Backgammon Terms Glossary
Knowing the vocabulary makes backgammon far easier to learn and discuss. This glossary defines the terms you'll meet most often, along with their Turkish tavla equivalents where they differ. You can see every one of them in action when you play backgammon free online.
Board and position terms
- Point
- One of the 24 triangles on the board. A "made point" holds two or more of your checkers, blocking your opponent from landing there. Turkish players call a made point a kapı (door).
- Home board
- Your last six points (1–6). All 15 checkers must reach it before you can bear off, and hit opposing checkers re-enter the game through your home board.
- Bar
- The raised ridge dividing the board. Hit checkers sit on the bar until they re-enter through the opponent's home board; until then their owner can make no other move.
- Blot
- A single checker alone on a point, exposed to being hit. Turkish: açık pul.
- Anchor
- A made point inside your opponent's home board. It gives hit checkers a safe landing spot and supports a defensive game.
- Prime
- Several consecutive made points forming a wall. A six-point prime is impassable — checkers trapped behind it cannot move past.
Dice and movement terms
- Doubles
- Both dice showing the same number. Doubles are played four times, so 6-6 moves a total of 24 pips in one turn. Turkish: çift atmak.
- Hit
- Landing on an opposing blot and sending it to the bar. Turkish: kırmak.
- Enter
- Bringing a checker from the bar back into play through the opponent's home board, on an open point matching one of your dice.
- Pip count
- The total distance, in points, that all your checkers must still travel to be borne off. It is the most objective measure of who leads the race — the lower count is ahead.
- Bear off
- Removing checkers from the board once all 15 are home. Each die takes a checker off the matching point; the first player to bear off all 15 wins. Turkish: pul toplama.
Strategy terms
- Running game
- A plan built on pure speed: break contact early and race for home. Best when you lead the pip count.
- Holding game
- Keeping an anchor in or near the opponent's home board while waiting for a shot at a blot. The usual plan when you trail the race.
- Back game
- An extreme defensive strategy holding two or more anchors deep in the opponent's home board, hoping to hit a checker late during their bear-off.
- Builder
- A spare checker positioned so that a future roll can use it to make a new point.
Scoring terms
- Single win
- A win where the opponent has borne off at least one checker; worth 1 point.
- Mars (gammon)
- A win before the opponent bears off any checker; worth 2 points. "Mars" is the Turkish name for what Western players call a gammon.
- Hükmen (forfeit win)
- A win awarded by rule rather than by play — for example when an opponent abandons the match or runs out of time.
- Doubling cube
- The stake-multiplying die used in Western backgammon. Turkish tavla does not use it, and it also drops the triple-value "backgammon" win — scores move only by single wins and mars.
Where to go next
With the vocabulary covered, read the full backgammon rules or follow the step-by-step how to play backgammon guide. Bu sözlüğün Türkçesi: tavla terimleri.