Backgammon Glossary Dictionary: M

[Listed by Paul Magriel in his book Backgammon.] Six criteria for determining whether a situation requires a safe play or a bold play. They are: (a) opponent’s home board strength; (b) presence of an anchor in opponent’s home board; (c) your home board strength; (d) blots in opponent’s home board; (e) number of checkers you have back; and (f) number of checkers opponent has back. Criteria (a) and (f) call for making a safe play; the others point towards making a bold play.

Main Division

Main flight.

Main Flight

In an elimination tournament, the group in which players start and compete in until they lose, and which offers the largest prize. Compare: Consolation Flight.

Major Split

Moving one of your two runners from the opponent’s one-point to the opponent’s four-point or five-point. Compare: Minor Split.

Make a Point

To place two checkers together on one point so they form a block or an anchor. Your opponent may not land or touch down on that point as long as the two checkers remain there.

Make One’s Board

To close all the points in your home board.

Man

Checker.

Mandatory Beavers

An optional chouette rule which says: when only one player accepts box’s initial double, that player must also beaver; otherwise, he must refuse the double along with everyone else. See post by Roland Scheicher. Compare: Mandatory Extras.

Mandatory Double

A game in match play where the doubling cube has reached a high-enough level that it represents sufficient points for the leader to win the match; the trailer has nothing to lose by doubling at this point. This includes any post-Crawford game, where the trailing player should double at his first opportunity.

Mandatory Extras

An optional rule for chouette play which says when only one player on the team accepts the box’s initial double that player is obliged to accept an extra 2-cube from any other team member that wishes to pay him one point (4). See posts by Daniel Murphy and Toni Wuersch.
An optional rule for money play which says whenever a double is offered and accepted the doubler has the right to give his opponent an extra cube at the same level accompanied by a payment equal to one half of its value. The receiver of an extra now has two cubes which he may use together or separately for making future doubles. See post by Albert Steg.

Mandatory Take

In post-Crawford match play, if the leader is offered a double when the trailing player has an odd number of points to go, the leader should almost always accept the double. For example, as leader against an opponent who is 5-away, taking and losing two points means the opponent still needs two games (or one gammon) to win the match.

Man in the Box

See: Box.

Manny Wong Proposition

The player on roll has two checkers on each of his lower three home board points, and three checkers on each of upper three home board points. The opponent has one checker on the bar, six checkers borne off, and the remainder on his one-point and two-point. Should the player double? Should his opponent accept the double?

Market (for a Double)

An opportunity to offer a double while it will be accepted by the opponent.

Market Gainer

[By analogy to market loser.] A sequence of two rolls (one for you and one for your opponent) which takes a game from a position in which your opponent would refuse a double to a position in which your opponent would accept a double.

Market Loser

A sequence of two rolls (one for you and one for your opponent) which takes a game from a position in which your opponent would accept a double to a position in which your opponent would refuse a double. Knowing the number and size of your market losers is an important consideration in whether or not to double.

Market Losing Sequence

Market loser.

Match

A series of games between two players which ends when one player acquires a predetermined number of points. Traditionally, matches are played to an odd number of points (3, 5, 7, etc.). See: Match Play.

Match Equity

A player’s probability of winning a match from a given score.
The value of a position in the context of the current match score and cube level, usually given in terms of match winning chances.

Match Equity Table

A chart showing the probability of winning a match from various scores. Example: The Woolsey-Heinrich match equity table. Match equity tables are laid out according to the number of points each player still needs to win the match. The first column and row represent the Crawford game.

Match Play: The method of competition used in tournaments and on many backgammon play sites. Two competitors play a series of games until one of them acquires a predetermined number of points. The doubling cube may be used except in the Crawford game. Unlike money play, you do not use automatic doubles, the Jacoby rule, or beavers in match play.
Match Winning Chances: A player’s probability of winning a match. Compare: EMG Equity.
Material: Builders.
Mechanic: See: Dice Mechanic.
Mechanical Play: A move made with little thought because it seems to be obvious.
MET: Match equity table.
Mexican Backgammon: A backgammon variant similar to Acey-Deucey in which a roll of 1 and 2, called a Mexican, gives the player extra turns. See: How to Play Mexican Backgammon.
Middle Game: The main body of the game, which begins after the players have settled on their initial game plan. Compare: Opening Game and End Game.
Mid-Point: Your thirteen-point (the opponent’s twelve-point), where you have five checkers at the beginning of the game.

Minor Split

Moving one of your two runners from the opponent’s one-point to the opponent’s two-point or three-point. Compare: Major Split.

Misere

A backgammon variant in which the object is to be the last player to bear off all of your checkers. See: How to Play Misere Backgammon.

Mixed Roll

Two thrown dice with different numbers on their upper faces. Compare: Doubles.

Mobility

The degree to which a position permits dice rolls to be played freely while maintaining the position’s key features. A mobile position strikes a balance between the made points and spare checkers.

Modern Backgammon

A term used in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s for the new rules of the time, including the use of the doubling cube and chouette play.
A term used in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s for a style of play inspired by computer analysis.

Money Management

Choosing appropriate stakes to play for so that you do not exceed your bankroll. Money management has two goals: to ensure that your bankroll lasts the entire session and to make playing more fun by removing some of the stress involved in dealing with money. See post by Adam Stocks.

Money Play

The style of competition in which games are played individually and the participants wager on the result. At the end of each game, the loser pays the winner the agreed initial stake multiplied by the value of the doubling cube and further multiplied by 2 for a gammon or 3 for a backgammon. Money play backgammon is usually played with Jacoby rule, and participants may also agree to play automatic doubles and beavers. Compare: Match Play.

Monte Carlo

Location of the annual World Championship of backgammon.

Motif

A Java applet that plays backgammon. Website: Motif Plays Backgammon.

Moultezim

A Turkish game in which players start at diagonally opposite corners and move around the board in the same direction. There is no hitting and one checker by itself controls a point. See: How to Play Moultezim.

Move

The advancement of a checker according to the number showing on one of the rolled dice. There are three types of legal moves you may make: (a) to enter a checker from the bar (your only legal move when you have a checker on the bar); (b) to move a checker forward the given number of pips to an open point, possibly hitting an opposing blot; or (c) to bear off a checker, when all of your checkers are in their home board.

Move Around the Corner

A move from the opponent’s outer board to the player’s outer board.

Move Down

Move around the corner.

Move In

A move from the bar to the opponent’s home board.
A move from your outer board to your home board.

Move Off

Bear off.

Move Out

A move from the opponent’s home board to the opponent’s outer board.

Move Up

A move forward within the opponent’s home board.

Mutual Holding Game

A game in which both players hold advanced anchors on the opponent’s side of the board in an attempt to hinder the opponent as he tries to bring his checkers home.

MWC: Match winning chances.

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