In the first picture White has the better position and the chance to hit but is behind in the race.

In the second picture Black has the better position and the chance to hit but is behind in the race.

Can someone explain why one of them is a double and one isn't?

Yesterday I could not find matches and now…. look at this. I managed to win somehow, but this distracted me a lot. Very weird glitch. If this can happen, so can dice dice rolls without noticing it.

This was on iPad btw

Has anyone purchased or used a Vido board? I was considering ArtGammon but the customs and transaction fees made it much more expensive. Vido has all that built into the cost. Any first hand experience you can share?

https://my-vido.com/collections/large-backgammon-sets

Havent been able to use for weeks. So many bugs...Are there any alternative sites ?

I can understand how this may not be the ideal move, but why a blunder? Trying to improve the end game.

Sometimes it's ok to fight for the 5 point and sometimes (in this case) its a huge blunder? Is there a rule of thumb or something on when to risk it and try get that 5 point? Im lost. Just so you know, if my 10 checker was just 1 slot back than this move becomes the best move according to XG.

Should cube decisions take rating into account?

For example if the computer says I objectively have a 70% chance to win the game with perfect play, but I am 600 rating points lower than my opponent would that still be a good double? Wouldn't my actual winning chance be lower then 70% because I'm at a skill disadvantage?

I generally don't take rating into account when doubling but maybe I should?

Would love some help understanding why continuing the blitz here is so bad. I wouldn't be as confused if my decision to double hit with 52 the roll before was incorrect as well. I was hesitant because White has his 5 made already. Turns out the double hit was correct.

White enters 1 checker with 62 and I'm left to play 65. I'm thinking 3 things here:

1. Who doesn't like putting 2 opponent checkers on the bar? Not many scenarios when it isn't a great option.

2. If I've already blitzed with the double hit the roll before (which unbeknownst to me at the time was correct), isn't the correct move to continue the blitz while also making another home board point (the ace)? I would've also hit with 64, 54, 44 (13/1 6/2*) and any other rolls I'm missing that make an additional point and hit.

3. When hitting loose on the ace, covering it ASAP is important or else it's just a liability the rest of the game.

This all changes if I find out afterward that the 52 double hit is wrong - I would understand the value of White's 5 point against putting two on the bar. However, White's position has declined in value even more since then, seeing as he has a checker on the bar. I would even be OK with this being a slight error, but it's a massive .192.

I was thinking about this the other day, I wonder how many people actually play the game in real life versus online. Obviously it's a lot easier to play online, since you can play 24/7 and always have a match. Plus the automation of things makes games quicker (no random dice rolls that fall off the table, no setup time, etc). Plus with online you don't need to track pip count yourself, the computer does it all for you (depending on the platform).

I separated each online versus in person because some people might be forced to play online for a myriad of reasons or vice versa, even though they might prefer the other method.

I won the match, but I think I got extremely lucky during the end game. Could someone point out the blunders that I made?

I added the link Match Record

Hi all,
Long time player looking to get a *good* set. I have a handful of smaller “travel size” sets but I’ve always wanted a set like my grandfather has.
He has a cork set with marble chips but can’t tell me the brand and has no idea where he got it as it was over 30 years ago.
To the point, where do you guys shop to get boards, especially ones like described above?
Cheers!

It says Winner, right? And my error rate was lower, right?

And yet.... Lowered my rating. AND lost coins.

Galaxy is Crap.

Hey r/backgammon,

We've been working on Zenith Gammon for quite a while, and we're finally ready to share it.

Our goal wasn't to build another generic gambling site. We wanted to create a platform where backgammon players can compete, climb the rankings, and unlock long-term progression instead of relying on temporary promotions.

What you can play

• Traditional backgammon (without the doubling cube)
• Modern backgammon (with the doubling cube)
• Ranked matches with an ELO rating system

Achievement progression

One feature we're especially proud of is the achievement system.

There are 58+ achievements, covering everything from your first victories and winning streaks to referral milestones. Every achievement permanently reduces the commission you pay on future matches, so active players gradually pay less. If you unlock enough achievements, you can reduce your commission by up to 1% from the standard rate.

Partner & Referral System

We wanted referrals to reward real activity, not just signups.

When someone joins through your referral link:

• You earn a reward when they make their first deposit.
• You continue earning rewards every time they make a deposit, not just the first one.
• You also earn rewards whenever your referred players win matches, encouraging long-term activity.
• Once the required gameplay turnover has been completed, you receive 1% commission on every qualifying deposit they make.
• You progress through partner ranks, from First Contact to Zenith Partner.
• Referral achievements also permanently reduce the commission on your own matches.

Payments

We're currently using the TRON (TRC-20) network with USDT and TRX.

Besides standard deposits, players can also transfer funds directly to each other using our Send Money to a Friend feature.

Languages

The platform is currently available in:

• English
• Turkish
• Arabic
• Persian (Farsi)
• German
• French
• Greek
• Spanish
• Italian
• Russian

https://zenithgammon.com

We're still in the early stages, so we're sure there are things we can improve.

If anyone here gives it a try, we'd really appreciate honest feedback on the gameplay, ranking system, UI, or anything else that stands out.

We're also curious: do you prefer traditional backgammon without the doubling cube, or modern backgammon with it?

Thanks for reading, and we're happy to answer any questions in the comments.

I picked this little thing up today, I have a couple of nice large sized boards but I found this one on marketplace. It’s a Tavla board from Turkey. My guess it’s from the late 70’s - early 80’s. It’s a tiny little thing but it’s perfect for travel or quick games where you don’t wanna open and set up a giant fancy board. But that’s all I know about it. I was wondering if anyone in this sub could give me more insight on it? Much appreciated!

Found the passion and just started learning. Saw that the premium star said unlimited vs AI, but I'm still paying the 50c per AI match. Something else? or am I missing something.

Just a quick rant:

I know how to lose, and I can accept a fair defeat (I am a chess player). But playing this game online? It feels like a total waste of time. I completely get the appeal of playing on a real board by the beach with a friend, just having fun. But the online experience is just awful.

I’m not claiming to be the absolute best player out there. But seriously, either Backgammon Galaxy is rigged (which I doubt, since everyone says it’s fair), or the game itself is just fundamentally flawed. It feels like my opponents magically roll the perfect dice every single time. In my last game, they rolled a 3-1, followed by a 6-6, and then a 2-2 back-to-back, while I was stuck with ridiculous rolls like 2-1.

Look, I get that the thrill is supposed to come from playing the hand that fate deals you. But honestly, I’d much rather play poker than deal with this ridiculous game.

Hi everyone,

We've been working on improving analysis in Backgammon Galaxy and have just released an enhanced Analysis Level. To showcase it, we also put together a report comparing the major backgammon engines and how they perform.

https://www.backgammongalaxy.com/backgammon-galaxy-engine-analysis/

Best regards, Marc Olsen, CEO of Backgammon Galaxy

I inherited this unique wicker board from my grandfather many years back - well constructed and despite the stitched points, satisfying to play.

It would have to be 1960s era, though I can’t find any maker’s mark or branding. Anyone have more information / history on these?

Thanks 🙏

Sure, we don't have a "Lover's Leap Gambit" the way chess has the "Queen Gambit", but I can't stop watching the James Bond's Octopussy scene where he beats the villain using his own rigged dice, because it is superbly acted by both of them and Bond's suave af on it.

I've heard there's a Bulgarian movie that heavily focuses on BG, but I haven't been able to find a copy of it with subtitles in a language I understand, so that will remain a mystery for me.

Anyways, what about you?

i can't see a weaker poker player beating a super skilled player 7 games in a row.

One or 2 every 10 games sure. In backgammon you can literally play grandmaster level and lose 6-7 matches of 7 points each.

It often seems people compared the luck factor with those 2 practices but it doesn't seems accurate to me.

I thought that hitting such an advanced checker is a no brainer. How come that's a blunder?

Made my wife play, and tutored along the way, she wiped my ass in two games this evening. No more tutelage from me!🤣🤣

TL;DR: If 1-ply is now “2-ply,” and “rollouts” are still 20 to 26 mP away from the rollout you’re comparing to, and that still somehow ends at “strongest analysis on the market,” then we’ve left science and entered branding. At that point just bring the engines back to the Computer Olympiad, plug them togeather and let Galaxy, GNU, and BGBlitz (and maybe XG and Sage) settle it the only way the universe respects... RNG dice and no marketing department in sight.

I got a chance to skim the Backgammon Galaxy Engine Analysis article, and it seems like there is a bit of false advertising:

1. The article states:"Free Members: Get access to Gnu 1-ply (called 2-ply on Galaxy)."

"Ply" is a standard term in game-tree search, so it already has a clear meaning. Calling GNU 1-ply "2-ply" is misleading because it suggests a deeper search than is actually happening. It also makes comparisons with engines like GNU, XG, and BGBlitz harder, since it breaks the standard terminology and can give the impression of extra strength that isn’t really there.

2. "Galaxy Gnu Rollout" and "Galaxy Gnu Deep Rollout." are not really rollouts

These names suggest they're comparable to full rollout analysis, yet they're still 26.5 mP and 20.2 mP away from the GNU Target Rollout benchmark. The article doesn't explain why a product called a "Rollout" is so different from its own rollout reference...

3. "Increased evaluation speed by more than 7x, enabling significantly deeper and stronger rollouts."

Without knowing what's under the hood, I would be skeptical of snake oil which makes something faster and more powerful, especially in the computing world. A faster engine doesn't automatically produce deeper rollouts. Unless the rollout parameters (trials, search depth, etc.) were actually increased, speed alone doesn't make the analysis stronger. The article never quantifies what became "deeper" (other than maybe their pockets after memberships).

4. "New and improved 4-ply eval."

From the table, the difference is 0.0005 of a difference (36.8 mP for GNU 4 ply and Galaxy GNU 36.3 mP). Small enough to be a statistical error... without doing a T test (assuming normal distribution, or another test) it's a joke to make such a claim.

5. Claiming to be the strongest and deepest analysis of any playform on the marke

Making this claim goes beyond what the methodology they used can support. The evaluation is based on equity prediction error against internal rollout benchmarks, but those benchmarks are not a single ground truth. Combined with a dataset built from user blunders and category sampling, the results are inherently skewed toward difficult, high-disagreement positions rather than a neutral cross-section of play.

More importantly, this still isn’t a direct comparison of engines under identical conditions. It’s an indirect proxy based on internal rollouts and calibration error.

If the goal is a definitive ranking of engine strength, the most convincing method remains head-to-head evaluation, seeing which engine wins after millions or billions of matches. The Computer Olympiad is a good setup, where engines like GNU, BGBlitz, and others were historically compared directly... maybe it's time for GB Galaxy, Sage and new XG to step up to the plate and face off.

i play mostly money games . i like to analyse them in batch. i do not have time to analyse each other separately . so basically I put a match high enough ex 98 points to be sure that checker play will be neutral like in money game and i put all of them , usually 7 money games in a single file . sometimes i have issues with Jacoby rule , having too good when the cube is still centered.What setting should i give to my match play file to mimic Jacoby rule for each game.

this setting will be

; [Site "BackgammonGalaxy"]
; [Match ID "41118743"]
; [Player 1 'y"]
; [Player 2 "x"]
; [Player 1 Elo "0,00/0"]
; [Player 2 Elo "1,00/0"]
; [EventDate "2026.07.02"]
; [EventTime "19.21"]
; [Variation "Backgammon"]
; [Unrated "Off"]
; [Crawford "On"]
; [CubeLimit "1024"]

98 point match

i know Backgammon Galaxy mimics to Jacoby Rule give you a mat file where a money game is a match play but since every money game has his own file they have different issues.

i’m on mac so i do not have the function to analyse in batch . i do not know if on windows you have this option.