..tiMed oUt oN a gRiP oF BG gAMEz.
gUeSs i'LL sTaRt @ tHe bOTtOm aGaiN..Lol...

Thank you Rod... :)

Hello BabyGirl!!!

Yes Chellee. Fencer has stopped games being lost from timing out, until the problems with the site are fixed.

hello everyone

I have 2 timed out games that are still running,,,or something...thank you

I don't think Cass can delete the game until it is her move. Will probably have to wait for time outs to end.

Well it looks like they guy signed on, started many games and has not been back since.

Currently time out on games are off, so until they are turned on, the games will not time out.

BUT - you may be in luck. Since the other player has NOT completed his second move, you should be able to "Delete" the game without it hurting your rating. (If you bring up the game, it should have a Offer Draw, Resign, & Delete)

If Delete is not there, you may have to ask Fencer to see if he can just remove it for you. You can also resign, but if you do that and not "delete", it may show on your rating.

Hope this helps!

BBW (BIG BAD WOLF)

I have a 3 day time limit on a game and the opponent has not moved in 10 days yet the game will not go off my main page. As I only have 20 games, I would appreciate any information or help that can be given. Thanks ~~Cass~~

you also have to have all your pieces off the bar before you can advance them

Acey Duecy is similar to backgammon race, The main difference is that you have to roll doubles or 1-2 to take your pieces off of the bar. and you get to roll again with doubles or 1-2.

Acey Duecy: I remember having it explained to me once what this version was, but I forgot - could you explain what the difference are again? Thanks!

Acey Duecy?...those are the kind of rolls I've been getting on my end game lately.. ;-)

Has anyone ever heard the variation of Backgammon called "Acey Ducey"? Would love to able to play this interesting game of Backgammon but unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anyone that has it as a playable game on the Internet.
Anyone want to comment?

Just a thought ..... Omega

The Gammon Cube is now OPEN!

With almost 400 players with extablished BKR, and 1,000 players with provisional BKR ratings - Backgammon is the most popular game here at BrainKing.

So The Gammon Cube is a place to discuss the game, have some tournaments, and possible create a team for once inter-fellowship tournaments start. (All are optional - meaning you can join and play in some tournaments but don't need to join a team if you are already on another team).

The Gammon Cube has all 5 of the current gammon games, and will include all the other versions that are yet to come!

EVERYONE IS WELCOME - All Skill Levels - So if you are interested, please come and join The Gammon Cube.

BBW (BIG BAD WOLF)

Hi berengeria,
I took a look at your game, and it seems you have a piece on the bar - you have throwen 6-1, and you can't move it 6, so you first have to move the piece on the bar to the 1 column. Maybe it is because you are playing balck and you can;t see the piece on the bar??

Hi berengeria. What is it you need help with? I see you do have a game of backgammon already going, and its on move #5.
If you get more specific with your question, I and others will be happy to help you.

i'm pretty good at backammon but don't know the system here. what do i do now? thanks

I have the "Play Later" button for all my games (including Crowded BG).

Possiblity: You already made a move (which the button goes away)?? That is the only thing I can think of.

How come crowded bg doesn't seem to have a play later button? They're so handy! :)

I'm assuming you mean your rating (BKR). Very generally: If you win a game, your rating will go up. If you lose a game, your rating will go down.
No, you do not have to win a tournament, although winning the games in the tournament (which is required to win the tournament) will almost for sure increase your rating. However, you do not get points simply for winning the tournament.

ow DO I GAIN POINTS,DO YOU HAVE TO WIN TOURNAMENTS OR JUST WIN GAMES.I'M NEW TO THE SITE,PLEASE LET ME KNOW,I'D APPRECIATE IT GREATLY MY FRIEND BIG BAD WOLF

Very nicely put Kevin...

Yes, that has been mentioned numerous times, and Fencer is aware of it. Be patient, please!

There is a bug in the Backgammon logic which I think should be corrected.

I threw 3-5 and had one piece on 14 which could move from 14-11 or 14-9. Had that been the ONLY piece I could move, I should only have been able to move the 5 die, 14-9. I also had two pieces on the 4, so I should have been forced to move from 4 to 1 (the 3-die throw).

BK actually allowed me to move my 3 first, which I moved from 14-11. I was then able to submit my move, as no other moves were then available.

This bug actually breaks two of the rules of Backgammon - first, it allows me to move the number shown on only one die, when there is a legal move which can be made with BOTH dice. Secondly, it allows me to move the 3 die, when the rules of Backgammon require that, if only one move is possible, it must be made with the HIGHER number if possible.

It would be nice (in my humble opinion)if these errors implementing the rules of Backgammon could be corrected before implementing additional variations on the game.

You can swap the dice...the link right below the board that says "swap dice"? lol

Here is a very good post by alanback regarding the doubling cube.


A doubling cube is an object used to record the current value of a game that has been doubled one or more times. It's shaped like a die and has the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 on its six faces. A player who wishes to double the value of the game picks up the doubling cube before he rolls his dice, and offers it to his opponent with the side labelled 2 facing up. If the opponent accepts the double, he "owns" the cube and places it on his side of the board. The owner of the cube can choose to double at any later time when it is his turn, before he rolls the dice. He would offer it to his opponent with the "4" facing up. The original doubler then owns the cube, and can double again on his turn, and so on.

Here is an explanation of the doubling cube and of gammon and backgammon from Backgammon Galore!

I forgot to mention in an earlier post that multipoint matches would require the system to recognize gammon and backgammon as well.


Doubling
Backgammon is played for an agreed stake per point. Each game starts at one point. During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a sufficient advantage may propose doubling the stakes. He may do this only at the start of his own turn and before he has rolled the dice.
A player who is offered a double may refuse, in which case he concedes the game and pays one point. Otherwise, he must accept the double and play on for the new higher stakes. A player who accepts a double becomes the owner of the cube and only he may make the next double.

Subsequent doubles in the same game are called redoubles. If a player refuses a redouble, he must pay the number of points that were at stake prior to the redouble. Otherwise, he becomes the new owner of the cube and the game continues at twice the previous stakes. There is no limit to the number of redoubles in a game.



Gammons and Backgammons
At the end of the game, if the losing player has borne off at least one checker, he loses only the value showing on the doubling cube (one point, if there have been no doubles). However, if the loser has not borne off any of his checkers, he is gammoned and loses twice the value of the doubling cube. Or, worse, if the loser has not borne off any of his checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board, he is backgammoned and loses three times the value of the doubling cube.

I am new to backgammon - can someone explain the doubling cube to me. Also when there is a forced move - one could often play if we could swap the dice - can this be made available?

I agree 100% that the game should be fixed to make players follow the rules, BEFORE more variations on backgammon are added.
I do enjoy the variations we currently have, and certainly wouldnt mind trying any other new ones. BUT please please please, fix the mentioned problem and at least add a "variation" with the doubling cube.. that should be priority as far as backgammon games go..

I have monitored this conversation for some time, and now that I have achieved a respectable ranking in Backgammon (as played on this site), and payed a modest subscription, I feel qualified to add my opinions.

I think it is a GREAT pity that the rules of Backgammon are not implemented fully on the site. The cube is central to Backgammon, as is scoring for gammons and backgammons, none of which is implemented by BrainKing. I know enough about computer programming to know that correcting the errors (like using the higher-numbered die when only one die can be used) and implementing a doubling cube and (say) a 5- or 9-point game would not be an arduous programming task for somebody who has developed what is already implememnted.

I am not a great fan of the various variations (Race, Nackgammon, Crowded, etc) and therefore I choose not to play them. I have absolutely no objection to other people playing these variations as long as I can be excused. If Fencer wants MY vote as to priorities, I would vote VERY VERY strongly (can you vote VERY VERY STRONGLY in a democracy?) to implement Backgammon according to the rules as a priority over implementing new games or new variations. I don't see a lot of merit in arguing the pros and cons of the rules - the rules published and well known. I would LOVE to play Backgammon according to the rules!

Having said that, I enjoy playing the Backgammon flavour which is already available. I would like to congratulate Fencer on an excellent site, and also say what a great bunch of people play on the site. I have now played with over a hundred people, and have only met two with whom I would rather not play again. That's not bad for a site like this.

Hear, hear; Atomic Chess is a great variation and Gothic Chess isn't far behind!

You notice there are several chess variants here. Many of them (such as Atomic Chess, Dark Chess, etc) are completely different from regular chess. But there hasn't been any chess players complaining abou them - if they don't like the game, they don't play the game. It could be the same here - if these games are created, you don't have to play them! But you shouldn't stop others from enjoying it because you don't appreciate it!

No , I don`t think your ideas are good !
basic because this is so far out of the ground soul of backgammon as you could get.
Let backgammon be backgammon and stop make new game out of a already great game !!

jason: No, you could still take back your moves - it just wouldn't show you your pieces would go back to the bar until you submit, kind of like in dark chess...it doesn't show you the new spaces until you submit the move.

Like both your ideas; the 2nd sounds like Three Checks Chess!

the dark backgammon sounds a good idea ... but i think it would be a really long game with the pieces going back to the bar all the time also in regular backgammon you can change your mind about your move that bit would have to be disabled

*** PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINION ***

*** GOOD OR BAD - Other ideas? ***

-- I posted this in the Feature requests board, but thought I would post it here so it would give room for people to talk about it. Here is a copy of the post:
-------

I have a couple of ideas for a couple of game variations that I would like to see.

1. Dark Backgammon Race (or Regular/Nack/Crowded?)
- Basicly just like regular backgammon. You don't see ANY place that you don't have your own piece, so you will never be "blocked" and allowed to move to any place.

Now when you move to a place that is open, your piece stays there. If you move to a place that only has 1 opponent piece, you take it like normal gammon. If you move to a place that has 2 or more oppenent pieces, your piece will be placed back to the bar like it was taken out.

So this game would involve a lot more strategy - making you want to set up many places of 2 or more pieces to take away your opponents pieces when they land on you.

I believe this would be better as Dark Battleboats Race. Also I'm debating if it would be good to hide the opponents dice or not.

---------------------
2nd game idea!
---------------------
2. Backgammon Attack.
- Basicly it is the same as Backgammon, but with the rule that you can also win once you land and move your oppenets piece to the bar for the 10th time. I also think this would be good as Backgammon Race Attack - since then you could try to keep many of your own pieces in your own bar to come out and "attack" unprotected pieces that have been places in your area.

BBW (BIG BAD WOLF)

The only experience I had was a cases league and I agree the rules were strict which is why I would think if people had to resort to cheating to maintain their position, the better players would eventually pass them up on requires accepts. I guess cheating goes on in almost everything, but they ultimately are cheating theirselves since they have to live with theirselves and their lying.

I was playing at Yahoo when they implemented a ladder system. It started off being fun, then quite a lot of cheating started up, players were throwing games to each other to maintain their positions...they reset the ladder every 3 months, but this didnt stop them, they usually held the top 10-20 positions, and took it in turns to be #1, yes they accepted challenges, but very selectively, it became such a joke, and also became very nasty, I stopped playing there, because, really what was the point?
I have seen a succesful ladder system run at cases leagues, that can have some pretty strict rules implemented, but yet again I have seen the top positions manipulated in one league, this went on for ages until one of the players fessed up about it. Its fine to say that players have to accept challenges to keep ranking, but they can be selective in which challenges they choose, you can't very well make players accept EVERY challenge.
The thing which helped the ladder leagues at Cases work is simply you can throw out the cheats, but it takes a lot of dedicated time and energy to maintain the ladder properly.

How does one cheat in a ladder system when you are required to accept challanges to keep ranking?

I have been asking for the FIBS rating system here for ages, a ladder based system would encourage cheating, just like the BKR does. (speaks from experience) personally along with the bg bug, the lack of rating system, the lack of mulitpoint gamed, and lack of interest in this game I would recommend players intersted in this game head to www.dailygammon.com...its free to play, and to be honest, I personally think my membership at such a NON bg related site is a bit of a waste of money. I have lost 2 #`1 postions here due to losing major rating points with timeouts, (site related) its a letdown, and I just cant be bothered anymore

Makes good sense to me. I just won a game against a 1900 Backgammon player. It was all luck in this case as I rolled three doubles in a row and never got put on the bar. I went up 100 points. I used to be 1700 in Backgammon but a series of lossed put me all they way down to 1100! I did think that was a bit crazy.

How I understand it is that the current rating system here is great for skill based games (Like Chess).

But when you start to get into more "luck" based games (which Backgammon is a little luck - and Battleboats will be more luck when it gets here) - you need to use a different rating system to be more fair - since the current rating system is good for skill games and not luck.

I do not know all the details on the FIBS rating system that is used on the beter backgammon game sites, but it would be a better rating system to use for Backgammon - and probable other more "luck" based games like Battleboats.

That is what I understand the problem to be. :-)

BBW (BIG BAD WOLF)

That sounds like a great idea Vikings. I don't fully understand the rating problem here but I think I'm beginning to see what the fuss is about. It seems the problem is that USCF rating system is used to determine the backgammon rating? Or do I have that a bit wrong?

Take Care

I asked fencer if it would be possible to also add a ladder rating system, that way Higher ranked players are forced to take some challanges from slightly lower rated players

Has anyone been following the luck vs skill discussion on the Feature Request board (Fencer asked it be moved here) and care to comment?

love to ruby2shoes but I have my 20 games full maybe later when one comes free. :O) Thanks for the invite.

would you like to play backgammon with me - with a 3 day limit?

Congratulations to netvenus for winning the ArtfulDodger's Backgammon Tourney with a score of 6 of 7!!! Way to go!! And hooray for Artful Dodger for coming in last place!!! ;)

i am new on this web

hi there, i have it all sorted now, thank you all for your help, the problem was the settings on my new pc :( silly me

hi lovely sharon, yeah thats what i want to do, but the swap dice thingy wont change them, its giving me the 2 dice to move first :(