36 combinations of a 2-dice roll
| 1 - 1 | 2 - 1 | 3 - 1 | 4 - 1 | 5 - 1 | 6 - 1 |
| 1 - 2 | 2 - 2 | 3 - 2 | 4 - 2 | 5 - 2 | 6 - 2 |
| 1 - 3 | 2 - 3 | 3 - 3 | 4 - 3 | 5 - 3 | 6 - 3 |
| 1 - 4 | 2 - 4 | 3 - 4 | 4 - 4 | 5 - 4 | 6 - 4 |
| 1 - 5 | 2 - 5 | 3 - 5 | 4 - 5 | 5 - 5 | 6 - 5 |
| 1 - 6 | 2 - 6 | 3 - 6 | 4 - 6 | 5 - 6 | 6 - 6 |
Probability of hitting a blot
| Number to be made | Number of favorable rolls | Probability of hitting |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 31% |
| 2 | 12 | 33% |
| 3 | 14 | 39% |
| 4 | 15 | 42% |
| 5 | 15 | 42% |
| 6 | 17 | 47% |
| 7 | 6 | 17% |
| 8 | 6 | 17% |
| 9 | 5 | 14% |
| 10 | 3 | 8% |
| 11 | 2 | 6% |
| 12 | 3 | 8% |
| 15 | 1 | 3% |
| 16 | 1 | 3% |
| 18 | 1 | 3% |
| 20 | 1 | 3% |
| 24 | 1 | 3% |
Probability of a pawn re-entering
| Number of available squares | Number of favorable rolls | Probability of re-entering |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 36 | 100% |
| 5 | 35 | 97% |
| 4 | 32 | 89% |
| 3 | 27 | 75% |
| 2 | 20 | 56% |
| 1 | 11 | 31% |
| 0 | 0 | 0% |
Probability of the last pawn exiting in a single roll
| Position | Number of favorable rolls | Probability of exit |
|---|---|---|
| Square 6 | 27 | 75% |
| Square 5 | 31 | 86% |
| Square 4 | 34 | 94% |
| Square 3 | 36 | 100% |
| Square 2 | 36 | 100% |
| Square 1 | 36 | 100% |
Probability of the last two pawns exiting in a single roll
| Position | Number of favorable rolls | Probability of exit |
|---|---|---|
| Square 6-6 | 4 | 11% |
| __ 6-5 | 6 | 17% |
| __ 6-4 | 8 | 22% |
| __ 6-3 | 10 | 28% |
| __ 6-2 | 13 | 36% |
| __ 6-1 | 15 | 42% |
| Square 5-5 | 6 | 17% |
| __ 5-4 | 10 | 28% |
| __ 5-3 | 14 | 39% |
| __ 5-2 | 19 | 53% |
| __ 5-1 | 23 | 64% |
| Square 4-4 | 11 | 31% |
| __ 4-3 | 17 | 47% |
| __ 4-2 | 23 | 64% |
| __ 4-1 | 29 | 81% |
| Square 3-3 | 17 | 47% |
| __ 3-2 | 25 | 69% |
| __ 3-1 | 34 | 94% |
| Square 2-2 | 26 | 72% |
| __ 2-1 | 36 | 100% |
| Square 1-1 | 36 | 100% |
Minimalist Backgammon Trainer (MBT) is a game situation simulator. Its goal is to improve your ability to choose the perfect move in realistic game situations.
When you press Run, a game will begin. A random number of moves will be determined by GNU Backgammon (the engine on which MBT is based). You can choose between 'classic', 'Opening', 'Mid Game', and 'End Game', which will affect the number of moves that will be played*. Each turn, GNU will play what it considers to be the best move**. At the end of the simulation, the game freezes in a realistic game situation, and the dice display their respective values for the next move. Now it is your turn to suggest what you think is the perfect move.
Use the keyboard to enter your answer. It should be in X/Y format, a combination that represents the movement of a pawn. There will be as many combinations as there are movements. These combinations will be separated by a space. X and Y will take the value 'Bar', 'Off', or a number between 1 and 24.
Then, submit your answer, and MBT via GNU Backgammon will tell you if it is the best move. If not, it will give you the position of your move and the best move you should have found***.
* By choosing 'Classic', MBT will play between 0 and 27 moves. By choosing 'Opening', MBT will play between 0 and 4 moves. By choosing 'Mid Game', MBT will play between 5 and 16 moves. By choosing 'End Game', MBT will play between 17 and 27 moves. For this configuration, the game will be either very committed or in a bear-off situation. These different intervals were chosen intuitively based on the analysis of my games.
** The evaluation made by GNU Backgammon during the simulation to decide on these moves is based on a depth of 0 (ply 0). It's not necessarily the best move, but it's a sufficient analysis to propose realistic game situations. The final evaluation, which will serve as a rating for the user, is carried out on a depth of 2 (ply 2).
*** The best move defined by GNU Backgammon remains the result of its algorithms, a purely mathematical approach. The game situations are intended to be realistic, but of course, you will sometimes disagree with its proposal because humans like to be bold :)
MBT is offered without any guarantees of any kind. Despite all the care taken during development and testing phases, it is still possible that you may encounter some issues. If this is the case, please be indulgent and feel free to report them to me :)
#1. It can sometimes happen, especially during a series of past turns with pawns on the bar that cannot be brought into play, that MBT loses track of the current player and asks you to play the opponent's move. If this is the case, run a new simulation !
#2. Sometimes the game board doesn't return to its simulation position after the user submits their move.
#3. It seems that on some types of devices, the interface extends beyond the screen. This doesn't affect usability, but the experience is quite degraded.
● GNU Backgammon 1.05.000 May 31 2021
Copyright (C) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gary Wong
Copyright (C) 2015 by Gary Wong and the AUTHORS
● Porting GNU for the web by Theodore Hwa
● 'LE BACKGAMMON Stratégies et tactiques' by Henri Borentain / ISBN 2-85182-398-1
● Minimalist Backgammon Trainer developed by Alwin M. with the help of Gemini
● www.backgammon-trainer.ovh / backgammontrainer634@gmail.com
Version 1.0.8 - November 2025