for example:

You are the winner.

grenv: old BKR = 2332, new BKR = 2340 (+8)
BackgammonLover: old BKR = 2126, new BKR = 2109 (-17)

Game type: Backgammon

Yes, +-8 seems to be normal for me too. I'm not completely satisfied with the rating system, but i can't put my finger on exactly what it is.

it seems like this doesn't apply to players with very established rankings. I frequently split games with players rated 100s lower with no effect.

pgt: But the one I found is 37 moves. Where you playing for second place again?

Of course my finding is not absolute, I was hoping others would post games that are both longer and shorter.
In theory a game could be 3 moves. That would be frustrating for the loser, but it should happen here soon given the number of games being played.

I just looked at a couple of players who have played hundreds of games and clicked on Hypergammon in their profile. The game list includes the number of moves.

I know it's tempting to think that a technical solution is the only way, but sometimes good old brainpower and elbow grease does the trick.

A quick search turned up:
http://brainking.com/game/ArchivedGame?g=611535 (37 moves)

My quickest: Here's me winning and losing on the 6th move:
http://brainking.com/game/ArchivedGame?g=670775
http://brainking.com/game/ArchivedGame?g=611650

So if you've started bearing off, could you use the backwards dice to bear back on again?

rod03801: That's good out of the box thinking

How about a variation with 3 dice? doubles are still played as 4 moves, but triples could be 9!

or something. Maybe i'd better play test it first.

Variations are fine, but i think most would like the international rules applied on the game called backgammon. Rules could be changed on variations.

Can I write you a check?

The skill is in calculating the correct bribe and still leave enough money for the other games.

pgt: All that religious nonsense doesn't obscure the fact that I just won your tournament through skill and application, with no help from Santa Claus or any other imaginary being.

Surely the "spirit" of the game is trying to get your pieces off first! Fortunately the rules are such that the strategy and tactics used are not always obvious.

So if you are from another country to that which you currently live, you can just put that country in the address field.

so the capturing piece remains on top of the frozen piece? What if it's still on top when the piece thaws out?

Hypergammon
Each side starts with only three checkers: one each on their respective 24, 23, and 22 points.
All other backgammon rules apply.

might be a good variation for those who like quick games.

(I saw this on gamesgrid.com)

Do you have a link to these rules, or did you just make that up?

but you are proposing a rule change. Honor surely applies to playing within the rules. On the other hand one could argue that the rules are those in place on the site, so ignoring the higher dice is within the rules and therefore not dishonorable.

right, and it's too late to point it out once the move is made.

nice catch phrase, but it doesn't answer the question.

me too, but why would i give my opponent an advantage. Mostly it is ignorance, or accidental, but still...

This bug has been commented on in the past, and nothing done. Perhaps we should get it added to the "known bugs" tab.

I am not in favor of self regulation of rules on a game site. I would consider this a different game than regular backgammon until it is fixed.

yes and no. You can't see the next 3 moves, only the 3 options for next move. Theoretically you could still take a risk relating to what will be picked up next turn by your opp.

Also don't forget you only have 3 options yourself, all of which may be risky.

Great game, I haven't seen that before

I would suggest if you can't move with any of the 3 you are forced to change one of your 3 dominoes (just like any other move), rather than passing or changing all 3.

Correct, as with anything else in gammon games, the dice will determine the strategy. In this case it might be accurate to say Nackgammon is less likely to go quickly into a running game.

BlackAdder

After parsing your double negative a second time, I have to say you're correct. In other words, Nackgammon is for people who like blocking games.

:)

how did you count the pips? Manually looking at the games?

lol. I would suggest a game that doesn't involve dice then. Backgammon with no doubling cube has a large component of luck.

agreed, i would never knowingly play an illegal move.

If the larger number is not playable at all, you are allowed to play the smaller.

You are NOT allowed to play ONLY the smaller if you could have moved the larger, or both, some other way.

This rule is NOT supported here, so we are really playing brainkinggammon, rather than backgammon. I understand that it is a bug that was prioritized low, presumably because the owner of the site is not a big proponent of the game?

For the same reason the doubling cube, which is essential to a real game, is not here either.

If backgammon is your main game go to another site.

So i suggest auto moves for cubed games where the player has no choice (Stuck on the bar), as well as playing tournaments where the max turn time is 1 day.
In addition often the round winners can be figured out before all the slow games are played.
Finally, you can always play quick games on this site if you want as long as both players want to.

right, in the long run it will tend to show the better players, though the luck aspect will mean the ratings will fluctuate more than a game like chess (my rating fluctuates between 1900 and 2100, whereas in chess versions it is relatively stable).

i wouldn't say 95%, but high nevertheless. Positioning of the pieces plays a big part to setting up a winning position.
iyt successfully incorporates the doubling cube, it is just another option while it's your turn after all. It should be added here as well, along with the bug fix that allows the use of one die only when both are available.

LOL. You should read all the previous posts. About half of the recent ones address this: You're correct, it wasn't implemented. Also not implemented was having to use the higher of the two dice if only one can be used.

Sending cards from where? to who? could you be clearer about what it is exactly that demands our opinion?

Could someone shed some light on this conversation? Is this code of some sort?

So... if you have all your pieces home but haven't started bearing off, and then roll a 6, you can choose not to play the 6? This variation seems to negate the other rule by its very existance. Do you have a name for this variation? Fackgammon perhaps (the f is for fiddling). :)

Sounds like an interesting variation at least. I'm not convinced it adds smartness. For example what if you roll a 6 immediately, aren't you then forced to start removing right away? Or do you have a rule regarding that as well?

That's exactly why I play the variants as well, not many Atomic chess programs out there I bet!

I'm not sure why protecting from being hit in bg is cowardly. Surely forcing play from the highest spot injects more luck into the game.

Fisher's version of chess was a variant and is not called "chess", but "random chess". If you want to keep this varient of backgammon that's fine, but let's get the official version on the site as well.

I still don't get the reference to iyt.

what has iyt to do with this? if you're intelligent how about displaying a little?

What if chess had been implemented without en passent and I was to argue it was a stupid rule? It seems to me you just like to argue for the sake of argueing, or alternatively you are not a backgammon player of any note. Which is it?

You, or anyone else, can look it up if you like. Here is the official rule (cut and paste). If you find an alternate source to back up the current rule let us know.

(from http://www.cybercom.net/~damish/backgammon/bg-rules.html AND my game rules and any book I have ever read)

"A player is compelled to take his complete move if there is any way for him to do so. If he can take either of the numbers but not both, he must take the higher number if possible, the lower if not."

Danoschek, it is certainly a rule of backgammon that you must use both dice if you can. This means in certain situations you don't have a choice. This little but important rule should be implemented before any other backgammon variants are added IMHO.

That was the point, through humour. Some people have an irony deficiency it seems. To get back to the point of the board:
I wonder if we should implement a feature where a player can claim victory if they cannot mathematically be beaten. It would save some time, especially in tournaments, if we weren't forced to play to the last roll if the result is already known. Did that make sense?

Also, for what it's worth, I endorse the Acey Duecey nomination. It is more well known than BG race and also more of a unique game. Nice suggestion.

iTsQuItEhArDwHeNaLlThEwOrDsArEjOiNeDtOgEtHeRaSwElL.