The Complete Backgammon Glossary
Quick answer: A backgammon glossary makes board talk easier: the 24 triangles are points, a lone checker is a blot, the central divider is the bar, and taking checkers off the board is called bearing off. This guide explains the terms you will hear at a casual table and in international play.
Terminology can vary by country and by playing group. Here, “backgammon” means the standard international game. Turkish tavla shares the same board and many core ideas, but social rules, scoring customs and cube use may differ; agree house rules before you begin.
Board and checker terms
Board, point and home board
A standard board has 24 narrow triangles called points, arranged in four groups of six. Your home board is the final six-point quadrant your checkers must reach before they can bear off. The adjacent six points are your outer board.
Checker, blot and made point
Each player has 15 checkers. A checker alone on a point is a blot, so it may be hit by an opposing checker that lands there. Two or more of your checkers on a point make that point closed to your opponent; this is a made point.
Bar
The raised strip between the two halves of the board is the bar. A checker that has been hit goes there. Before making any other move, its owner must re-enter it into the opponent’s home board using an open point that matches a die.
Movement and endgame terms
Hit, enter and escape
To hit is to land on an opposing blot and send it to the bar. To enter is to bring a checker from the bar back onto the board. A rear checker that gets safely past the opponent’s blocking structure may be said to have escaped.
Bear in and bear off
Bear in means bringing checkers into your own home board. Bear off means removing them according to the dice after all 15 are home. The first player to bear off all 15 wins the game.
Gammon and backgammon
If the losing player has borne off no checkers, the winner scores a gammon, normally worth double. If the losing player has borne off none and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home board, the result is a backgammon, normally worth triple. Exact scoring depends on the agreed format and, where used, the doubling cube.
Dice and cube terms
Doublets
A roll with the same number on both dice—such as 4–4—is a doublet or doubles. In standard rules, that number is played four times, subject to legal-move rules.
Doubling cube, take and pass
The doubling cube is a separate cube marked 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64. It is common in international match and money play, but may be absent in casual tavla. A player may offer a double; the opponent may take and continue at the new value, or pass and concede the current value. Agree whether the cube is in use before play.
Strategy terms you will meet
- Anchor: a made point in the opponent’s home board.
- Prime: a consecutive run of made points that blocks opposing checkers.
- Race: a position where the players no longer have contact and are mainly trying to bear off first.
- Pip count: the total number of pips needed to bear off all of a player’s checkers.
- Builder: a checker positioned to help make a useful point.
- Running game: a plan focused on moving checkers home efficiently once contact has ended.
International backgammon and Turkish tavla: use terms carefully
Words such as bar, blot and point describe the shared board language. The doubling cube vocabulary belongs chiefly to international backgammon formats; do not assume it is part of every tavla game. Likewise, local terms and customs may differ by table. State the game format, scoring and any local variations before the opening roll.
Continue learning
For the setup behind these terms, see our visual backgammon board setup guide. For the rules that connect them, read Backgammon Rules: Setup, Dice and the Object of the Game.
Source and terminology note
Definitions in this article are cross-checked against the Backgammon Galore Glossary, a long-running reference for standard international terminology. Tournament regulations or an agreed local format can use additional terms and rules.