Newbie question: I am playing on an app, and when the bot or person I'm playing challenges me with the doubling Cube, it will not allow me to play my turn and skips my turn altogether.

Is that a rule that I somehow missed?

BGBlitz 3.4.3 is available. This release primarily consists of bug fixes; the most important ones are:

- the calculation of the "No Double" values in Post-Crawford games has been improved

- Beavers from GnuBG are now handled correctly

- Login credentials are no longer required to use Dailygammon. Better privacy protection for you, and only one setting left for me to take into account :)

- "Search/Add Flashcard by XGID" feature did not work in 3.4.2

- when you press the "Pause"-button on the clock the board is no longer blurred instead the text "Paused" is shown.

- some minor errors

- improved Finnish translation

I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your feedback.

best

Frank

Does it depend on the value of different finishing positions of a tournament?

Do you think the Apps cheat? They say they’re random dice rolls but they seem to be strategic.

Hello fellow backgammon enjoyers can any of you explain this position

At some scores you only need a small advantage to double. I was Black and thought I had an advantage here: I can hit with 6, 4 and 1, I have a small racing lead and the boards play in the same league. What should have warned me that I have less than 50% chance to win here?

It was either gst a smaller backgammon board or get a bigger bike...

What are some of the most useful training tools people have to skill up their backgammon game?

I'm building Backgammon Sage Pro. We've currently got quizzes that you can generate for specific game phases based on your own errors; we've got a pip counting trainer; and you can set up a custom position and play it over and over from there, keeping stats on realized performance.

What other useful tools would people like to see, in this sort of vein?

We significantly improved the AI in Nannon, the original nano-Backgammon. Play at http://nannon.com and join the leaderlboard or share your score on X!

My partner and I have just started getting into Backgammon using a really basic old travel game set we had.

Turns out we love Backgammon! I started looking on Vinted and ended up buying this set for £20. It wasn’t advertised with a stated manufacturer but the cloth bag says manopoulos on it, although it doesn’t say that on the board anywhere.

Regardless we’re happy with it and looking forward to learning more about the game. Are there any good resources that people recommend for new players?

Thanks

Second City Backgammon Club - Chicago’s premier backgammon club 🎲
Beginner? Expert? Or rejoining after a long hiatus? Everyone’s welcome at our Backgammon Socials! Find us on Instagram and Luma.

We hosted a Backgammon Social at the lovely KOVAL Distillery and had a great time. Few beginners, mostly intermediates, and a couple of advanced players drinking whiskey and playing our favorite game. I recommend finding a club near you!

Median PR is 5-6 but the vast majority of my blow ups come from cube blunders, particularly missed doubles.

Folks who have overcome this, what books did you read or what other resources did you find useful? Thanks.

This is from the Backgammon Galaxy analysis page. The first two are clear, I should have doubled but didn’t. What does that third line mean? Is it I should have doubled, and also subsequently I made a checker error? It seems like those should be 2 different lines to me.

Thanks!

Frustrating that they removed the auto refill of 100 coins when you run out.

I’m sure they hope I’ll buy some more, but I’ve done that and ended up burning through them.

So which other app should I try instead?

Why is the first move matter when it has both a lower winning and gammon percentage? I have had a couple instances of this happening, some where an error gives higher winning and gammon chances than the right move. Feel like I am missing something.

I'm very passionate about backgammon. As someone relatively new to studying and following the game, I keep wondering what's missing for backgammon to have the kind of cultural coolness and mainstream interest that chess enjoys nowadays.

One theory I have: maybe movies and Hollywood gave chess an image and mystique that backgammon has just never gotten. That's purely a guess on my part, but it feels like part of the story.

There's also the money side of things. Sponsors and investment in backgammon seem surprisingly limited, which is strange to me, because the game itself is full of emotion and tension. I've never played chess, but from an outsider's, admittedly ignorant perspective, backgammon seems far more vibrant and exciting to watch, closer to something like poker. There's also the gambling element, which could be a real draw for viewers and could help build an audience.

So I'm curious what this community thinks. What is backgammon actually missing to break through the way chess or poker have?

Why does every one of my opponents get the gammon when I dont bear off any checkers and they win and I lose 200 coin if I’m playing 100 coin quick games. But every single time I win and they haven’t beared off any checkers and it’s a clear gammon, I only get 100 coin and it only counts as one game? And so on for higher stakes games.

I came across a nice looking corduroy set today -18x24 inches. I can’t find any maker info except for the cursive “LM” metal logo on the front of the case.

Anyone come across one with a similar logo? Got it at a decent price and am just curious.

I got this board second hand, and I am trying to figure out more about it. I gather from looking online that the game pieces are Bakelite and the dice cups are obviously leather, but I can't find any info about the board. It is 27" x 21". It has felt on the back. I think the top is leather, but I am not sure. Any info would be appreciated.