Your checker color
Checker movement
Keyboard
Theme
Statistics
Language
Table 1
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 |
Table 2
Number of pips per dice roll: On average, we advance 8.2 pips per dice roll
| Dice | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 2 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 9 | 10 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 20 | 11 |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 24 |
Table 3
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% |
Table 4
Probability of a checker 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% |
Table 5
Probability of the last checker bearing off 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% |
Table 6
Probability of the last two checkers bearing off 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% |
'+' for your checkers, '-' for the opponent,
then click 'Play This Position'.
This feature is designed exclusively for educational and post-game use. The goal is to help you improve, not to assist an ongoing game. MBT does not offer any automation for real-time online play and cannot be held responsible for how you use it.
Minimalist Backgammon Trainer (MBT) is a simulator designed to isolate the essentials: the movement of your checkers. Its goal is to improve your ability to choose the perfect move in realistic game situations. No stakes, no stress, just you facing the best possible move.
Why MBT
MBT was born from the observation that online training tools are often limited to quizzes or selected positions. Nothing offers training covering all phases of a game in a modern and responsive interface. MBT was designed to fill this gap and refocus training on the essentials: improving the accuracy of your moves.
How to play
Start a simulation by pressing ‘Play’. Use the virtual keyboard or play directly from the board to suggest what you think is the best move. Submit your answer and get an analysis of your move.
Features
● Mode: Choose ‘Mix’, ‘Opening’, ‘Middle’, or ‘End’ to get simulations of the beginning, middle, or end of the game.
● Input: Use the virtual keyboard, your physical keyboard, or click on the board to enter your move. On your physical keyboard, type ‘b’ for ‘BAR’, ‘o’ for ‘OFF’, numbers, the / key, ‘c’ to change the game type, ‘g’ to display Game Information, ‘h’ to display Tips, and the Enter key to start a simulation or confirm a move.
● Game info: See the list of moves played during the simulation, as well as the resulting pip. The latter is not visible at all times to also train you in calculating the pip count.
● Hints: The best moves according to GNU Backgammon's analysis. For each move, you will see in parentheses the ply level used for the analysis, followed by the equity loss compared to the best move.
● Statistics: Find your performance level for each type of game as well as your Error Rate for all games played.
● Cheat Sheet: some essential statistics on dice and moves.
● Custom Position: manually enter a backgammon position, for example from a real game. This is an easy way to review your decisions after a game, understand what you could have played differently, and practice situations that cause you problems.
● Settings: choose your checker color, board orientation, show/hide virtual keyboard, light or dark theme (compatible with all screens, including E-Ink), preferred language, and export/import your statistics.
Technical data
● MBT uses the GNU Backgammon engine to provide simulations and analysis.
● Each simulation is a unique game without the Jacoby rule or doubling cube.
● By selecting ‘Mix’, MBT will play between 0 and 27 moves. By selecting ‘Opening’, MBT will play between 0 and 4 moves. By selecting ‘Middle’, MBT will play between 5 and 16 moves. By selecting ‘End’, MBT will play between 17 and 27 moves. The number of moves is determined randomly within these ranges.
● The dice roll is managed by GNU Backgammon.
● The evaluation performed by GNU Backgammon during the simulation to decide on these moves is based on a depth of 0 (ply 0). The final evaluation, which will be used as a rating, is performed at a depth of 3 (ply 3). Why not more? To ensure a smooth experience.
● At the end of the simulation, if there is only one possible move or no possible move, a new game is started to avoid obvious situations.
● MBT only evaluates a playing decision at a given position, without cube decisions or the context of the entire game, so the ER obtained is not equivalent to a PR for the entire game. However, the values are correlated, and you can consider that multiplying your MBT ER by approximately 1.35 provides a fairly accurate estimate of your actual PR.
● MBT is a PWA (Web App) that you can install on your home screen for full functionality, even in airplane mode.
● MBT utilized Gemini as technical support for optimizing its most complex code segments.
● MBT does not use cookies or databases and does not collect any data. Your statistics and preferences are stored locally in your browser (via localStorage) and are deleted when you browse privately or clear your browser. As for site visit statistics, they are managed by GoatCounter, an open-source, GDPR-compliant web analytics platform.
Definition
● Ply: this is the unit of measurement used to define the depth of analysis. A ply of 0 corresponds to an immediate and static evaluation of the position after the move, without taking into account dice rolls or future responses. A ply 2 analyzes your move and the opponent's best response. A ply 3 analyzes your move, the opponent's response, and your next move. You will never see a ply 1 because it is an approximation of a ply 2, which GNU Backgammon intentionally ignores. It differs from a rollout, which is not a theoretical analysis but a statistical simulation that plays out thousands of games to determine the best move.
● Equity loss: Difference between the best possible move and the move actually played. The lower the equity loss, the better. You can consider that you have played an excellent move if your equity loss is less than 0.02; you have made a small mistake if it is between 0.02 and 0.08; and a big mistake (a blunder) if you lose more than 0.08.
● ER (Error Rate) / PR (Performance Rating): The ER gives the average number of errors per move, equity losses. The lower the ER, the better the player is. It is used to calculate the PR (Performance Rating), which indicates the level of play. The lower the PR, the stronger the performance. In summary: ER measures errors, PR translates this into performance level. PR ranking for information purposes:
- Robot: 0 - 1
- World class: 1 - 4
- Expert: 4 - 7
- Advanced +: 7 - 11
- Advanced: 11 - 16
- Intermediate: 16 - 22
- Beginner: 22+
MBT is offered without any warranty. Despite all the care taken during development and testing, you may encounter problems. If so, please be kind and feel free to report them to me :)
Credits
● 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
● English version by DeepL
● Web analytics by GoatCounter
● www.backgammon-trainer.ovh / backgammontrainer634@gmail.com
Version 1.5.0 - November 2025