International Backgammon Federation

ONE BOARD. TWO NUMBERING PERSPECTIVES. In backgammon, point numbers are always relative to the player. Your 1-point is your opponent’s 24-point. Your 6-point is their 19-point. Your 12-point is their 13-point. The physical board does not change — only the perspective does. Understanding this makes it easier to read move notation such as 13/8 or 24/18, follow match analysis, and discuss positions more clearly. A simple way to remember it: The two point numbers always add up to 25. 1 ↔ 24 2 ↔ 23 6 ↔ 19 12 ↔ 13 One board. Two perspectives. Clearer understanding. #Backgammon #BackgammonEducation #BackgammonTips #BackgammonStrategy #IBF InternationalBackgammonFederation

Why does 7 stand out? With two dice, not every total is equally likely. Some totals can be made in more combinations than others. That is why the probability spectrum rises toward the middle and falls toward the edges. 7 is the most likely total because it can be rolled in 6 different ways: 1+6, 2+5, 3+4, 4+3, 5+2, 6+1 By contrast, 2 and 12 can each be rolled in only 1 way: 1+1 and 6+6 That is why: 2 and 12 = 1 out of 36 7 = 6 out of 36 But probability is not a promise. A more likely outcome is not a guaranteed outcome. Probability describes patterns across many rolls — not what must happen next. Likely ≠ certain. And that is exactly what makes probability so important in backgammon. #Backgammon #Probability #BackgammonEducation #IBF #InternationalBackgammonFederation #DiceProbability #BackgammonStrategy

BACKGAMMON IN NUMBERS 🎲 Three official Guinness World Records show just how global this game has become. According to Guinness World Records, backgammon is linked to three remarkable achievements: 1. Longest marathon playing backgammon More than 25 hours Agstafa, Azerbaijan 8 July 2018 2. Most simultaneous games of backgammon 322 games played at the same time 644 participants played for one hour Albena Resort, Bulgaria 16 July 2016 3. Largest online backgammon tournament 21,940 participants Türkiye 16 August 2020 From a marathon lasting over 25 hours to an online tournament with 21,940 players, these records show the scale, reach, and community of backgammon around the world. Source: Guinness World Records #Backgammon #InternationalBackgammonFederation #IBF #GuinnessWorldRecords #BoardGames #MindSport #BackgammonCommunity

One match can become more than a result — it can become a lesson. In 1978, Paul Magriel and Bill Robertie played a seven-point match. Four years later, Robertie turned that game into “Test Your Backgammon”, published in Backgammon Times. Readers were invited to study each position, choose the next play, reveal the actual decision, read the explanation, and keep their own score. It transformed a real match into an interactive masterclass in strategy, risk and decision-making. A game ends. The lesson remains. #Backgammon #IBF #InternationalBackgammonFederation #BackgammonHistory #BackgammonStrategy #MindSport

👑 VENUE Kohi Navruz Complex 14/2 Ismoili Somoni Avenue The hotels info will be posted in a few days!

🇹🇯 Asian Grand Prix 2026. Tadzhikistan — we continue a new era of backgammon tournaments 📆 October 5-11, 2026 📍 Tadzhikistan, Dushanbe 🤩 Guaranteed prize money — 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣💵 👑 Organizer — International Backgammon Federation Our international tournaments bring together the strongest players from around the world and set a new standard for the global backgammon community. 🏆 Tournament categories and formats will be announced soon ❗️Limited to 350 participants 📱Online participant registration will be opened soon on our website: https://i-bg-federation.com/tournaments/asian-grand-prix-2026-tadzhikistan-3rd-series ✨ Special features: • Complimentary coffee breaks • Gala Dinner & Award Ceremony • City tour for the players • Live coverage and official media updates Follow IBF news on social media 🚀Telegram 📱Facebook* 📱YouTube 📱Instagram* @ibf_backgammon 📱TikTok @ibf_backgammon 🌍 We are delighted to invite players from all over the world to our grand event! Experience and feedback from the IBF tournaments in 2025 and 2026 have shown that we have set a very high standard. We will continue to move forward — join us! *Проект Meta, деятельность в РФ запрещена

NOT ALL ROLL TYPES ARE EQUALLY LIKELY 🎲 When two fair dice are rolled, there are 36 equally likely ordered outcomes. If the order of the dice is ignored, they form 21 distinct roll types: 6 doubles and 15 non-doubles. A specific double, such as 4–4, corresponds to only one outcome and has a probability of 1/36. A specific non-double, such as 3–1, can appear in two orders — 3–1 or 1–3 — giving it a probability of 2/36. The opening roll works differently: each player rolls one die, and ties are rolled again. That means only 15 non-double opening rolls are possible. The dice provide the numbers. The position determines the best play. #Backgammon #IBF #InternationalBackgammonFederation #BackgammonStrategy #BackgammonMath #Probability #MindSport

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A HISTORIC FIRST FOR WOMEN’S BACKGAMMON In 2024, Stockholm hosted the inaugural Women’s World Team Championship. Team USA won the first world title, marking a new chapter in international backgammon. One year later, Norway became the 2025 Women’s World Team Champions. Two championships. Two champion nations. A growing global stage for women in backgammon. Backgammon has no borders. #Backgammon #WomensBackgammon #IBF #InternationalBackgammonFederation #MindSport

BEFORE YOU TOUCH A CHECKER Pause for a moment. Read both dice, consider the legal plays, identify the game plan, and compare what each option gains and gives up. The first play you notice is not always the strongest. Choose the play that best fits the position and offers the highest overall equity. Pause. Compare. Then play.

The Math of a Single Roll In a normal backgammon roll, two fair six-sided dice create 36 equally likely ordered outcomes. There are 6 doubles and 30 non-double outcomes. A specific non-double combination, such as 6–1, can appear in two orders: 6–1 or 1–6. Its probability is therefore 2 out of 36, or 5.56%. A specific double, such as 5–5, has only one possible outcome. Its probability is 1 out of 36, or 2.78%. This means that a specific non-double combination is twice as likely as a specific double. Understanding these basic probabilities will not choose the best move for you, but it can help you compare options and make better decisions over time.

Paul Magriel — The Man Who Changed Backgammon It is difficult to name one player as the undisputed “most famous” figure in backgammon. But when influence on the game is considered alongside competitive results, Paul Magriel stands out as one of the strongest candidates. He was the 1978 World Champion, an important theorist, and one of the first international ambassadors of modern backgammon. The U.S. Backgammon Federation has called him “the original backgammon celebrity” and noted that his name became almost synonymous with the game. Magriel’s greatest legacy is his book Backgammon, published in 1976. Before its release, strategic knowledge was scattered across different sources. Magriel organized the game into a clear system, explaining position types, prime building, attacking and holding games, checker flexibility, pip counting, and risk management. The book became known as “the Bible of Backgammon” and was widely regarded as the first comprehensive textbook on the game. His nickname X-22 came from an unusual experiment. Magriel created an imaginary 64-player tournament and played every participant himself. The player assigned the name X-22 became the winner. Magriel later demonstrated his remarkable memory by playing backgammon without looking at the board, earning another nickname: “The Human Computer.” Magriel made history not only because he won. He taught players to see backgammon not as a series of lucky rolls, but as a complex system of decisions. The dice create the situation. The player determines the quality of the decision.

From ancient boards to international sport Backgammon has never stood still. For thousands of years, people have gathered around boards, moved checkers, rolled dice and tried to outthink the person sitting opposite them. The shapes of the boards changed. The rules travelled from one region to another. Every culture added something of its own. What began as a collection of local traditions gradually became a shared international game. Standardized rules made competition possible across borders. Tournament formats brought players together. The doubling cube added a new layer of risk, timing and decision-making. Later, computer analysis gave players a clearer way to study positions, evaluate mistakes and improve their game. Yet the heart of backgammon remains unchanged. It is still a conversation between strategy and probability, confidence and restraint, calculation and intuition. An ancient game — constantly evolving. A modern sport — understood around the world. Which development do you think changed backgammon the most: tournament play, the doubling cube or computer analysis? #Backgammon #InternationalBackgammon #IBF #BackgammonHistory #BackgammonCommunity #MindSport #Sportsmanship