Match

How it works in play

A match is played to a set number of points, and the score changes correct play: a gammon can be worth a lot or nothing at all, depending on how close each player is to winning. The Crawford rule governs the game after one player first reaches match point.

Related terms

• Match equity — The probability of winning the match from a given score.
• Crawford rule — Universal in match play: when a player first reaches one point from victory, the next game is played without the doubling cube.
• MET — Match equity table — the standard reference grid of match-winning chances by score.
• EMG — "Equivalent to money game" — the normalized unit for expressing match-play equity.
• Game — A single sequence of play ending when one player bears off all 15 checkers.

Go deeper

• Rules: match play and money play
• Cube theory: match equity and the score
• How tournament matches are played
• Backgammon strategy, from first roll to bear-off

In other languages

• العربيةالمباراة (Match)
• ΕλληνικάΜατς (match)
• فارسیمسابقه (Match)
• עבריתמאטש (Match)
• РусскийМатч (match)
• TürkçeMaç