicator) deciding on the outcome of an unfinished game
laws of chess	The rules which govern the play of the game.
boxcars	Boxcars is backgammon slang for a roll of double six also known as boxes.
decisive	An advantage that with proper play should lead to a win.
tactics	A term used to describe a short-term sequence of moves involving threats and counter threats
illegal play	A play that does not conform to the roll of the dice as defined by the rules of backgammon
intuitive	Usually a sign of experience, it enables a player to choose a move or plan by feel or common sense as opposed to detailed analysis.
opponent	White is the opponent of black and vice-versa.
text move	This term is used in written analysis of chess games to refer to a move that has been played in the game as opposed to other possible moves
dice	Two cubes that are marked with from one to six points
single elimination	A tournament format in which a competitor continues playing until he loses. See: Elimination Format. Compare: Double Elimination.
td	When a stable disc becomes worn, it will lose its stability and may turn into an unwanted anhyzer
match winning chances	A player's probability of winning a match. Compare: EMG Equity.
turn the crank	To offer a double.
break a prime	To free, or open, a position of one or more points in a prime (an arrangement of six successive points).
rating points	Points awarded to a player on the basis of their ratings.
irish	A game considered the European ancestor of backgammon
correspondence games	Backgammon via email.
dice cup	A container used to shake and toss the dice.
rating	A numerical representation of the strength of a Chess player based upon his results in games against other graded players.
double	To obtain two identical numbers when rolling two dice.
patzer	A derogatory term that denotes a hopelessly weak player.
own a point	If a players has at least two checkers on a point thus blocking the other player from landing on it.
tietz system	A tie-breaking system sometimes used to spread out the prize fund in a round robin tournament.
correspondence games	Correspondence games are backgammon games played by mail.
bearing off	Early Game: The first stages of play
speculative	Description of a move or series of moves when the outcome cannot be known.
see-saw	Term to describe a series of alternating direct and discovered checks.
pure race	A game that has been turned into a pure race without any more blocking or hitting
liby's rule	This general principle states gives a 17% possibility of victory to a defending player in a well-timed ace-point game.
unclear	An uncertain situation in which is it not apparent whether either side has an advantage.
block	Two or more checkers placed on a point to hold back the opposing player.
illegal moves rule	The standard rule in backgammon which says: If a player makes an illegal play, the opponent has the option of allowing the error to stand or requesting that it be corrected
backgammon	A board game that is played with dice and checkers on a board divided into 24 narrow triangles marked in alternate colors
big	Risky.
knight	A Chess piece which moves either two squares vertically and one square horizontally or two squares horizontally and one square vertically
iqp	An abbreviation for isolated queen pawn
recube vigorish	How much cube ownership is worth to the player that is offered a double; the extra value gained from being the sole player permitted to redouble.
passive	An inactive move or plan that doesn't fight for the initiative
automatic double	Under certain rules, an automatic doubling of the value of the game, occurring when both players roll the same number when determining the first move.
premature	A hasty move, maneuver or plan
initiative	Term to describe the advantage held by the player who has the ability to control the action and flow of the game thus forcing the opponent to play defensively.
quiz factor	A feature of a problem that makes it interesting enough to appear on a quiz
arbiter	A person who ensures that the rules are observed, supervises the game, enforces the rules, and imposes penalties on infringing players.
elbow	This refers to when a player hits or throws an elbow at another player
cusid	The Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate, i.e
officials	These are the people who are in charge of the game
ics	See Internet chess server.
forced	A move or series of moves you must play to avoid a bad game.
roof	Another name for the Bar.
equality	A situation in which neither side has an advantage over the opponent.
dice cup	A container, usually made of leather, plastic, or wood, used for shaking and rolling dice
call ball	A game in which a ball is tossed up among players and one player's name is then called out
force	Your army
center pawns	The pawns on the queen and king (d and e) files.
own the cube	When you have accepted an offer of the doubling cube you possess or "own" control of the cube.
hit and pass	To hit an opponent's blot and then use the remaining part of roll to continue with your checker to a point of safety
direct range	Reachable using a single number from one die
distance	The number of squares between two pieces
play-by-play	This is just a description given to the announcers who is calling the game ..
cock shot	Entering from the bar with a roll of 6-2 and hitting a blot on the eight-point when the only open point is the two-point.
gruenfeld defense	The opening 1) d4, Nf6 2) d4, g6 3) Nc3, d5.
intermediate division	In a tournament this category is used for players too experienced for the novice section but they don’t want to take part in an open category.
stay off	Fail to enter from the bar.
deuce point	Deuce point is the traditional name in backgammon for the number two point on the backgammon board.
sealed move	Lengthy OTB games can be adjourned
draw death	Hypothetical scenario whereby elite-level chess players, aided by modern computer analysis, become so good that they never make mistakes, leading to endless drawn games (since chess is widely believed to be drawn with best play from both sides).
dice mechanic	Someone who has learned how to unfairly influence the outcome of the dice throw.
td	A method of gripping the disc where all 4 fingers are curled under the rim, and the thumb is placed on top
acting captain	In the “chouette” variety of backgammon (multiple players), this describes a member that represents the team against the “box” (a lone player)
greedy bearoff	In some computerized versions of the game the server can automatically bear off the largest number of checkers possible.
optimal play	Optimal play is when both sides make their best move at each turn, or one of equally good alternatives
awkward number	An awkward number is a backgammon roll that forces the player to break up a valuable made point or miss a shot.
mandatory beavers	A non-obligatory rule in the chouette version of the game that states: if only a single player accepts the box's initial double offer, that player has to also beaver; or they are compelled to decline the double along with the other players.
cubeless equity	Cubeless equity is the number value associated with a particular position in a backgammon game that is played without a doubling cube
cube proxy	A cube proxy is a person who temporarily handles the cube for a backgammon player in a game of chouette while that player is away from the game.
d.m.p.	D.M.P
n	Symbol used for the knight when recording chess moves in English.
td colspan=3	State or Local Dues to Treasurer
uscf	United States Chess Federation, one of several American governing bodies of chess
market loser	A sequence of rolls that improves your position to such an extent that your opponent can no longer take a double.
market losing sequence	Market loser.
initiative	The player that is on the attack, or otherwise applying pressure to the opponent on the defensive, is said to "have the initiative."
td	A disc when thrown right handed backhand will curve from the left to the right
narde	[Also spelled "Nardi" and "Nardy".] A Russian game similar to Moultezim
stable	Refers to a disc which, when released flat, has a tendency to fly straight.
prime	Used for six successive made points
double	Volatility : A measure of how likely the equity of the position can swing either way especially the larger swings and possibilities of a gammon or backgammon
off	Said of checkers which have been borne off.
man in the box	See: Box.
opening game	The start of the game where players have yet to decide their strategies.
tactics	Short-term, calculable aspects of the game, as opposed to strategic considerations
plan	A method or line of play designed to improve a
check	To directly attack or threaten to capture your opponent's king
backgammon of today	Bell Publishing, New York
greek backgammon	Tavli.
ghosts	Threats that exist only in your own mind
norm	The number of points a player in an international tournament must score to gain one qualification for a FIDE title.
match winning chances	To offer efficient doubles in backgammon it is a good idea to get an estimate of the
automatics	Automatics is a reference to automatic doubles in backgammon.
central chess club	Famous chess club in Moscow.
pip count	The total amount of pips you are away from winning.
quiz factor	A sufficiently interesting issue that it can be raised on a quiz.
larsen's opening	The opening 1) b3
light square system	Similar to a dark square system, only typically more solid (e.g., as in the Nimzo-Indian).
novice division	A tournament category for beginning or less skilled players, who want to avoid tough competition and heavy entrance fess to over divisions.
plan	A short or long term goal which a player bases his moves on
down	The movement of checkers from your 13 point onto your outerboard quadrant.
counter threat	See "Counter attack".
fork	A
caissa	The goddess (or muse) of Chess.
hole	A square that a player does not, and cannot in future, control with a friendly pawn
queenside	The side of the board where the queens are at the start of the game (the a through d files), as opposed to the kingside.
establish a point	Establish a point means the same thing as make a point which is to place two or more checkers on a point thus securing that point.
free drop	In match after the Crawford game is completed and the losing player is left with an even number of points (4) to go, the player in the lead may refuse a double and this will not lessen the number of games the opposing player must win.
central pawn	A pawn on the king's file (e-file) or queen's file (d-file).
advanced anchor	There are several possible meanings: Player X has an anchor on the third, forth or fifth point in player Y’s home board, or two checkers put together (make point) on the third or forth point in the other player’s home board
illegal move	A move that is not permitted by the rules of chess
fish	Derogatory term for a Chess player of little skill, poor experience or a bad player.
bases in the infield	It's actually a square 90 feet (27 m) on each side, but from the stands it resembles a parallelogram or "diamond".
doubling cube	The cube used in backgammon to double the stakes
annotation	Written comments (prose, chess symbols or actual moves) about a position or game.
end game	The phase of a game which starts when either player begins to bear off.
sealed move	A method of secretly recording the next Chess move of an adjourned game (an unfinished game) until play is resumed
decisive	A move which alters or makes certain the result of a game
immortal game	Name given to the Anderssen-Kieseritsky game of 1851, a spectacular example of the King's Bishop Gambit.
overworked	Another term for Overloaded.
grandmaster	The highest permanent title that can be given to a chess player.
combinations of the dice	The number of dice-throw permutations (out of 36) that achieve a certain goal.
attack	The process of going after your opponent's king or vulnerability win the game.
loaded dice	Dice that have been tampered with to give an uneven distribution of rolled numbers.
crawford rule	Named after the well know player John R
alekhine defense	The opening 1) e4, Nf6.
amateur	Any chess player ranked below master level.
tailgate	When player X starts to throw their dice prior to player Y taking up their own dice to finish their turn.
favorite	The player who looks like they are going to be the victor.
td	The target that must be reached in order to complete that segment of the course
goren's modern backgammon complete	Cornerstone Library, New York
pie-ball	Heslop (1893) defines this word: "a game resembling the game of Rounders, however, the ball is always struck with the hand."
no dice	Cocked dice.
activity	The quality of a chess
backcourt	The backcourt refers to the area that is the opponent's part of the court
disengage	In backgammon, to disengage means to pass the point of contact and now be in a race to get your checkers home and bear them off.
advanced level	A player who has accumulated significant experiences and competence.
opening	The beginning moves of the game, roughly the first 10–20 moves
td	A disc that has a blank topside (dome) and a hotstamp on the underside (bottom) of the disc.
prop	Another term for Proposition.
taco	Term used for a warped disc which has hit a tree or other solid object at high velocity.
leader	A player who is leading in the game.
seventh rank	The rank on which an opponent's pawns are placed at the beginning of the game.
end game	The final stages of a game.
td	Signature of Student
royal powers	Refers to unique attributes of the king: being subject to check and checkmate
centre	The four centre squares e4, d4, e5 and d5
double ducks	The roll of 2-2 on the dice (double 2's).
recube	Redouble.
quasi-random dice	A method to decrease the part played by luck in a dice throw by making sure the numbers thrown in the first throws of each trial are fairly spread.
mixed roll	A couple of thrown dice with diverse numbers on their upper faces. .
drawn position	Any chess game
mandatory take	After a-Crawford game, if the leading player is offered a double and the player behind them has an odd number of points to go, they should almost always agree to the double
round-robin tournament	This is a tournament in which each participant plays every other participant an equal number of times
openings	Known sequence of moves, usually published in a chess book
handicap	See Odds.
around	Bringing one or more checkers to a more advanced quadrant.
staine's rule	A non-obligatory rule stating that each double dice throw is only played once.
pips	A single roll of the dice has the potential to win or lose a game.
bot	This backgammon term is derived from ‘robot’
nn	Stands for Neural network.
a.b.t.	A.B.T
box	The box is alone against the rest of the participants in the chouette
grandmaster draw	Deprecating term for a short, drawn game between grandmasters where it is obvious that neither player has made any attempt at playing for a win.
en passant	[from French: "in the act of passing"] The rule that allows a pawn that has just advanced two squares to be captured by an enemy pawn that is on the same rank and adjacent file
broken prime	A prime that is incomplete i.e., a gap exists.
chouette	A variance of backgammon where 3 or more players play backgammon
rating	A position on a scale assigned to players according to their success against other rated players
half a roll	Refers to one of the 2 numbers on a set of thrown dice.
elimination format	Elimination format is a tournament style where the number of players is halved every round until there is only one player left.
triple game	Another name for backgammon
doubling block	Doubling cube.
hastings	A town in Sussex, England that has been the site of a chess congress every year since 1920.
chair	Noun: the "chair" of the round is the person who is considered the head judge, the person who acts as Speaker
stretched	A position barren of spare checkers or builders and thus prone to awkward numbers; too many points.
norges backgammonforbund	Norwegian Backgammon Federation
cast	Cast means to throw the dice in backgammon.
crew	In a chouette, members of the team who play with the captain against the box.
runner	The people who go from room to room after a round has finished to collect the ballots from the judges and take them to the tabs room
structural play	A play that creates a strong point.
sealed move	A method of secretly recording the next move of an
over the board	A description of games played face to face, as opposed to correspondence Chess.
met	Match equity table.
control the cube	To control the cube is the same as owning the cube meaning that only that player may offer a double
poof	A version of backgammon where the lower number of a dice throw is always first player.
blue game	A kind of collusion in a chouette
biba	British Isles Backgammon Association. Website: BIBA.
adoube	” I adjust” - in French - the expression used when a piece is adjusted on its square without any intention to move it ‘officially’
connected position	A situation in which all your checkers are within a short distance of each other, thus making it easier to move your army forward as a group
captain	The fortunes of the other players depend on the fortunes of the Captain
harkness score	See Median score.
grandmasters	the term is now used colloquially to refer to any such game.
q	Abbreviation for queen.
doubler	Doubling cube.
double king pawn opening	One of the most common categories of opening systems (e4, e5), resulting in an "open" game.
diagonal	A row of squares of the same color running obliquely across the board rather than up and down (file) or side to side (rank).
fairy chess	Non-orthodox chess problem compositions
ratings system	A way to determine ratings according to a player’s success so that the more skilled tend to have higher ratings in the course of time.
doubling cube	Yyou use the doubling cube to double the stakes.
valve	A move which opens one line and closes another.
isolation	This is an offensive foul and it happens when the offense sits up with 3 or more players above the top of the circle on the side of the court away from the ball, i.e
shepherd's mate	Another name for scholar's mate.
tavla	A Turkish game similar to Western backgammon. See: How to Play Tavla.
castling into it	A situation where one side castles and a result is that the king is in more danger at the destination than on the initial square, either immediately or because lines and diagonals can be more readily opened against it
blocking backgammon	Blocking backgammon is a backgammon variant in which single checkers on a point occupy that point.
dice mechanic	A person skillful in the use of unfair means to control the dice.
study	A term used to describe a composed
loaded dice	Dice weighted or shaped so that the distribution of rolled numbers is not even.
settlement	A single shot settlement is worth approximately (.4) X (value of the cube)
mechanical play	A move made with little thought because it seems to be obvious.
grandmaster	Shortened form of International Grandmaster.
man to man	This is when a defensive player is responsible for guarding a specific player instead of guarding a certain area of the court.
toilet move	Coined by Nigel Short, a quickly played move described as "any move which doesn't immediately jeopardise your position" allowing the player time to visit the toilet while his opponent thinks.
represent	Your actions can be said to represent a hand
jacoby rule	This is a common rule popular in wagers
elo rating	The system by which players are rated
philadelphia bat ball	Called an "advanced form" of German Bat Ball, this game involves three bases for runners instead of one, and runners can remain at a base if they believe they cannot safely advance further
forcing move	A move which leads the opponent into a forced move or moves.
fide	The acronym for Fedération Internationale des Échecs, the French name for the World Chess Federation. See our USCF/FIDE page for more information.
simul	When one person plays chess with two or more opponents at the same time
td	A warped disc, generally the result of hitting a hard object (like a rock or tree) at full-speed.
gammon price	The relative value of winning a gammon compared with the value of winning a single game
crawford game	The preliminary game in a contest following one of the players getting within a single point of victory
fide master	A chess title ranking below International Master.
immortal game	Famous game played between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky at Simpson's-in-the-Strand, London.
speeches from the floor	"Speeches from the floor" occur when spectators get up after a Final Round and speak for the side they believe won the debate
prime	Single Shot Settlement: When one player has a shot that will determine the outcome of the game if it is hit or missed they may offer a settlement
race	When well ahead in the race it is wise to disengage.
busted back game	A busted back game is a backgammon game where a backgame strategy failed and forced the player to bury their checkers.
ace-point	Traditional name for the one-point.
closed	The easiest way to score a
draw	A game that ends in a tie, where each player is awarded half a point
doubles	Doubles in backgammon means to roll a pair of numbers on the dice
quiet play	A passive strategy to preserve the current situation.
intermediate level	This player has more experience than a novice but not yet reached the level of an advanced player.
dino	A really old debater who keeps coming back for more
raw take point	The minimum game winning chances you need to accept a double if you assume no gammons and no further cube action
time trouble	Situation where a player has a small amount of time to make a large number of moves.
last roll position	A position in which the next roll will decide the game
next	[From the online match between Kit Woolsey and Readers at GammonU
cube	The otter is sometimes referred to as one of the 'furry rodents' involved in doubling
doublets	A couple of dice thrown that have the same numbers on top.
cube	The doubling cube in backgammon, with its six sides marked with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64
transition	The team changing from playing defense to offense or vise versa when the ball goes from one team to the other.
redouble	Any double apart from the first double in the game
odds	This refers to the stronger player giving the weaker player some sort of advantage in order to make the game more competitive
fortress	A fortress is a position that, if obtained by the weaker side, will prevent the opposing side from penetration, this generally resulting in a draw (which the weaker side is seeking).
eleanor of aquitane	Possibly the inspirational character for the increased powers of the queen piece in the 15th century (alternatively argued to be Queen Isabella). Eleanor was an extremely influential monarch who ultimately was married to two kings in her lifetime, and was also the mother of two kings, including Richard the Lionhearted. Her political maneuvers included leading palace rebellions against her husband, King Henry II, who had her locked up for 19 years in order to subdue her.
cook	1. An unintended solution of a chess problem
long diagonal	One of the two diagonals with eight squares (a1-h8 or h1-a8).
diversification	When a player disperses their checkers to improve the number of advantageous throw on their next turn.
equal chances	The same probability that either player of any complex chess
tapa	A game popular in Bulgaria in which players pin opposing blots rather than hit them. See: How to Play Tapa.
iccf	The international Correspondence Chess Federation, founded in 1951 to replace the International Correspondence Chess Association (ICCA).
boxing out	This means that you get your body in front of the basket and also in front of your opponent so you can have a better chance to grab a rebound.
grandmaster draw	A game in which the players quickly agree to a draw after making little or no effort to win
hog	See Pig.
direct range	How far a player is able to hit a blot based on a single number from one die
connectivity	Keeping your checkers close together so they defend each other as they move forward.
wrong-colored bishop	See Wrong rook pawn.
cube decision	The option of whether or not to offer a double, and the opposing player’s option of accepting or declining this offer.
go out	Gaining the required points for a victory.
bearoff database	This database is a list produced by a computer
style	The preference for certain types of positions and moves
doublets	Doubles.
zone defense	A kind of defense where the defensive team does not guard a specific player but guards an area of the court
pawn storm	An attacking technique where a group of pawns on one wing is advanced to break up the defence.
money management	Choosing appropriate stakes to play for so that you do not exceed your bankroll
td	Any part of a player's body that is in contact with the playing surface or some other object capable of providing support, at the time of release.
patzer	A weak player
drop	To drop is to refuse a double in a game of backgammon.
kgd	The King's Gambit Declined chess opening.
clock	A double-faced timer used to regulate a chess game. See our Clock Rules page for more info.
enemy	See: opponent.
drop point	The highest game winning probability where it is considered right for a player to decline a double, or the point where it is equally advantageous to the player to accept a double or to decline it.
diversify	To place your checkers so that most dice rolls can be played constructively.
bear off	The final stage of a game, in which you take checkers off the board.
strategy	The overall, long-range plan for a Chess game.
par	The average number of throws for an experienced player to complete a hole
match equity	Can mean a player's chance of a victory from a certain score or the value of a position in relation to the present score and cube level, usually expressed in terms of probable victory.
take up	Hit a blot.
game plan	A scheme for winning the same
iqp	An abbreviation for Isolated Queen Pawn
diversification	The spreading out of your checkers to increase the number of good rolls on your next turn
mco	Modern Chess Openings, a popular chess opening reference
take point	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
drop point	The maximum game winning chances at which it is correct for a player to refuse a double; the point at which a player is equally well off accepting a double or refusing a double; take point.
swiss-cheese formation	A position with many gaps and few adjacent made points.
diagonal	A diagonal row of squares
squeeze	Exploiting a bind by the gradual build-up of pressure upon the enemy's position
strategy	The scheme for winning.
dyscommunication	The reduction of flexibility resulting from having spare checkers exactly six points away from each other.
count the position	Count the position refers to calculating the players pip count to determine who is farther along in the race.
general principles	Basic rules that serve as guidelines for less advanced players
shot	A strong move that was not expected.
refutation	A move or series of moves that demonstrates a flaw in a game, move, variation, analysis or plan.
fortress	A fortress is a position that, if obtained by the weaker side, will prevent penetration by the opposing side, this generally resulting in a draw (which the weaker side is seeking).
iqp	See Isolated queen pawn.
intuition	A ability of an experienced player to decide on a move or plan by feel, rather than by extensive analysis.
double ducks	Quadrant : One of the four divisions of the backgammon table
volunteer a shot	Purposely leave a blot within range of being hit now rather than be forced to leave it later when the danger may be greater.
dance	When you fail to roll a number that re-enters you from the Bar
intermediate level	A player of some experience who has begun to hone his skills; the level of play between novice and advanced.
donk	a bad player; commonly also used to describe a good player who suddenly did something stupid - "I played that hand like a complete donk."
handicap	A means of trying to equalize chances in a game played between opponents of greatly different strengths.
boxcars	A roll of 6-6 (double 6's).
point	When you own a point, the opposing player may not land on it.
key	The unique, first move in the solution to a Chess problem.
direct hit	A direct hit is a hit using only one number from the roll of the dice.
doubling window	This can refer to the array of game victory probabilities that are both a proper double and a proper take
bcf	British Chess Federation, the former name of the English Chess Federation
see-saw	See Windmill.
bat-ball	We have references to bat-bat from 1791 (when it was banned in both Pittsfield and Northampton MA) to 2003, but the basic rules of this game as first played are unclear
td	The final throw(s) of the hole aimed at getting your disc to come to rest in the basket.
consolation division	By way of compensation this competition may be organized for players who are removed from the main game of an elimination tournament at a preliminary stage.
die	A six-sided cube marked with 1 to 6.
error rate	A measure of the average equity lost per move due to errors in play
central pawn	A pawn on the king's file or queen's file, i.e
clock hand	Official chess rules require a player to press the clock with the same hand he used to make his move.
equality	Where neither player has a discernible advantage over the opponent.
duplicate backgammon	Duplicate backgammon is a style of tournament backgammon play where competitors play games using the same dice rolls and compare the results.
international master	A chess title that ranks below Grandmaster but above FIDE Master.
claim a game	Claim a game is the same as cash a game in which a player offers a double believing it will be refused thus forfeiting the game and winning them the money staked on the game.
plan	A short or long-range goal on which a player bases his moves.
split	To separate two checkers which form a block in order to leave two blots.
class tournament	An event in which players compete against other players within their rating class.
corner ball	A plugging game that is closer to dodge ball than to safe-haven games
ace	#1 is uppermost on the rolled die.
doubler	Another name for
outside prime	A contiguous sequence of blocked points in which the majority of those points are in the outer board.
hit and split	When a player hits a blot with a single number and at the same time splitting their runners with the other number
romantic	An era when all players attacked and sacrificed
pigeon	The victim of a hustler.
analysis	The examination of the critical positions and various potential lines of play that have occurred or could occur in a chess game. Post-game analysis means going over all the moves of a finished game, identifying particularly good or bad moves, and examining how the winner's strategy succeeded and/or the loser's strategy failed
opening library	See "Book".
barabino	[Named after backgammon expert Rick Barabino.] A roll of 5-4 from the bar used to make an anchor on the opponent's five-point.
boxes	A roll of 6-6 (double 6's).
td	The speed of the disc's rotation (given to the disc during release).
chaturanga	The name of the first game from which modern Chess is derived.
borne off	It is important to use the numbers on the dice wisely when trying to
hit and cover	To hit an opposing blot and then continue on with the same checker to cover your own blot.
scoresheet	The paper on which a Chess score is recorded.
neural network	The architecture used in many of the strongest backgammon programs such as Jellyfish, Snowie, and GNU Backgammon
dead number	A certain dice number that cannot be played from the current position.
rut	When a player is unable to improve or raise his rating despite consistent effort.
invasion square	TODO
kibitzer	A game observer who is supposed not to comment on the game within the players hearing.
td	The speed a disc is traveling through the air
illegal position	A position which is not the result of a series of legal moves.
td	The type of disc used for short shots into the basket, or the person who is putting the disc into the hole.
the t.p.	A player's second point.
dice	You roll the dice to get your rolls.
opening book	See "Book".
box	Box is a shortened reference to man in the box which is a backgammon reference to a player in a very challenging position.
clean play	A move made in accordance with the rules of the game.
automatic doubles	Automatic doubles are an option that many backgammon players use when playing backgammon for money
duplication	Duplication is backgammon lingo meaning a position in which the same number can be used in multiple ways.
lipped cup	A container that holds the dice, it is ringed inside to give a dice throw that is hard to manipulate.
consultation	A consultation is the advice or recommendations offered to the captain of the team by the crew in a chouette backgammon game.
quickplay finish	Same as sudden death.
classical variation	Many opening systems have "classical" variations--e.g., the classical variation of the French Defense is ...3) Nc3, Nf6, and the classical variation of the Silician Defense is 5)...Nc6.
j'adoube	French for "I adjust"
anhyzer	A disc's flight arc (backhand) which falls in the same direction of the throwing arm
overstable	A disc which, when released flat, has a tendency to hyzer (to the left for right-handed players, backhand throw).
jacoby rule	A rule which permits gammons and backgammons to count for double and triple stakes only if one or more players have doubled during the game.
match	A competition between two individuals or two teams
notation	A system of symbols and coordinates for recording the moves of a game
bold-safe criteria	See: Magriel's Safe-Bold Criteria.
play	The collection of moves a player makes in satisfying the requirements of a roll.
wfm	Abbreviation for the Woman FIDE Master title.
edge of a prime	The point that is open just before the point where a prime begins.
drop point	The point at which not accepting the double is the right move.
expert	A player with a USCF rating of between 2000 and 2199.
transposition	Reaching an identical position by a different sequence of moves
elo rating	The most common rating system in current use. See our Ratings page for more info.
vidos	The Greek name for today’s backgammon
fly shot	A chance to hit the other player’s blot with the numbers of both thrown dice taken together
sans voir	French "without seeing"
drop-take	This expression is used in the chouette version of the game to describe a deal between two players concerning their response to an offer of a double by the box
fool's mate	The shortest possible chess game ending in mate: 1
freeze-out match	This backgammon version starts with the players having a set amount of money or points and the game proceeds with table-stakes betting until a player loses his stake.
announced mate	A practice, common in the nineteenth century, where one player would announce a sequence of moves, believed by him to constitute best play by both sides, that led to a forced checkmate for the announcing player in a specified number of moves (for example, "mate in five").
mixed roll	Two thrown dice with different numbers on their upper faces. Compare: Doubles.
chess.fm	An online chess radio station open to Internet Chess Club members - Dan had a radio show, "Ask the Renaissance Man" every Thur night, now does Instructional Videos
threat	A move or plan, that, if allowed, leads to immediate reduction of the enemy's position.
alertness	The ability to take advantage of the opponent's inaccuracies while playing accurately yourself.
unlimited game	Backgammon played using a doubling cube without any limit to the number of doubles and redoubles
kibitz	To be the spectator of a game.
critical position	Any decisive turning point in a game that ultimately affects the outcome.
double	1)To offer the doubling cube; an offer to play on for twice the current value of the game
double	Before a player throws a dice, they are offered the opportunity to continue the game at double the current stakes
clear a point	To abandon a point with both checkers.
king pawn	A pawn on the king's file, i.e
doubling block	Another term for the Doubling cube.
strategy	The formation and execution of an overall plan.
out-rounds / open rounds	Rounds that anybody can watch, ie
tabula	A Roman game similar to backgammon in which players use three dice instead of two, and move around the board in the same direction
kill a number	To purposely play a position in a way that will render unplayable a specific number on a forthcoming dice roll.
backgammon board	The backgammon game is played on a board that is divided into 24 narrow triangular shaped divisions known as “points”
horse	An informal word for a knight
voluntary double	A regular double, where one player offers to double the stakes of the game, as opposed an automatic double when identical numbers are thrown at the beginning of the game.
tournament book	A book recording the scores of all the games in a tournament, usually with analysis of the best or most important games and some background on the event and its participants
cubeful rollout	A cubeful rollout is a simulated set of trials by a computer simulator with the doubling cube in play.
impossible move	A move which has obvious unfavourable results, and so is to be avoided.
squeeze	1. Gradually increasing the pressure of a bind.
dice manipulation	Any unfair means used to influence the roll of the dice
mate	See "Checkmate".
ace point game	Playing an anchor game from the 24-anchor.
broken prime	A broken prime is an incomplete prime.
send back	Hit.
flop	In a flop game, after the first betting round, three cards are exposed all together, which are community cards.
overload	A situation where a pawn or piece must perform too many defensive functions, so that if one it is forced to perform one function a weakness will be created.
consultation	Advice offered by the crew to the captain in a chouette.
stack	A point with 5 or more checkers.
doubling block	Doubling block is another word used for the doubling cube used in backgammon games.
p	Abbreviation for pawn.
annotation	Written comments about a game or position
effective pip count	An effective pip count, or EPC is an average number of dice rolls that are required in order to bear off all of your checkers multiplied by the average pip value of a roll.
td	The average number of throws for an experienced player to complete a hole
scholar's mate	The name given to an
holding	Effectively defending while under attack.
double	An offer made by one player to his opponent during the course of a game (just before the player rolls the dice) to continue the game at twice the current stakes
nbgf	Norwegian Backgammon Federation.
otter	[Another furry rodent, by analogy to beaver and raccoon.] An immediate redouble (while retaining ownership of the cube) by the player who just accepted a raccoon.
strategy	The overall, long range plans for a game
barabino	This move is named after the well-known backgammon expert Rick Barabino
breaking contact	The transform in the game where checkers can no longer be hit.
book move	An opening move found in the standard reference books on opening theory
lose	A chess game may be lost via checkmate, resignation, time forfeit or other type of forfeiture.
imbalance	A noticeable difference between the white and black armies
technical play	A checker-play choice that has its roots in tactical considerations.
k	Abbreviation for king.
ducks	A roll of 2-2.
chouette	A chouette is a form of backgammon where three or more players can play
end game	The part of a game when bearing off commences.
risk	A move or series of moves designed to gain an advantage but which has a chance of causing a disadvantage.
prime	Consecutive points made.
sudden death	The most straightforward time control for a chess game: each player has a fixed amount of time available to make all moves.
top board	In a team match, the player who competes against the strongest opponents
opening roll	The first roll of the game in which both players simultaneously roll one die
book player	A person who memorizes opening theory
swiss-cheese formation	This position has numerous gaps and only a few neighboring made points.
gg	Gammon-go.
quacks	Double ducks.
running	Rapidly transferring the king from one sector of the board to another in order to evade attack.
simultaneous display	Event where a single player (commonly a strong player) play several people all at the same time
passer	A passed pawn.
td	When a disc golfer is within 10 meters, he/she must not fall forward after the putt is released
premature	A hasty move or series of moves or plan, or to act without enough preparation.
beaver	An instantaneous redouble done by a player who just previously agreed to a double
fast break	A play where the offense takes the ball and moves quickly to the frontcourt and runs a play before the defense has a chance to stop it.
elo rating	A numerical measure of a chess player's strength
elo rating	A mathematical system, now used worldwide, devised by Prof
railroad tracks	Putting all the checkers on a small number of points
pole hole	A brand name disc golfing target, or basket
diversification	Optimizing your own good rolls
king safety	One of the most important goals in a chess game; castling is done with this purpose in mind.
dice manipulation	An illegal method of trying to control the outcome of the dice throw.
make a point	Putting a couple of checkers together on a point to make a block or anchor, and so prevent the other player from landing on this point.
cube ownership	Which player has the right to make the next double
center-counter	See Scandinavian Defense.
arbiter	See International Arbiter.
misere	A backgammon variant in which the object is to be the last player to bear off all of your checkers. See: How to Play Misere Backgammon.
driver	A disc designed for fast, long-distance flight
move down	Move around the corner.
attack	A "passive defense" is a defense offering little prospect of counterattack
underplay	Playing too cautiously.
solid prime	A prime with no gaps; a full prime. Compare: Broken Prime.
cubeful equity	Cubeful equity is the absolute value in backgammon money play, of a players position compared to the initial stake being played for
strategy	Your long range master plan
game winning chances	The probability of winning the current game if it is played to conclusion without a doubling cube; also called cubeless probability of winning.
connectivity	Connectivity : Having checkers placed so that they are within 6 pips of each other so that they can more easily make points and be protected
field goal	Simply any basket, 2 or 3 point basket.
master	A player whose Elo rating is 2200 or higher
control	The domination or sole use of a square, group of squares, file ordiagonal
straight race	Pure race.
temperature map	A plot showing how a position's equity is distributed among each of the 6 x 6 upcoming rolls
offhand game	See skittles.
solid prime	No gaps in the prime.
holland rule	An not obligatory rule in match play that was commonly used twenty years ago but is now infrequently used
unstack	To remove checkers from a point with more than three checkers on it.
clearance sacrifice	A move that sacrifices an obstructing piece to make way for a strong or better move.
defense	A move or sequence of moves intended to stop the opponent's attack.
steam	When a player loses patience and starts taking high risks.
comeback shot	If player X has the chance to hit player Y’s blot right after player X was hit by player Y
cube proxy	A player in a chouette who temporarily handles the cube for another while that player is away from the game
castle long	Queenside castling.
hit	To hit a checker, sending it to the bar.
fortress	A defensive blockade to keep out the enemy forces, especially the king.
bearoff	The last stage of the game during which checkers are borne off.
break a point	This describes the situation where a player removes one of two checker on a point, leaving the point open.
safe play	A play that leaves no blots, or a play that leaves blots only in positions where the opponent is unlikely to hit. Compare: Bold Play.
tutor mode	Some computerized application let the computer analyze a player’s moves and alter them to errors.
sharp	Risky, double-edged, highly tactical
td	The place where each hole begins.
big play	A bold or aggressive play when a safer but less constructive play is available.
dice cup	This vessel may be made of leather or plastic, and it is used to shaking and throw the dice
fibs	First Internet Backgammon Server, an electronic forum for playing backgammon with others from around the world. Website: FIBS.
discovered check	A phrase used to describe an often powerful move where a line is
snake eyes	Rolling 1-1.
master	In the U.S., a player with rating of 2200 or more
dmp	The abbreviation for Double Match Point.
lost position	Any chess game
bertha	To mistakenly play the roll of 6-5 from the opponent's one-point to your mid-point without seeing that the opponent has made his bar-point and blocks your way.
uscf	United States Chess Federation.
combination shot	A blot more than six points away which requires both dice in order to be hit.
joker	An exceptionally good roll, especially a roll that reverses the likely outcome of the game; a roll much luckier than average.
international rating list	FIDE publishes this list of the world's strongest players based on its own Elo-type rating scale.
bertha	Applied to a situation where player X erroneously plays throws a dice of 6-5 from player Y’s one-point to their mid-point without having noticed that player Y has already got to his seventh (bar) point and is blocking the advance.
jellyfish	The first commercial neural-net backgammon program (1994) after TD-Gammon
duplicate dice	A series of chance dice throws are used to analyze two or more positions
technical play	A checker-play decision which primarily depends on tactical considerations
roller	Advancing the disc by causing it to roll along the ground.
half-crossover method	A pip counting method devised by Douglas Zare
game plan	A strategy for winning the game
doubling rule	A cube-handling rule for pure race situations
baffle box	A device through which dice are dropped to randomize a roll
td	Advance Special Entry Fees
fan	To fail to reenter after being hit; to dance.
on the bar	When your checker is hit and is waiting to re-enter, you are said to be "on the bar".
doubling cube	A six-sided die which is not rolled, but is marked with powers of two and used to track the stakes of the current game.
split end	(football) an offensive end who lines up at a distance from the other linemen
narde	A Russian game that resembles the Turkish Moultezim backgammon version
backgammon	Turn : A players turn usually consists of choosing whether or not to offer a double, rolling the dice, moving the checkers the required amount shown by the dice, and finally picking up the dice which signifies that the players turn is over
meyer dice tube	A 9-inch clear plastic tube with baffles across the middle and capped ends that contains a pair of dice and is used to randomize dice within
battery	However, for purposes of implementing the Infield Fly Rule, the catcher, pitcher, and any player stationed in the infield when the pitch is delivered are included as infielders.
manny wong proposition	The player on roll has two checkers on each of his lower three home board points, and three checkers on each of upper three home board points
race	Both sides have effectively side stepped their opponents checkers and now have the sole objective of bearing them all off
beavers	A rule often used in money play (but never in match play) which says: A player who accepts a double may immediately redouble (beaver) without giving up possession of the cube
transition	Changing from one phase of the game into another; i.e
gruenfeld defense	TODO
illegal dribble	A player dribbles the ball for a second time after he had already stopped dribbling
beaver	An immediate redouble by a player who just accepted a double
gens una sumus	Latin for "We are one family or
shesh besh	A Turkish version of backgammon.
ace	A rolled die showing the number 1.
vigorish	The small additional considerations that affect the total equity of a position, such as gammon vigorish and recube vigorish.
elo ratings system	A ratings system invented in 1960 by
simultaneous play	A player contesting a number of games against a number of players at the same time.
wcc	Abbreviation for the World Chess Championship.
tables	A term for any game on a backgammon board, or a reference to the old Roman game Tabula.
giving for game	A statement made by a player in a chouette that he is willing to pay the captain or any other team member the full stake at which the game currently stands for the right to take over their games
kibitz	As a spectator, making comments on a chess game that can be heard by the players
team	In a chouette, the players lead by the captain who play against the box; the captain and his crew.
increment	Refers to the amount of time added to each player's time before each move
dice combination	This is one of the 36 possible throws obtained with two dice.
variation	Sometimes, the player or the venue of the stem game is then used to refer to that opening.
opposition	A situation in which two kings stand on the same rank, file or diagonal with one empty square between them
fibs rating formula	The ratings system used on FIBS
one-sided bearoff database	A bearoff database where the arrangement of checkers on only one player's side is considered
bold play	A bold play in backgammon is usually a play in which the player leaves one or more of his blots exposed and in danger of being hit.
approach disc	A disc designed for slower, more stable flight.
british isles backgammon association	An association of Backgammon players and
rim	Bar.
king hunt	The process of driving the opponent's king out of his shelter and chasing him with the intention of checkmating him.
kingside	The side of the board where the kings are at the start of the game (the e through h files), as opposed to the queenside.
foresight	The ability to anticipate potential strategic or tactical operations.
redouble	A double other than the first double of a game
roof	Bar.
post-crawford	After the Crawford game.
error rate	The error rate for a backgammon player is a way of measuring on average, the equity lost per move because of errors in game play.
rock	A very tight player is often called a rock because they don't get out of line
td	This company was founded by "Steady" Ed Headrick, inventory of the Frisbee ® and Disc Golf
race	Both sides have effectively side stepped their opponents checkers and now have the sole objective of
pip	A unit of distance.
decline a double	To decline a double means the same as refuse a double in which case the game is forfeited.
td	Advance Entry Fees
outfield	Commonly applied to points nine, ten, and eleven on the outer board.
td	The competitors who are assigned to play a round together for the purpose of verifying scores and proper play in accordance with the rules.
king	The goal of a chess game is to checkmate your opponent's king while keeping your own king safe; therefore the king is the piece of highest value in a chess game and needs the most protection. A king moves one square in any direction, except when castling.
en passant	French for `in passing'
crush	Slang for a quick win, especially an overwhelming attack versus poor defensive play
doubles	A dice roll in which both values are identical, e.g
strategy	Evaluation of game positions and setting up goals and longer-term plans for future play, as opposed to a tactic which is a shorter-term plan typically consisting of a well-defined sequence of moves and their contingent moves from a given game position.
hole	An important square that cannot be defended by pawns.
zwischenzug	A German word commonly used by English-speaking players that means an in-between move
curb-ball	Gregory Christiano describes this as a non-running game in which a player threw a spaldeen against a curb so that it lofted into the field of play
outside prime	An adjacent series of blocked points most of which are located in the outer board.
cashier	The place you go to add more chips or check your balance
carrying the ball	This is when a player moves his hand under the ball and then brings his hand back over the top while he is dribbling
shake	Shaking the dice in a cup prior to throwing it.
raccoon	To immediately redouble an opponent who has Beavered.
bishop	characteristic of the Indian defences, the King's Indian and the Queen's Indian.
hardware	Trophies
contact position	A state of affairs where the opposing checkers have not yet been moved past each other
starters	The five people who start the game
caïssa	The goddess of chess, occasionally invoked to indicate luck or good fortune: "Caissa was with me".
mechanical play	This move is so clear it is done with little attention paid to it.
die	Singular of dice.
compact position	A position with several made points close to one another and few gaps
tactician	A player who specializes in tactical play, as distinguished from a "positional player."
match	Competition between two players concluding when one of them reaches a certain number of points, normally an odd number.
active	1. Describes a piece that controls a number of squares, or a piece that has a number of squares available for its next move.
crosstable	The formal listing of the final results of a tournament. Crosstables provided by the USCF include pre- and post-tournament ratings.
ahead in the count	Having a better pip count when it comes down to the race.
match	To play a series of backgammon games up to a pre-assigned number of points
cup	A container used to shake and toss the dice.
bco	An abbreviation sometimes used for the chess opening reference Batsford's Chess Openings
double shot	One blot which can be directly hit two different ways, or two blots each of which can be directly hit one way. Compare: Single Shot.
bogo-indian defense	The opening 1) d4, Nf6 2) c4, e6 3) Nf3, Bb4+.
dansk backgammon forbund	Danish Backgammon Federation
bind	To have such a vise-like grip on a position that useful moves are difficult for the opponent to find
bankroll	The amount of money you have available for betting, or the maximum amount you are willing to lose in a session. See: Money Management.
lock up a point	Make a point.
gm	See Grandmaster.
early game	The opening moves of a game, before the a particular strategy has been decided upon.
rank	A row of eight horizontal squares
positional mistake	A mistake with no immediate tactical repercussions, but will lead to a disadvantage by surrendering control of critical squares, losing time or space, or creating a structural weakness.
luck factor	Equity gained or lost through the rolls of the dice during the course of a game or match
exposed checker	An exposed checker is a players checker that is within range of being hit directly.
connectivity	Connectivity in backgammon is a reference to the degree in which a player has kept a closed position.
direct shot	A chance to hit a blot six points or less away using a single number from one die.
end game	End game is a phase of the backgammon game that starts when the first player begins to bear off their checkers.
match	A series of games of backgammon, played until one participant reaches a predetermined score.
distance to conversion	A phrase used to describe the number of
over the board	A description of games played face to face, as opposed to correspondence Chess or email Chess.
guff	The player's one-point.
king pawn opening	The opening 1) e4.
quadrant	One quarter of the playing area on a backgammon board
effective pip count	The average number of rolls required to bear off all your checkers multiplied by the average pip value of a roll (49/6 pips)
walk a prime	Roll a prime.
expansion	Increasing the amount of space directly under your control
break contact	Breaking contact occurs when both players have past each others checkers eliminating the possibility of hitting and the game becomes a race to see who can bear off all of their checkers first.
prime-vs-prime	A game where both players have primes.
london system	The opening 1) d4, d5 2) Nf3, Nf6 3) Bf4.
football game	any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal
direct range	Direct range in backgammon means to be within six points of a blot making it possible to hit it using only one number from the roll of the dice.
game winning chances	The chances of winning a game that will be played to its end without the use of the doubling club
mwc	Max Winning Chances – the probability of a victory.
fm	Abbreviation for FIDE Master.
one-checker model	A model for estimating winning chances in a pure race based on the players' pip counts
prime	See break a point
grand prix	A special contest sponsored by USCF. All USCF players are eligible to participate. To qualify as a Grand Prix event, the tournament must offer a prize fund of more than $500. Throughout the year, "points" are awarded to those players who win open sections of tournaments that qualify as Grand Prix events. The amount of Grand Prix points available for each tournament is determined by the amount of prize money offered. At the end of the year, points are tallied and the winner is awarded a large cash prize.
ratings system	A method of assigning ratings to players based on their performance in such a way that players with greater ability will, over time, tend to have higher ratings.
come under the gun	Undoubled Gammon: This can occur in match play by winning a gammon when the cube has not been turned
wbf	Worldwide Backgammon Federation. Website: WBF.
plan	A short or long range goal on which a player bases his moves
elo rating	An internationally accepted mathematical system for ranking chess players, created by Arpad Elo
perpetual check	TODO
b.i.b.a.	B.I.B.A
proxy	Another name for Cube Proxy.
air ball	An unexpectedly poor roll, especially one that fails to hit or fails to make a point.
settlement	A decision to end a game early with the payment of points by one player to the other based on the agreed fair value of the position (see Equity)
sharp	Descriptive term applied to a move or a series of moves which could be considered risky.
play	The set of moves a player does in response to a dice throw result.
fischer clock	A clock which, in addition to serving the usual functions of a Chess clock, adds a certain amount of time to each player's clock after each move, in order to avoid desperate time scrambles at the end of a game, which often result in poor moves.
girls	A throw of 5-5
grandmaster	An outstanding and highly rated chess player
dead number	A dead number is a number on the dice in backgammon that cannot be played by that player in the particular position they are currently in.
point on head	Point on a blot.
hot streak	Catching great cards and winning big pots due to statistical fluctuation (no, hitting your flush draw three times in a row is not skill)
defence	1. A move or plan which tries to meet the opponent's attack.
clear from the rear	The player clears their highest point first to stop gaps appearing
dead checker	Killing Numbers: To arrange checkers in a way that does not allow certain numbers to be played on your next turn
hutton pairing	A pairing technique invented in 1921 by George Dickson Hutton for matching teams of players in which only one game is required per player
standard deviation	A measure of a rollout's variance or random error
race equity	Probability of success coming from deviations where there is no more hitting.
opening roll	The initial dice throw of game where both players throw their dice at the same time
comfort station	The comfort station is backgammon slang for the thirteen point or the mid-point.
bar-point	The seven-point.
exchange	The word "exchange" without amplifying verbage means a simple trade of pieces of identical value
tavli	The Greek name for games played on a backgammon board
division	One of the sections in a tournament into which players are divided according to their ability and experience
opening roll	The first roll of the game.
decline a double	To refuse or reject an offer of the doubling cube, losing the prior value of the cube.
dance	Dance is backgammon lingo for rolling numbers that do not bring the player in from the bar.
cja	See Chess Journalists of America
hypermodern	A style of play which claims that indirect or long distance control of the center is more effective than direct occupation
languageless code	A symbolic method of annotating a chess game first developed by the publisher Chess Informant, which allows players to share annotations despite language barriers. Also referred to as "international code." See our Symbols/Notation page for details.
en prise	A French phrase commonly used by English-speaking players that means in prison
kleinman doubling formula	This is rule for cube handling applied to pure race situations
early game	The first few moves of a game, before the players have settled on a particular game plan.
key point	This point is needed to close a prime in front of an opposing player’s runners
demonstration board	A large standing chess board used to analyse a game or show a game in progress
clear a point	To clear a point is a backgammon reference meaning to move all of the checkers off of that point.
structural play	A play which makes a strong point.
median score	A tie-breaking system applicable to Swiss tournaments
crew	This term is used in the chouette version of the game for members of the team led by the captain and competing with the lone player known as the box.
main division	The main group of players in a competition
drawing weapon	An opening line played with the intent of drawing the game
td	At Site Entry Fees
td	Any feature of the course that may impede any aspect of play.
beginning backgammon	USA
ace	A hole-in-one.
time	The average number of dice throws or points that may be played without needing to make a significant surrender, for example abandoning a blot.
low post	This is the area on either side of the basket at the base of the foul lane.
die	A die is only one of the dice.
duplicate tournament	See: Duplicate Backgammon.
dice manipulation	Dice manipulation is any unfair means used to influence the outcome of the roll of the dice.
stop pot	A progressive jackpot that allows players to enter at any level and cash out when they want
king knight	The knight that was on the kingside at the start of the game
go to guy	A player you can count on to make a basket when you need a basket to tie or win the game
lipped cup	A dice cup that has a ridge around the inside open end, designed to trip up the dice as they exit the cup and make it more difficult for a dice mechanic to control the roll.
base ball	The term "old fashioned base ball" appears to have been used in the decades after the 1850s to describe whatever game was played locally before the New York game arrived
risk	A double-edged sword
referee	One of the officials who will be refereeing the game
count	Count is a reference in backgammon to the pip count.
french backgammon	In this version the players begin with all their checkers off the board, and doubles are played with both dice sides.
space	The squares controlled by a player
correspondence chess	This is chess played at a long time control by various forms of long-distance correspondence, usually through a correspondence chess server, through email or by the postal system
automatics	Automatic doubles.
falling putt	Failure to demonstrate full balance behind the mini marker while putting
bar	the dividing line down the middle of a backgammon set where checkers that have been hit sit until they re-enter the game.
money play	Individual backgammon games where a wager is placed on the outcome
amateur	A person who does not earn a living through chess
combination shot	An opportunity to hit an opposing blot that requires using the numbers on both dice taken together; an indirect shot
boxes	Short for Boxcars.
theory	Term to refer the general body of accepted Chess knowledge.
cluster count	Cluster counting is a method developed by Jack Kissane, backgammon expert from New York where a player can easily determine the pip count at any given time in a backgammon game.
en passant	("in the act of passing"; derived from French) The rule that allows a pawn that has just advanced two squares to be captured by a pawn on the same rank and adjacent file
speculative	A risky or unclear move or plan.
chessbase	An advanced chess database program that enables one to store and search games, etc.
blot-hitting contest	An exchange of loose hits in which both players try to gain a key point.
inactive	See passive.
crba	Costa Rican Backgammon Association.
adjudication	In cases where a game is unable to be completed, adjudication is the process by which an impartial strong player determines the game's probable outcome. As with adjournments, since the advent of sudden death time controls, the need for adjudications has largely been eliminated.
ply	A half-move, or the move of one player. When both players move, that is two ply, or one full move.
greek backgammon	Also known as Tavli.
joint standard deviation	The standard deviation of the difference between two rollouts: JSD = sqrt(SD1SD1 + SD2SD2)
duplicate dice	In a rollout, the use of the same sequence of random rolls with different candidate positions
settlement	Agreement to finish a game early
extras	In the chouette version this non-obligatory rule states that if only a single player in the team accepts the box's first double offer, then that player must also accept an extra 2-cube from whichever team member wants to pay him a point
focal point	A weak square near the enemy king
rail	Another term for the bar.
sealed move	Lengthy over the board games can be adjourned
indian defence	A chess opening that begins 1.d4 Nf6
handicap	TODO.
combination	A sequence of forced moves leading to advantage.
mechanical move	A move made with little thought because it seems to be obvious.
automaton	A self-operating chess-playing machine
stakes	Typically you only take a double if you believe you have at least a 25% chance of winning the game.
standard deviation	A gauge of a dice throw’s random error
in the air	On the bar.
kamikaze play	Breaking points in your home board in hopes of getting the checkers recirculated, a back game strategy.
janowski's formulas	A collection of formulas devised by Rick Janowski for estimating cubeful equity from cubeless equity
opening move	Players usually limit these to one per game
play safe	To avoid leaving blots which might be hit. See: Safe Play.
world champion	In the 19th century, "Amateur" was sometimes used in published game scores to conceal the name of the losing player in a Master vs
drop	Verb: "To drop" a team means that a judge did not give them the win in a round "I/we dropped them" means that you won and the other team lost "I/we dropped" means that you lost the round
tournament	A competition involving more than two players or teams, generally played at a single venue (or series of venues) in a relatively short period of time
chouette	A multi-player backgammon version that is suitable for three or more players
deuce-point	Traditional name for the two-point.
cube proxy	Used for a player in a chouette version of the game who handles the cube for another player who is absent from the game for a short while.
opening game	The first phase of a backgammon game where the players have yet to establish their initial game plans
critical position/move	A possible "turning point," where the next move may end up determining the game's ultimate outcome.
en passant	A French phrase commonly used by English-speaking players that means in passing
emg equity	Equivalent-to-money-game equity.
quadrant	Quarter of the game board consisting of six triangles (points)
crawford game	Used in match play: when the score reaches a point where one player is only one point away from winning the match, the following game is played without the use of the doubling cube
recube	Another term for redouble.
td	Areas outside of the fairway and green on a disc golf hole
bye	A tournament round in which a player does not have a game, usually because there are an odd number of players
prophylaxis	(adjectival form: prophylactic)
liquidation	See simplification.
goal line	a line marking each end of the playing field or pitch; where the goals stand
jackpot	This is an elimination event that usually takes a high participation fee and only the winner and runner-up get financial prizes.
prime-vs-prime	A situation where both players X and Y have long primes trapping the other player’s checkers t behind them
kga	The King's Gambit Accepted chess opening.
clear from the rear	Clear from the rear is a backgammon phrase meaning to bear off the checkers on the highest points first in order to avoid creating gaps that hinder the bearing off process.
adjudication	The process of a strong chess player deciding on the outcome of an unfinished game
double shot	The possibility of hitting two of your opponent's checkers on your next roll.
understable	A disc which, when released flat, has a tendency to anhyzer (to the right for right-handed players, backhand throw).
keizer system	A pairing system where a player plays an opponent who is close in the ranking
clock move	A timed game is played clock move if a move is completed only when the clock has been pressed
roll a prime	To make a new point at the leading edge of a prime using checkers from the rear of the prime
flank opening	This a chess opening played by White and typified by play on one or both flanks.
deep anchor	As in player X has an anchor on player Y’s first or second point.
dislodging manoeuvre	A move to upset a defensive formation.
semifinals	The second-last round of an elimination tournament; the one that determines the two players who advance to the finals.
cube decision	If Player A believes a cube is a take and Player B believes it is a drop, they can play the proposition out many times for money and typically the player most correct will be the one that wins more money.
scope	The number of squares to which a piece can move
cube play	Any cube decisions such as to double, accept or reject.
castling short	Castling kingside; in chess notation: 0-0.
gm	abbreviation for Grandmaster.
break contact	strategy to go forward past a challenger's checkers in order to close the opportunity of any hitting or blocking.
crosstable	A chart in grid form which lists the complete results of a tournament.
mid point	The 13 point.
variation	A sequence of moves or alternative line of play, often applied to the opening
trois-point	Traditional name for the three-point.
dead number	A single number which a player cannot legally play anywhere on the board.
bar	The point between the two sides of the backgammon board where hit checkers rest.
chase	Play dangerously, especially in offering or accepting doubles, in an attempt to recover losses.
ladder	A method of ranking chess players within a club or other group. Any player may challenge someone one step above them on the ladder. If the challenger wins, he moves up the ladder and his opponent moves down.
drop	Refuse a double.
overplay	Make an unnecessarily big play.
hack	A derogatory chess term meaning a state of chess ineptitude.
centre pawns	The king's and queen's pawns.
dance	[From the action a player makes as he first reaches to enter his checker then pulls his arm back when he notices the numbers are blocked.] To throw numbers which fail to enter a checker from the bar.
clockwise	The direction your checkers move around the board when they are set up to bear off to the left
accidental error	(Dan) - an error made with the best intentions but made due to human calculation error; not a purposeful error
racing game	When you are well ahead in a
calcutta auction	An auction held just before the start of a backgammon tournament, in which players bid on players or groups of players, and the money offered is pooled together and paid out at the end of the tournament to those "owning" the winning players.
shake	To mix the dice using a dice cup prior to rolling.
bird's opening	1) f4.
side pool	A separate tournament prize fund made up of additional optional entry fees which goes to the highest finishing player(s) of those who entered the side pool
backgammon for winners	Cardoza Publishing, New York
mandatory or mando	A flight path which must be followed in order to complete a hole.
comeback shot	An opportunity to hit an opponent's blot immediately after being hit yourself; in particular, an opportunity to hit from the bar.
trial	Playing a position out to the game’s conclusion (or to till truncation)
tournament	A poker game in which players buy in for a fixed amount, receive a fixed amount of chips and play until one player has all of the chips
check	The act of attacking the opponent's king
cash a game	To offer a double which you believe will be refused so you can collect the current value of the cube; claim a game.
chess.com	The largest online chess website with almost 6,000,000 members
anti-joker	An anti-joker is backgammon slang for a very bad roll or the opposite of a joker.
current stake	The wager in the current game.
king	A species of chessman
nackgammon	A backgammon game that resembles the regular game with the exception of the starting position
advanced level	A player of considerable experience and skill who has moved beyond intermediate level.
doublets	Doublets is another term meaning doubles or a pair of the same number rolled on the dice.
fish	A person who loses a lot of money.
optional reroll rule	California rule.
zeitnot	German "time trouble".
make a point	Putting two checkers on the same point to secure it.
fifty move rule	A game can be drawn when fifty moves have been made by each player without a capture or pawn advancement.
forfeit	A game is considered forfeited (lost) by one or both players if they don't show up for a game; however, unplayed games do not affect a person's rating.
premature roll	Player X throws the dice roll while player Y has still not finished their turn and took up the dice
minor split	If a player moves one of their two runners from the other player’s one-point to their two-point or three-point.
team	A group of players in a chouette, led by a captain and playing against a lone player known as the box.
quasi-random dice	A technique used to reduce the element of luck in a rollout by ensuring the numbers rolled in the first few rolls of each trial are as evenly distributed as possible
worm burner	A shot which is released lower than intended and/or at a downward angle, resulting in a premature landing.
boxes	A dice throw of double 6's.
diagonal	A line of squares of the same colour touching corner to corner, along which a queen or bishop can move.
wiffleball	A Wiffle Ball is a hollow plastic ball with holes strategically placed in order to exaggerate sideways force, and thus enabling pitchers to produce severe curves and drops
tut-ball	Also called Tut, this game was in 1777 called "a sort of stool ball much practiced about the Easter holidays," according to the OED
boxcars	A dice throw of double 6's.
communicate	Making sure that your checkers are kept within six points of one each other as a defensive strategy.
throw off	Bear off.
double check	A special case of
client software	Computer software that connects a computer terminal with the backgammon server
deuce-point	Another name for the second point.
committed position	A committed position in the game of backgammon is a position in a game where there is only one reasonable course of action that may win the game as opposed to a non committed position in which you have game flexibility to make strategic decisions.
file	A row of eight vertical squares.
indirect shot	The chance to hit another player’s blot by taking the numbers on both dice together
zugzwang	German "forced to move"
baffle box	This box is used to produce an arbitrary dice throw with the dice thrown from side to side as they pass through the box.
hyper-backgammon	A backgammon version with both players having three checkers each.
novice division	The tournament division for the weakest players, particularly those who do not desire the stronger competition and higher entrance fees of the other divisions
take off	Bear off.
flexibility	The degree to which checkers are arranged to allow the greatest number of future rolls to play constructively or at least comfortably.
edge	See Rim.
kibitz	One who offers unsolicited advice, as in one who comments during a game or during analysis following a game
double jeopardy	The danger that you will roll a bad number both on this turn and on subsequent turns.
prime-vs-prime	A game in which both players have primes with opposing checkers trapped behind them
optional reroll rule	When this rule is applied it awards the winner of the opening dice throw the opportunity to re-throw both dice if he also sets the cube to 2
staunton chess set	The standard design of chess pieces, required for use in competition.
fide	The acronym for Federation Internationale des checs, the international Chess Federation which organizes the titles, awards and the international rating system.
stripped	A position barren of spare checkers or builders and thus prone to awkward numbers.
suicide play	To purposely leave a blot to be hit so it can be recirculated
snowie	The second commercial neural-net backgammon program (1998) after Jellyfish
intermediate division	A division of a tournament designed for players too strong for the novice division and who do not wish to compete in the open division.
beaver	Redoubling straight after having accepted a double without giving up possession of the doubling.
main division	Main flight.
rag	A small card, or insignificant card
opening system	An opening, such as the Colle System or Hippopotamus Defence, that is defined by one player's moves, which can be played regardless of the moves of the opponent.
shift points	To give up one point in order to make an adjacent point.
td colspan=3	____________________________________________
end game	This describes the state of a game where one of the contestants starts to bear off.
cubeful equity	In money play with the doubling cube, the absolute value of a position to one of the players compared to the initial stake being played for. See: Equity
fibs	FIBS is short for First Internet Backgammon Server which is a forum on the internet where one can play backgammon with other backgammon players from all over the world.
decline a double	Refuse a double.
zwischenzug	German "in-between move"
double attack	The launch of two threats simultaneously
shift gears	Alter the game strategy
dropper	A dropper is an online backgammon player that intentionally closes a backgammon game before the results have been recorded in order to avoid a reduction in their rating.
fairy chess	Chess compositions that in one or more ways do not conform to official chess rules (e.g., see Helpmate).
cinque-point	Traditional name for the five-point.
wireball	In this game opponents position themselves on the opposite sides of as wire strung over the street
novice level	A beginning player.
variance	Level of random error in a rollout.
epaulet mate	Checkmate where the losing King is on the edge of the board with one of his own Chessmen on both sides of the King on the edge.
half-time	involving half the standard or customary time for an activity
takhteh	A Persian version of backgammon.
pize ball	a game defined in the OED as "a game similar to Rounders in which a ball is hit with the flat of the hand." The game is mainly associated with the English North Country, and is said to feature three or four ‘hobs,' or stopping-places
duplicate tournament	Duplicate tournament is the same as duplicate backgammon which a tournament in which players play their games using the same dice rolls and compare the outcomes.
california rule	When this rule is applied it awards the winner of the opening dice throw the opportunity to re-throw both dice if he also sets the cube to 2
score	A record of the moves of a particular game, usually expressed in algebraic notation.
liby's rule	A rule of thumb that says: in a well-timed ace-point game, the defending player has about a 17% chance of winning the game
dice	The plural of die.
big error	When you do absolutely nothing constructive when you had better options, it is a nullo play
fritz	A popular and very strong chess engine.
simple direct shot	A blot within range of being hit with a single number but for which there are no ways to hit using a combination of numbers on both dice.
move	A turn by each player, but also used to refer to a ply.
screen	This is a play, usually used by an offensive player, to keep another player from reaching a certain point
master	A player becomes a master when he reaches an Elo rating of 2200, though he will lose this title if his rating drops below that point.
world champion	A winner of the World Chess Championship.
transposition	Reaching an identical position from a different sequence of moves.
td	The in-bounds path or field over which a player throws while advancing from the teeing area to the hole.
enter	To come down from the Bar.
fibs rating formula	The FIBS Rating Formula is the backgammon player ratings system used to rank backgammon players by skill level on the First Internet Backgammon Server.
solid	An adjective used to describe a move, opening, or manner of play that is characterized by minimal risk-taking and emphasis on quiet positional play rather than wild tactics.
time-control	A term used to describe a time limit for a chess player to complete some number of moves
distraction	Similar to decoy
efficient double	A double offered at a point where it can have the greatest effect since the other player has good reason to agree of refuse the offer.
variant	Any other game that the backgammon board hosts
give and go	When one player passes to another player and that player is able to take the ball directly to the basket.
bughouse chess	A popular chess variant played with teams of two or more.
recording a game	The process of writing down all the moves of a game, generally done at or near the time each move is played.
save backgammon	If player X manages to remove their checkers from player Y’s home board, before player Y can bear off their own checkers, and thus a defeat is avoided.
liquidation	1
current stake	The current stake in a backgammon game is the initial stake or starting stake multiplied by the doubling cube value.
freedom	An important goal for one's pieces. A free piece has a lot of possible moves and is not required to perform defensive duties.
calculate	To precisely work out a series of moves considering potential replies
disjointed position	A position that is poorly connected, in which a player's army is divided into two or more groups with large gaps between them.
automatics	This rule may be applied where wagers are made on the outcome of the game
stake	How much you are playing for.
tempo	An extra move, an initiative at development
forced move	A move that is the only one which does not result in a serious disadvantage for the moving player
initiative	Term describing the type of advantage held by a player who is leading the pace and direction of a game (e.g., via a series of threats or forcing moves), placing the opponent on the defense. Such a player is said to have "the initiative."
transposition	Arriving at a position using a different sequence of moves.
unorthodox opening	See irregular opening.
block	Points built with the express desire to halt the opposition.
time delay	A feature of digital chess clocks which gives each player a specified number of seconds at the start of each turn before that player's clock begins running
race	A pure race or comparing each player’s pip counts to see who has the lowest count, and hence the lead.
consolidate	To reduce the number of blots a player has, frequently as a precursor to offering a double.
consolidate	Consolidate is a backgammon reference used to mean the act of reducing the number of blots they have.
strip a point	Leave just two checkers on a point.
td	The player who has made, or is about to make, a throw that is the aspect of play being considered by a particular rule.
forced play	A roll of the dice for which there is only one legal play.
ducks	Double ducks.
game winning chances	The chance of victory in the current game if it proceeds to the end with no doubling cube.
doubling on the come	Offering a double in anticipation of a good roll.
cramped	The quality of a chess
wgm	Abbreviation for the Woman Grandmaster title.
rabbit	A humorous (slightly insulting) term for a non-master.
td	A brand name disc golfing target, or basket
asset	An asset for a backgammon player is a reference to the good side of their position
time limit	usually 3 or 5 minutes per player for the entire game
gambit	Italian "a trip up"
grandmaster	The highest title a chess player can attain (besides World Champion)
match equity table	A chart showing the probability of winning a match from various scores. Example: The Woolsey-Heinrich match equity table
midpoint	When there are juxtaposed bars it is a good example of a
putter	A disc designed for close-range, stable flight.
gammon vigorish	The additional equity resulting from the possibility of winning a gammon.
bughouse chess	A chess variant played with teams of two or more.
hit and split	To hit a blot with one number while splitting your runners with the other number
candidate	A player who competes in the eliminating contest for the privilege to challenge the World Chess Champion.
epd	Extended
prat	Stands for using "Position, Race, And Threats," as a basis for cube decisions
accept a double	Consent to competitor’s offer to double the previous stakes.
td	A disc when thrown right handed backhand will curve from the right to the left
head-to-head	One player against another player for money.
chess clock	At chess tournaments, a skittles room is where one goes to play for fun while waiting for the next formal game.
td	Throwing a disc with the front end (nose) tilted slightly downward, used for throwing into the wind and for straight shots.
solid prime	Five or six points made in a row with no gaps in between.
ppg	Points per Game.
equity	If you double before the window it is too early and an easy take and if you double after the window it is too late and is a drop
boys	Boys or the boys is another reference to a roll of double sixes.
captain	The captain is the leader of the team in a chouette who rolls the dice and makes the final decisions for the rest of the team.
dead ball foul	A foul that occurs when play is stopped and the ball is not in play.
chase	A high-risk attempt to regain lost stakes, for example, by proposing or accepting doubles.
time control	The amount of time in which each player must play a specified number of moves. In international competitions, the typical time control is 40 moves in 2 hours for each player.
im	Abbreviation for the International Master title.
block	backgammon games glossary reference to point held by 2+ checkers with the intent of blocking a challenger's movement.
blitz	This term has two meanings
book	1
illegal assist in scoring	A player can't grab the basketball hoop / ring or the backboard to help himself score, and he can't help a teammate gain height in order to score.
development	The process of moving pieces from their original squares to
gnu backgammon	A computerized version of backgammon that includes game-analysis
point	During the
primed	Trapped behind a prime.
normal game	A finished game that is not a gammon or a backgammon or alternatively a game where the loser has borne off at least one checker
turn the cube	To offer a double.
im	See International Master.
cluster count	Certain point counting methods used by Jack Kissan.
td colspan=3	Printing Flyers & Postage (Use school services if possible)
board	The name given to the backgammon playing surface.
hat ball	A form of Roly Poly (or Roley Poley or Roll Ball) that substitutes hats for holes in the ground
division	Divisions are the sections that a backgammon tournament is divided into categorized by skill level.
coffeehouse	One player attempts to confuse another player with false information, for example, advising the opposing player to take a certain move that may not be in that player’s best interest.
rail	Bar.
cross-benches	Speaking on "cross benches" is when you give a speech from the floor and don't think that either team deserved to win more than the other, and speak for both
bump and pass	Pick and pass.
asset	An element that serves to reinforce one player’s position, for example, two checkers placed together as a block
catalan	The opening 1) d4, Nf6 2) c4, e6 3) g3.
td colspan=3	simultaneous (play a master)
hit and pass	Pick and pass.
blockading square	The square directly in front of an isolated or backward pawn
novice	A first-year debater
simultaneous chess	A form of chess in which one (usually expert) player plays against several (usually novice) players simultaneously
block	To block is to prevent your opponent from using his checkers to play the roll
closed point	A point is closed if at least two checkers are put on it, for example, a block or anchor.
backgammon board	The backgammon board that the game of backgammon is played on
hyper-backgammon	A backgammon variant where each player has just three checkers. See: How to Play Hyper-Backgammon.
splot	[Coined by Chuck Bower.] A play that splits (at the back) and slots (at the front) at the same time
out	Even if you currently do not have the best hand, there may be ways for you to get the best hand at the table
edge	The "outside" squares of the Chess board.
cube ownership	Cube ownership in backgammon refers to the player who last accepted an offer to double the stakes of the game
cup	The container in which the dice is shaken.
initial double	A player offers a double while the cube is still in the middle, in contrast with a redouble where the doubling player takes ownership of the cube.
international grandmaster	The original name of the FIDE title now simply called Grandmaster (GM).
joker	A really good dice throw, in particular one that changes the anticipated results of a game
on roll	A player whose turn has come up
straight race	A pure race.
illegal play	A play that does not match the dice throws according to the backgammon rules
deep anchor	A point you own on your opponent's 1 or 2 point.
confidence interval	A range of values that contain, with a certain probability, a rollout's convergence value
fibs rating formula	The player positioning-scheme (rating) used on FIBS.
cubeless rollout	A cubeless rollout is a simulated set of trial rolls thru whole games performed by a computer simulating backgammon games with no doubling cube use.
dyscommunication	Dyscommunication is a term describing the down side or negative impact on a players flexibility that having checkers exactly six points apart has on a game.
quadrant	25% of the backgammon board playing area
barabino	Barabino is backgammon slang for rolling a five and four from the bar and using it to make a point on your opponents five point
acey-deucey	Term used to describe throwing 1 and 2 with two dice
dice	Dice is the plural of die
tourne-case	In 1600’s France this game was well known
td	A throw added to a player's score for violating a rule, or for relocation of a lie, as called for by a rule.
blue game	This is a conspiracy of several players in a chouette to share their profits
asset	term for an item that increases the value of a position..
pure play	A play strategy that aims to make a prime
volatility	A measure of how much a position's equity is likely to change in the next roll or two
simulation	Another term for Rollout.
no limit hold ‘em	A version of Hold ‘Em in which any player can bet his entire stack at any time
square	See space.
double in	To offer a double which should be properly accepted
whisper	A comment about a chess game not intended for the players
equivalent-to-money-game equity	Cubeful equity normalized by transforming it linearly so that winning a single game at the current value of the cube is reported as +1 and losing a single game at the current value of the cube is reported as −1
royal pieces	Refers to the kings and queens
hold	To successfully defend.
positional play	Antipositional is used to describe moves that are part of an incorrect plan rather than a mistake made when trying to follow a correct plan
back game	A strategy used when a player who is well behind tries to build as many anchors as possible.
drop	To pass or reject an offer of the doubling cube.
take	Accept a double.
trictrac	The French name for backgammon and also a version of the game popular in France over 200 years ago. Players get points for making moves and checker arrangements.
sixth man	The player that will be first to substitute for a starting player.
innovation	A novel move or idea in an established line of play.
tactics	Different types of moves or situations that arise where you can gain material or positional advantage at the expense of your opponent.
norm	A performance at a chess tournament that indicates a player is ready to receive a title, or the level of performance needed
nullo play	A play that has no chance of producing any gains in a future series of future dice throws.
fritz	A popular and very strong chess engine.
return shot	A chance to hit back after being hit yourself.
own a point	When you have two or more checkers on a point, you are said to "own" the point.
last call for breakfast	A player's last opportunity to make a throw which will give him a chance of winning the game or saving a gammon
bco	An abbreviation sometimes used for the 1982 openings reference Batsford Chess Openings, by Raymond Keene and Garry Kasparov
cash a game	To cash a game means to offer a double when you believe it will be refused forfeiting the game and winning you the stakes on the game.
chouette	A backgammon variant in which a group of three or more players all play together on a single backgammon board
correspondence games	Games played by e-mail.
ahead	Ahead (ahead in the count or race) refers to having a lower pip count than your opponent.
winning chances	The probability in any complex and roughly
claim a game	To offer a double which you believe will be refused so that you can collect the current value of the cube; cash a game.
drawing lots	A random drawing held before a major round robin tournament to determine color assignments and playing order.
long castle	Expression sometimes used to describe castling queen-side.
b	Symbol used for the bishop when recording chess moves in English.
weak square	See "Hole".
rating	See Elo Rating.
doubling on the come	To double when you are expecting to get a very good roll.
hit and run	Pick and pass.
brillancy	A game containing original, innovative, sometimes surprising moves.
combination	The two numbers of a dice roll.
td	A lie established by the player's group in order to resume play following a rain or hazardous conditions delay, a lost disc, a lost mini marker disc, or to correct a misplay from out-of-bound.
backgammon server	An Internet server that hosts computerized backgammon games via the Web
internet chess server	This is an external server that provides the facility to play, discuss, and view chess over the internet, also abbreviated ICS.
speculative	An unclear or risky move or plan.
adjournment	The postponement of play in an unfinished game.
backhand throw	Results in the player's throwing arm moving across the opposite side of the body before release
roll	To throw a set of dice or a couple of thrown dice, each being numbered from 1 to 6.
book a checker	To book a checker is the same as covering a blot which is to add a checker to a blot, thus making that particular point.
counterplay	Active operations that attempt to balance the opponent's aggression.
division	In a backgammon tournament players may be assigned according to their experience or talents into a particular division.
steam	[What happens when a player reaches the "boiling point."] To play wildly, out of annoyance or impatience at one's bad luck
td	A manufacturer of discs, and the sound that is made when a disc slams into the chains
long diagonal	One of the two diagonals with eight squares (a1–h8 or h1–a8).
zwischenzug	[from German] An "in-between" move played before the expected reply
development	Moves that activate chessmen.
critical position	A point where the evaluation of the position will obviously favour one side, or where it will equalize
takeback	Used in casual games when both players agree to undo one or more moves.
table	Sometimes refers to the entire backgammon board, or to one of its four divisions.
hole	A square that is undefendable by pawns
internet chess server	Any computer that enables live chess play between remote (usually) players, and is connected to the Internet
cpw	Cubeless probability of winning.
quad	A round-robin style tournament between four players, where each participant plays every other participant once.
play site	Backgammon server.
variance reduction	A method to cut down random error in a rollout, for instance duplicate dice
bar	If you have very little chance of winning a game by going forward it is correct and attempt to win from a backgame.
dropper	A player in a computerized backgammon games avoids lowering their rating by abandoning a match they stand to lose before the result is recorded.
bankroll	This is the sum that you are willing to wager on a backgammon game, or the amount you are prepared to lose.
championship division	The main division in a competition that is open to any player can enter.
boys	A dice throw of double 6's.
sans voir	(from the French) See Blindfold chess.
consolation flight	A event for players eliminated early in the main flight of an elimination tournament; sometimes called a sympathy flight.
semifinalist	One of the four players competing in the semifinals of an elimination tournament.
novice nook	My multi-award-winning column at Chess Cafe on how to improve at chess
shift gears	Change game plan.
wise adult syndrome	(Dan ) A fast move made with plenty of time on the clock even though the move may be critical and careful analysis was required
owning the cube	PRAT : A guide to help make doubling decisions
consolation division	Consolation flight.
cinque point	Cinque point is the traditional backgammon term referring to the five point.
rating	A number that measures a player's relative strength
kotov syndrome	This phenomenon, first described by Alexander Kotov, can occur when a player does not find a good plan after thinking long and hard on a position
combination shot	A shot requiring both numbers of your roll to hit an opponent's checker.
anti joker	A roll consisting of very bad luck.
td	A type of throw in which you throw the disc overhand - more like a baseball by gripping the edge of the disc with your index finger inside the rim and releasing it vertically, throwing high and hard
birdie	Completing a hole at one under par.
binache	Beaver.
gammon	Even though you may have a 25% chance of winning a game, it may be correct to drop a double when you will be gammoned on 50% of the games that you lose.
free drop	In match play, after the Crawford game has been played and the trailing player has an even number of points to go, the option of the leading player to refuse a double without reducing the number of games his opponent will need to win
mental shift	A technique used in pip counting in which you imagine that some checkers have been moved to a higher or lower point where they can be counted more easily
big play	tactic to take the big move rather than the safe move.
overhand	A throwing technique similar to a baseball pitch
classical	1
international master	The next highest title below Grandmaster
proxy	See Cube Proxy.
td-gammon	An early, computerized backgammon version.
truncated rollout	A rollout which is not played to the end of the game
unblocked lines	A line segment containing no chessmen.
rating	A number associated with each player based on that player's record of performance against other rated players
chess journalists of america	"An American organization of chess journalists created to promote high quality chess journalism, to provide assistance to the working journalist through articles and contacts and to recognize chess journalism at its best through an annual awards program."
hit	Verb: "to hit" another team means to debate against them in a round
blot hitting contest	A blot hitting contest is a reference to an exchange of hits by each player in an attempt to secure a key point.
svenska backgammonf顤bundet	Swedish Backgammon Federation
icca	See International Computer Chess Association.
california rule	An optional rule that says the winner of the opening roll has the option of rerolling both dice if he also turns the cube to 2
algebraic notation	The standard way to record a chess game using alphanumeric coordinates for the squares.
action chess	See Quick chess.
recube vigorish	The value of cube ownership to the player being offered a double; the additional equity that comes from being the only player who may redouble.
wba	World Backgammon Association. Website: WBA.
gammon vigorish	Extra equity generated by the possibility of victory at a gammon.
contact	When it is still possible to hit.
tournament director	Chess being a zero-sum game, this results in a win for the other player, except in the very rare circumstance where the tournament director forfeits both players, for example for cheating or both players exceeding the time control (the latter does not normally result in a double forfeit today).
dead checker	A dead checker is a players checker that is buried deeply in their home board where it is of no use in the action of the game.
doubling block	Another name for the
gap	The gap or gaps found between made points.
big error	When you do absolutely nothing constructive when you had better options, it is a nullo play.
vig	Short for Vigorish.
cube handling	The art or skill of making cube decisions.
doubles	A roll showing the same number on both dice – when you roll doubles you play the number four times.
stakes play	Play for money.
zwischenzug	(from the German) An "in-between" move played before the expected reply.
doubling window	The equity range where both a double and a take is correct
fibs rating	A number associated with each player based on that player's record of performance against other rated players
diversification	Diversification in backgammon refers to spreading out your checkers to increase the odds of having good moves out of the next roll.
safari golf	When players make up different holes on an existing course
cube decision	A cube decision is one of the following choices a player in a game of backgammon must make regarding the doubling cube
safe	Free from danger of being hit.
kriegspiel	A popular chess variant in which players do not know the moves of the other and determine their moves based on limited information from a monitoring umpire.
simple direct shot	A blot that can be hit by a single dice number but not by the numbers from two dice throws.
long backgammon	LongGammon.
exchange	TODO
nn or n.n.	Used in a game score in place of a player whose name is not known
wbf	Worldwide Backgammon Federation.
time control	Used to limit the length of a game
double match point	This can describe a game where each player lacks a single point to attain victory, or where the doubling cube has reached a high enough point that whichever player wins, becomes the victor in the game.
hang time	This is the amount of time a player can jump and stay in the air when shooting the ball.
stack	At least 4 checkers piled on a point
field goal	If a player is able to hit two checkers that are two spaces apart and they throw a number that lands between these checkers.
quacks	Also called Double ducks.
move	When you pick up your dice, you have completed your move.
k	Symbol used for the king when recording chess moves in English.
analysis	Study of a position to determine best play for both sides.
confetti	What you sometimes get paid in if you are not careful with whom you play.
hold	To hang on, to allow a successful defense.
seed	See: Random Seed.
pip	Refers to the spots on the dice and the distance between points on the backgammon board.
live-cube rollout	Cubeful rollout.
fm	See FIDE master.
backgammon	X-22 Publishing, Canada
gs	Gammon Save
appeal	To ask a member of the school running the tournament to listen to your reason for questioning the validity of a judge's pending decision, i.e
pawn storm	Advancing one or more pawns towards the enemy king with the intent of ripping up his pawn cover
ratings pool	The people who participate in a ratings system.
forced mate	A forcing sequence leading up to checkmate.
winning position	Any chess game
accelerated pairing system	A Swiss System pairing method starting with four groups instead of the usual two; it is designed to produce a clear winner in as few rounds as possible.
swing	Can indicate the parity in score between winning and losing a game, or the parity in a player’s equity before a dice throw and after it, or the variance between a fortunate and a less fortunate dice throw.
poof	A backgammon variant in which you always play the lower number of a roll first. See: How to Play Poof.
cube handling	In backgammon, cube handling is a term describing the art or skill of making appropriate cube decisions.
overplay	More aggressive play that the situation requires.
legal play	A play that conforms to the roll of the dice as defined by the rules of backgammon.
asset	A feature that contributes to the strength of a position, such as made points and flexibility. Compare: Liability.
tournaments	a skittles room is where one goes to play for fun while waiting for the next formal game.
three repeats rule	A game can be drawn when the same board layout occurs three times during a game.
turn the cube	Offer a double.
stake	The wager made by players in a backgammon game
steamer	One who steams.
constructive	Noun: "constructive" points are independent points developed by teams in order to prove their side of a case
rybka	The best PC-based chess playing program in 2006-10.
pump fake	A player fakes a shot to try to get the opposing player to jump and perhaps get the player to foul him or have him jump out of position so the shooter can have a clear shot at the basket.
queening	See "Promotion".
general principles	Basic rules of play designed to serve as guidelines for less advanced players
enclopedia of chess openings	Five volume collection of opening analysis edited by Matanovic.
goal ball	Another name for early base ball, perhaps confined to certain areas. Usage of the name is known in New England. As of June 2012, the Protoball Chronology lists 10 references to the game of Goal Ball or Goal, or games in which bases are term "goals." All refer to play in the six New England states, and all but two are found before 1850.
air ball	Air ball is a backgammon reference to a poor roll of the dice.
kid	The King's Indian Defence chess opening.
hustler	A player convinces another player to join in game even though they are disadvantaged.
pick up	Verb: "To pick up a team" means that the judge awards that team the win "I/we picked up" means that you won the round (Alternately, "to pick up" at a tournament can also mean getting jiggy with a member of the opposite/same sex - be careful to note the context!)
cube decision	If Player A believes a cube is a
cash a game	When a player doubles knowing the cube will be refused, he said to "cash" the game for its current value.
closed	A term used to describe a
the backgammon book	Rae Publishing, New Jersey
field goal	A field goal is a reference in backgammon play when a player has two direct hits within two spaces of each other and rolls an number on the dice that lands between them.
hand history	A saved copy of a hand you played on Barona Freeplay Online Poker
favorite	The player judged most likely to win a game or match. Compare: Underdog.
kibitzer	Spectator to a game
initiative	The advantage that a player who is making threats has over the player who must respond to them
er backgammon	ER stands for Error Rate
staine's rule	An optional rule where rolls of doubles are played like any other roll; that is, each number is played once, not twice. See: Irish.
advanced anchor	An advanced anchor is a made point on your opponents four or five point
prime	Several consecutive points held by a player.
partial prime	A prime consisting of less than six consecutive points (2). .
icca	See ICCF.
cash a game	When a player proposes a double in the belief that it will not be accepted
drop	Deep : Refers to the one or two point in your inner board
eco	Encyclopedia of Chess Openings.
double direct shot	Double shot.
praxis	German for practice.
break a point	To break a point is to remove the second checker in a made point thus leaving that point exposed to a hit.
modern backgammon	Term that dates from 1920's and early 1930's when new rules were introduced, including the doubling cube and the chouette game
illegal moves rule	The regular backgammon rule that lays down that if player X makes an illegal move, player Y can allow this or can ask the error to be put right
tourne-case	A game popular in seventeenth-century France in which players have just three checkers each and play only on their own side of the board. See: How to Play Tourne-case.
quatre-point	Traditional name for the four-point.
td	Where prescribed by a rule, the initial advisement a player is given for violating that rule, making him or her vulnerable to receiving a penalty throw for subsequent violations of that rule or set of rules within the same round.
weakness	A flaw in a
initial stake	The sum wagered at the commencement of a backgammon game
openings	A specific sequence of moves which have been catalogued over time
crawford rule	The first game that a player moves within one point of winning the match, the doubling cube will not be in use for the next game.
dropper	[From the server message: Player xxx drops connection.] A player on a backgammon server who avoids a reduction to his rating by intentionally leaving a match he is about to lose before the result recorded.
pancake	An overhand shot thrown with considerably less power, resulting in a 90 degree rotation from vertical
baffle box	A baffle box is a mechanism that backgammon players drop the dice thru in order to ensure that the dice roll is completely random
pv	Principal Variation – the predicted best moves for both sides (usually used in conjunction with computer analysis).
kibitz	To comment during a game, or during analysis following a game, within the hearing of the players.
jacoby rule	A rule in free play only, which states that gammons and backgammons only count as a single point if neither player has offered a double during the game.
action position	A player doubles the stakes in accordance with their estimation of blot-hitting opportunities.
compensation	An imbalanced reciprocal return
lie	The spot where a disc lands and where the next shot is taken from.
turn the crank	Offer a double.
distribution	The placement of your checkers in relation to each other and to the opposing men.
shot	An unexpected and sudden strong move that surprises your opponent.
substitution	When one player goes out of the game and another player goes in to replace the one going out.
fibs rating	The FIBS Rating is a system for ranking a backgammon playe according to their skill
touch move rule	An rule rarely used today in Western backgammon, though it is common in the Middle East
book	Refers to the overall collection of published chess theory.
elo ratings system	A method of rating players devised by Arpad Elo for the U.S
safety	the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
primed	Caught behind a prime.
gca	Georgia Chess Association.
ratings inflation	A phenomenon that results when players exit a ratings pool at a lower rating than when they entered
outfield	The outer board, particularly points nine, ten, and eleven.
line-piece	A piece whose movement is defined to be along straight lines of squares (i.e
clean play	A move completed legally.
alpha-beta pruning	A technique used by computer programmers to cut down on the number of possible moves a computer has to evaluate before choosing the best move.
announced mate	A practice, common in the nineteenth century, whereby a player would announce a sequence of moves, believed by him to constitute best play by both sides, that led to a forced checkmate for the announcing player in a specified number of moves (for example, "mate in five").
top board	In team chess, the player who is assigned to face the strongest opponents
forced	A move or series of moves that must be played if "disaster" is to be avoided
normal game	Single game.
diagonal	Any contiguous line of squares along which a bishop may move.
killing numbers	Deuce Point: The 2 point
boys	A roll of 6-6 (double 6's).
captain	This describes the head of team playing against the box in a chouette
tutor mode	A mode available in some backgammon-playing programs which allows the computer to evaluate your moves as you make them and alert you to any errors it thinks you made.
cube ownership	The player with the right to make the next double
cocked dice	The dice are said to be "cocked" when the dice do not land flat on the board
td colspan=3	Supplies
hold	A defensive term meaning to "hang on." Such and such a move would have held out longer means that the move would have offered tougher resistance, but would most likely have ultimately failed
flight	The list of competitors in an elimination tournament.
elo scale	System for ranking Chess players in order of relative strength based upon results in rated games.
mismatch	When a much shorter player guards a taller player.
edge	A small advantage, positional or tactical, in a game.
direct shot	A direct shot is the opportunity in backgammon to hit an opponents blot using only one number from the dice when they are rolled
english opening	A category of opening systems beginning with 1) c4, generally resulting in a "closed" game.
sm	Senior Master.
luck reduction	A variance reduction method that alters the trial result in line with an estimate of the luck associated with the dice throws.
forward	Forwards are players who handle the ball a lot, they play near the basket and need to be good shooters as well as good re-bounders.
bump and run	Pick and pass.
prop	Proposition.
rating points	Points assigned by a ratings system to players based on their performance against other rated players.
open	A term used to describe a
casual game	See friendly game.
overprotection	Defending a strong point more times than appears necessary
switch points	2
pros	Any people who are not first-year debaters
money management	A player that carefully handles their stakes so that their funds last the entire session and to also reducing the tension in playing for stakes.
quickplay finish	Same as "Sudden Death".
crunching position	Crunching position is a phrase used in backgammon to describe a priming game in which one side is about to collapse but has yet to do so.
epc	Effective pip count.
flag	The time forfeit indicator on the chessclock.
sandbagger	A tournament player who competes in a division below his or her skill level.
drawing chances	The probability in any complex and roughly
overworked	A synonym for overloaded.
air ball	A surprisingly poor throw of the dice.
td	A slower-speed, stable disc designed for second drives, approach shots and long putts
drop point	The drop point is a point in a backgammon game when a player is equally well off accepting a double or refusing it.
td	The process whereby a graphic is stamped to the top (dome) of a disc
agreement	A type of draw where the players agree that neither side has a realistic chance of winning, and they decide to end the game without a winner or loser.
double	To offer the doubling cube, thus doubling the stakes of the current game.
mechanic	Someone who has learned how to unfairly influence the outcome of the dice throw.
kingside	The side of the board (board-half) the kings are on at the start of the game (the e- through h-file), as opposed to the queenside.
icu	Irish Chess Union [1] publishes ICJ Irish Chess Journal
snake eyes	The roll of 1-1 on the dice (double 1's).
cube handling	The management of the doubling cube.
backgame.	This term describes tactics that can be used by a player who has fell behind in the game by a significant amount, but still has at least two anchors in the other player’s home board
single shot	One blot which can be directly hit one way. Compare: Double Shot.
leak	Verb: "to leak" is for a judge to tell a debater or team how they did in a round Noun: "getting a leak" is getting a judge to tell you how you did (often requires alcohol)
fianchetto	Italian "on the flank"
mate in two	A common chess problem where white on the move must checkmate black in two moves despite black's best reply.
middle game	The main game that is played once the players have decided on their strategy.
direct hit	A shot at a checker less than seven spaces away, which could be hit using the number on one die.
strategy	A term used to describe a general thought process used to
backgammon	The gammon rate could be calculated by doing a
bury a checker	To bury a checker means to place that checker deep within your home board on the one or two point where it has no defending power.
compensation	An equivalent advantage in one imbalance that balances the opponent's advantage in another
simplification	A strategy of exchanging pieces of equal value
chouette	[Pronounced "shoo-ETT"
bakelite	The forerunner of today’s plastic that first came into use in the 1920’s
chess base	German publisher of the most widely used chess database software, as well as several of the strongest chess-playing programs.
points per game	A playing performance scale that corresponds to the total number of points gained or lost divided by how many games were played.
block	A block is a point that is occupied by two or more checkers whose purpose is to hinder the progress of their opponent.
harkness score	Tie-breaking system applicable to Swiss tournaments
initiative	When your opponent is defending and you are attacking or putting pressure on him, it is said that you have the initiative.
fm	Abbreviation for the FIDE Master title.
comfort station	Mid-point.
deep	When used in relation to a low-numbered point this term usually refers to the first or second point.
elo rating system	The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of chess players, named after the Hungarian Arpad Elo
mate	Short for checkmate, when a King cannot avoid capture.
flank attack	Attacking on either the kingside or queenside
transition	To reach a position by transposition.
small play	A safe play when a bolder, more aggressive play is available. Compare: Big Play.
waivers	A situation where a player is dropped from a team roster; the player goes on waivers for a limited time before becoming a free agent
control the cube	Has accepted a double and thus have next use of it.
odds	The ratio of the probability of an event happening to that of its not happening, or vice versa
sealed move	The last move made before a game is adjourned.
cubeful equity	During a wager using the doubling cube, this expression describes a position’s absolute value for a player in relation to the initial amount wagered
annotation	Commentary on a Chess game which attempts to explain the game in terms of tactics, strategy, psychology and the like.
american football	a game played by two teams of 11 players on a rectangular field 100 yards long; teams try to get possession of the ball and advance it across the opponents goal line in a series of (running or passing) plays
come in	Enter.
board layout	The board layout is a reference to the way in which the checkers are arranged at the start of the game
announced check	The optional practice of announcing "check" after making a move placing the opponent's king in check. Beginners may feel this is considerate, while more advanced players may think it is unnecessary and/or annoying to point out check. However, since the king cannot be captured in standard chess, if your opponent doesn't notice that he/she is in check and starts to make an illegal move, you need to point out the check to him/her (this is one of the rare situations in tournament chess when a player is allowed to "take back" a move).
cube action	The range of cube choices available from a certain position, including the decision whether or not to double (for the player with the right to throw the dice), and the decision of the opposing player to accept the double.
forehand throw	Results in the player's throwing arm moving across the same side of the body before release
equity	One's value in the current game, mathematically equivalent to the expected value.
td	A person who is authorized to make judgments regarding the proper application of the rules during play.
igm	An abbreviation for the older term International Grandmaster
fianchetto	A chess
mexican backgammon	A type of backgammon resembling Acey-Deucey where a throw of 1 and 2, (a Mexican), gains an extra turn.
irregular opening	Irregular openings are chess openings with an unusual first move from White
precision dice	Dice that have been specially prepared so give improved shape and balance to other dice, and their pips are flat rather than dimpled.
equal	A common intermediate result in a game of chess that either side may
pick up	Hit a blot.
control of the cube	When you are doubled and have accepted, you own or control the cube — only you can double next.
ducks	A throw of 2-2 on the dice.
loosing on time	A player loses on time if he has not completed the required number of moves in the allotted time.
tournament	Pairing is made more difficult in chess because of the need to try to give each player an equal number of games playing White and Black and to try to not assign a player the same color in too many consecutive games
j'adoube	A French word commonly used by English-speaking players that means ‘I adjust'
effective pip count	The average number of dice throws needed to remove all of a player’s checkers that is then multiplied by the average point value of a dice throw (49/6 points)
turn	The sequence of actions that each player takes in alternation
roll-over	A type of backgammon where players can reroll their own dice or asking for a reroll of the other player’s dice just once per game.
pip	One of the markings on the face of a die, corresponding to a movement of one point.
ply	One play in a Chess game.
jacquet	A game once popular in France in which players start at diagonally opposite corners and move around the board in the same direction. See: How to Play Jacquet.
gammon cube	Jacoby rule.
builders	Strong Play: See Big Play
td-gammon	The first strong neural-net backgammon program (1991), written by Gerald Tesauro
california rule	The California rule is an optional rule that allows the winner of the first roll to re-roll the dice if they turn the doubling cube to two
compensation	These typically require deep positional understanding and are often overlooked by computers
tavla	A Turkish version of backgammon.
first-move advantage	The slight (by most accounts) advantage that White has by virtue of moving first.
perfecta	The ideal dice throw, also known as a joker.
rake	Charge from a backgammon gaming site for hosting games played for wagers
voluntary double	A standard double, with one player offering to double the stakes in contrast to the automatic double where the same numbers are thrown at the game’s start.
pre-crawford	The stage before the Crawford game.
modern chess openings	An influential encyclopedia of Chess openings first published during the 1930s and regularly updated.
eject	Eject means to leave a backgammon game before it is over in order to avoid losing a gammon or a backgammon.
action position	An action position is a backgammon reference to a position in a backgammon game in which a player offers a double, primarily because of the immediate potential for hitting blots.
resigns	To give up the game and concede defeat before getting checkmated
rank	A row of eight squares
safe	A square which is not guarded by the enemy.
side prime	Similar to prime
shift points	Sacrificing one point to make a neighboring point.
beavers	Beavers is a variant of backgammon sometimes used in money play whereby a player who is offered a double may immediately redouble without giving up possession of the doubling cube.
seed	An integer that alone sets the cycle of dice rolls generated by a random number generator.
safe-bold criteria	Another name for Magriel's Safe-Bold Criteria.
cube	Cube is a reference to the doubling cube in backgammon.
calculate	To precisely work out a series of moves considering potential replies.
tablebase	A computer database of
extras	See: Mandatory Extras.
starting position	The arrangement of checkers at the start of a game
lift	To move a checker that is alone on a point to the safety of an already made point.
neural network	Software architecture deployed in leading backgammon programs such as Jellyfish, Snowie, and GNU Backgammon
crawford rule	The Crawford game occurs when a player reaches 1 point from winning a match
contain a checker	To prevent an opposing checker from escaping by blocking or hitting it.
pull-up	Verb: "to pull up" a team means to take them and move them up into the next bracket in order to have an even number of teams debating Noun: a "pull-up" is the team that gets moved up into the next bracket
gap	The space or spaces between made points.
on roll	The player whose turn it is
underdog	The player it seems is going to lose the match.
cpw	Cubeless probability of winning, means, as the name implies, the chance of winning without double cubing.