diff options
| author | Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org> | 2016-07-02 13:38:40 -0700 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org> | 2016-07-02 13:38:40 -0700 |
| commit | a92a560637b87da633f44af0049f55e419a0dd05 (patch) | |
| tree | ce8d2ad89e6769d97e8662f95867823eea9b6e84 /doc | |
| parent | 6fd8c2586f4de4f7f8f70dfc19f0ef51f44ea4c7 (diff) | |
Imported Upstream version 1.05.002
Diffstat (limited to 'doc')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/Makefile.in | 142 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/allabout.xml | 6 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/gnubg/allabout.html | 33 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/gnubg/allabout.pdf | bin | 2887206 -> 2885554 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/gnubg/gnubg.6 | 6 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/gnubg/gnubg.html | 524 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/gnubg/gnubg.info | 3426 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/gnubg/gnubg.pdf | bin | 2252091 -> 2250247 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/gnubg/gnubg.texi | 337 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/gnubgdb.xml | 112 |
10 files changed, 2320 insertions, 2266 deletions
diff --git a/doc/Makefile.in b/doc/Makefile.in index 9fb8ac4..92c8954 100644 --- a/doc/Makefile.in +++ b/doc/Makefile.in @@ -1,9 +1,8 @@ -# Makefile.in generated by automake 1.11.6 from Makefile.am. +# Makefile.in generated by automake 1.14.1 from Makefile.am. # @configure_input@ -# Copyright (C) 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, -# 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Free Software -# Foundation, Inc. +# Copyright (C) 1994-2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc. + # This Makefile.in is free software; the Free Software Foundation # gives unlimited permission to copy and/or distribute it, # with or without modifications, as long as this notice is preserved. @@ -16,23 +15,51 @@ @SET_MAKE@ VPATH = @srcdir@ -am__make_dryrun = \ - { \ - am__dry=no; \ +am__is_gnu_make = test -n '$(MAKEFILE_LIST)' && test -n '$(MAKELEVEL)' +am__make_running_with_option = \ + case $${target_option-} in \ + ?) ;; \ + *) echo "am__make_running_with_option: internal error: invalid" \ + "target option '$${target_option-}' specified" >&2; \ + exit 1;; \ + esac; \ + has_opt=no; \ + sane_makeflags=$$MAKEFLAGS; \ + if $(am__is_gnu_make); then \ + sane_makeflags=$$MFLAGS; \ + else \ case $$MAKEFLAGS in \ *\\[\ \ ]*) \ - echo 'am--echo: ; @echo "AM" OK' | $(MAKE) -f - 2>/dev/null \ - | grep '^AM OK$$' >/dev/null || am__dry=yes;; \ - *) \ - for am__flg in $$MAKEFLAGS; do \ - case $$am__flg in \ - *=*|--*) ;; \ - *n*) am__dry=yes; break;; \ - esac; \ - done;; \ + bs=\\; \ + sane_makeflags=`printf '%s\n' "$$MAKEFLAGS" \ + | sed "s/$$bs$$bs[$$bs $$bs ]*//g"`;; \ esac; \ - test $$am__dry = yes; \ - } + fi; \ + skip_next=no; \ + strip_trailopt () \ + { \ + flg=`printf '%s\n' "$$flg" | sed "s/$$1.*$$//"`; \ + }; \ + for flg in $$sane_makeflags; do \ + test $$skip_next = yes && { skip_next=no; continue; }; \ + case $$flg in \ + *=*|--*) continue;; \ + -*I) strip_trailopt 'I'; skip_next=yes;; \ + -*I?*) strip_trailopt 'I';; \ + -*O) strip_trailopt 'O'; skip_next=yes;; \ + -*O?*) strip_trailopt 'O';; \ + -*l) strip_trailopt 'l'; skip_next=yes;; \ + -*l?*) strip_trailopt 'l';; \ + -[dEDm]) skip_next=yes;; \ + -[JT]) skip_next=yes;; \ + esac; \ + case $$flg in \ + *$$target_option*) has_opt=yes; break;; \ + esac; \ + done; \ + test $$has_opt = yes +am__make_dryrun = (target_option=n; $(am__make_running_with_option)) +am__make_keepgoing = (target_option=k; $(am__make_running_with_option)) pkgdatadir = $(datadir)/@PACKAGE@ pkgincludedir = $(includedir)/@PACKAGE@ pkglibdir = $(libdir)/@PACKAGE@ @@ -52,16 +79,19 @@ POST_UNINSTALL = : build_triplet = @build@ host_triplet = @host@ subdir = doc -DIST_COMMON = $(srcdir)/Makefile.am $(srcdir)/Makefile.in ChangeLog +DIST_COMMON = $(srcdir)/Makefile.in $(srcdir)/Makefile.am \ + $(top_srcdir)/mkinstalldirs ChangeLog ACLOCAL_M4 = $(top_srcdir)/aclocal.m4 -am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_check_compile_flag.m4 \ +am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_c___attribute__.m4 \ + $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_check_compile_flag.m4 \ $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_ext.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_gcc_builtin.m4 \ $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_gcc_x86_avx_xgetbv.m4 \ $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_gcc_x86_cpuid.m4 \ - $(top_srcdir)/m4/az_python.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/glib-gettext.m4 \ - $(top_srcdir)/m4/libcurl.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/libtool.m4 \ - $(top_srcdir)/m4/ltoptions.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ltsugar.m4 \ - $(top_srcdir)/m4/ltversion.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/lt~obsolete.m4 \ + $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_python_devel.m4 \ + $(top_srcdir)/m4/glib-gettext.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/libcurl.m4 \ + $(top_srcdir)/m4/libtool.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ltoptions.m4 \ + $(top_srcdir)/m4/ltsugar.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ltversion.m4 \ + $(top_srcdir)/m4/lt~obsolete.m4 \ $(top_srcdir)/m4/versioncompare.m4 $(top_srcdir)/configure.ac am__configure_deps = $(am__aclocal_m4_deps) $(CONFIGURE_DEPENDENCIES) \ $(ACLOCAL_M4) @@ -69,6 +99,18 @@ mkinstalldirs = $(SHELL) $(top_srcdir)/mkinstalldirs CONFIG_HEADER = $(top_builddir)/config.h CONFIG_CLEAN_FILES = CONFIG_CLEAN_VPATH_FILES = +AM_V_P = $(am__v_P_@AM_V@) +am__v_P_ = $(am__v_P_@AM_DEFAULT_V@) +am__v_P_0 = false +am__v_P_1 = : +AM_V_GEN = $(am__v_GEN_@AM_V@) +am__v_GEN_ = $(am__v_GEN_@AM_DEFAULT_V@) +am__v_GEN_0 = @echo " GEN " $@; +am__v_GEN_1 = +AM_V_at = $(am__v_at_@AM_V@) +am__v_at_ = $(am__v_at_@AM_DEFAULT_V@) +am__v_at_0 = @ +am__v_at_1 = SOURCES = DIST_SOURCES = am__can_run_installinfo = \ @@ -109,10 +151,12 @@ am__installdirs = "$(DESTDIR)$(man6dir)" "$(DESTDIR)$(gnubg_helpdir)" \ NROFF = nroff MANS = $(notrans_man_MANS) DATA = $(gnubg_help_DATA) $(gnubg_image_DATA) +am__tagged_files = $(HEADERS) $(SOURCES) $(TAGS_FILES) $(LISP) DISTFILES = $(DIST_COMMON) $(DIST_SOURCES) $(TEXINFOS) $(EXTRA_DIST) ACLOCAL = @ACLOCAL@ AMTAR = @AMTAR@ AM_CFLAGS = @AM_CFLAGS@ +AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY = @AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY@ AM_YFLAGS = @AM_YFLAGS@ AR = @AR@ AUTOCONF = @AUTOCONF@ @@ -130,6 +174,7 @@ CCDEPMODE = @CCDEPMODE@ CFLAGS = @CFLAGS@ CPP = @CPP@ CPPFLAGS = @CPPFLAGS@ +CPUEXT_FLAGS = @CPUEXT_FLAGS@ CYGPATH_W = @CYGPATH_W@ DATADIRNAME = @DATADIRNAME@ DBLATEX = @DBLATEX@ @@ -152,6 +197,7 @@ FREETYPE2_LIBS = @FREETYPE2_LIBS@ GDK_PIXBUF_CSOURCE = @GDK_PIXBUF_CSOURCE@ GETTEXT_PACKAGE = @GETTEXT_PACKAGE@ GLIB_CFLAGS = @GLIB_CFLAGS@ +GLIB_COMPILE_RESOURCES = @GLIB_COMPILE_RESOURCES@ GLIB_LIBS = @GLIB_LIBS@ GLU_CFLAGS = @GLU_CFLAGS@ GLU_LIBS = @GLU_LIBS@ @@ -219,11 +265,14 @@ POSUB = @POSUB@ PO_IN_DATADIR_FALSE = @PO_IN_DATADIR_FALSE@ PO_IN_DATADIR_TRUE = @PO_IN_DATADIR_TRUE@ PYTHON = @PYTHON@ +PYTHON_CPPFLAGS = @PYTHON_CPPFLAGS@ PYTHON_EXEC_PREFIX = @PYTHON_EXEC_PREFIX@ -PYTHON_INCLUDES = @PYTHON_INCLUDES@ -PYTHON_LIBS = @PYTHON_LIBS@ +PYTHON_EXTRA_LDFLAGS = @PYTHON_EXTRA_LDFLAGS@ +PYTHON_EXTRA_LIBS = @PYTHON_EXTRA_LIBS@ +PYTHON_LDFLAGS = @PYTHON_LDFLAGS@ PYTHON_PLATFORM = @PYTHON_PLATFORM@ PYTHON_PREFIX = @PYTHON_PREFIX@ +PYTHON_SITE_PKG = @PYTHON_SITE_PKG@ PYTHON_VERSION = @PYTHON_VERSION@ RANLIB = @RANLIB@ SED = @SED@ @@ -468,27 +517,14 @@ uninstall-gnubg_imageDATA: @list='$(gnubg_image_DATA)'; test -n "$(gnubg_imagedir)" || list=; \ files=`for p in $$list; do echo $$p; done | sed -e 's|^.*/||'`; \ dir='$(DESTDIR)$(gnubg_imagedir)'; $(am__uninstall_files_from_dir) -tags: TAGS -TAGS: +tags TAGS: + +ctags CTAGS: -ctags: CTAGS -CTAGS: +cscope cscopelist: distdir: $(DISTFILES) - @list='$(MANS)'; if test -n "$$list"; then \ - list=`for p in $$list; do \ - if test -f $$p; then d=; else d="$(srcdir)/"; fi; \ - if test -f "$$d$$p"; then echo "$$d$$p"; else :; fi; done`; \ - if test -n "$$list" && \ - grep 'ab help2man is required to generate this page' $$list >/dev/null; then \ - echo "error: found man pages containing the \`missing help2man' replacement text:" >&2; \ - grep -l 'ab help2man is required to generate this page' $$list | sed 's/^/ /' >&2; \ - echo " to fix them, install help2man, remove and regenerate the man pages;" >&2; \ - echo " typically \`make maintainer-clean' will remove them" >&2; \ - exit 1; \ - else :; fi; \ - else :; fi @srcdirstrip=`echo "$(srcdir)" | sed 's/[].[^$$\\*]/\\\\&/g'`; \ topsrcdirstrip=`echo "$(top_srcdir)" | sed 's/[].[^$$\\*]/\\\\&/g'`; \ list='$(DISTFILES)'; \ @@ -632,19 +668,19 @@ uninstall-man: uninstall-man6 .MAKE: install-am install-data-am install-strip uninstall-am .PHONY: all all-am check check-am clean clean-generic clean-libtool \ - distclean distclean-generic distclean-libtool distdir dvi \ - dvi-am html html-am info info-am install install-am \ - install-data install-data-am install-data-hook install-dvi \ - install-dvi-am install-exec install-exec-am \ - install-gnubg_helpDATA install-gnubg_imageDATA install-html \ - install-html-am install-info install-info-am install-man \ - install-man6 install-pdf install-pdf-am install-ps \ + cscopelist-am ctags-am distclean distclean-generic \ + distclean-libtool distdir dvi dvi-am html html-am info info-am \ + install install-am install-data install-data-am \ + install-data-hook install-dvi install-dvi-am install-exec \ + install-exec-am install-gnubg_helpDATA install-gnubg_imageDATA \ + install-html install-html-am install-info install-info-am \ + install-man install-man6 install-pdf install-pdf-am install-ps \ install-ps-am install-strip installcheck installcheck-am \ installdirs maintainer-clean maintainer-clean-generic \ mostlyclean mostlyclean-generic mostlyclean-libtool pdf pdf-am \ - ps ps-am uninstall uninstall-am uninstall-gnubg_helpDATA \ - uninstall-gnubg_imageDATA uninstall-hook uninstall-man \ - uninstall-man6 + ps ps-am tags-am uninstall uninstall-am \ + uninstall-gnubg_helpDATA uninstall-gnubg_imageDATA \ + uninstall-hook uninstall-man uninstall-man6 all: gnubg.html allabout.html gnubg.texi gnubg.info gnubg.pdf allabout.pdf diff --git a/doc/allabout.xml b/doc/allabout.xml index 5173611..961c71f 100644 --- a/doc/allabout.xml +++ b/doc/allabout.xml @@ -463,7 +463,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<xref linkend= <para>Open the program, enter the File menu, select Import, and then choose .mat match.</para> </listitem> <listitem> - <para>Locate the match and import it. You'll find it in the main JavaFIBS directory, in the subdirectory Match and then Jellyfish. See the <xref linkend="remember"/> below to avoid having to do this everytime.</para> + <para>Locate the match and import it. You'll find it in the main JavaFIBS directory, in the subdirectory Match and then Jellyfish. See the <xref linkend="remember"/> below to avoid having to do this every time.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Go to the Analyse menu and select Analyse match. See <xref linkend="Analysing_matches"/> to learn how to change the analysis settings.</para> @@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<xref linkend= <para>Open the program, enter the File menu, select Import, and then choose Gamesgrid .sgg match.</para> </listitem> <listitem> - <para>Locate the match and import it. You'll probably find it in the Gamesgrid directory in a subdirectory called SaveGame. See the <xref linkend="remember"/> below to avoid having to do this everytime.</para> + <para>Locate the match and import it. You'll probably find it in the Gamesgrid directory in a subdirectory called SaveGame. See the <xref linkend="remember"/> below to avoid having to do this every time.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Go to the Analyse menu and select Analyse match. See <xref linkend="Analysing_matches"/> to learn how to change the analysis settings.</para> @@ -514,7 +514,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<xref linkend= <para>After saving your game or match, open the program, enter the File menu, select Import, and then choose TrueMoneyGames .tmg match.</para> </listitem> <listitem> - <para>Locate the match and import it. You'll probably find it in the TrueMoneyGames directory, called TMG, in a subdirectory called SavedGames. See the <xref linkend="remember"/>" below to avoid having to do this everytime.</para> + <para>Locate the match and import it. You'll probably find it in the TrueMoneyGames directory, called TMG, in a subdirectory called SavedGames. See the <xref linkend="remember"/>" below to avoid having to do this every time.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Go to the Analyse menu and select Analyse match. See <xref linkend="Analysing_matches"/> to learn how to change the analysis settings. </para> diff --git a/doc/gnubg/allabout.html b/doc/gnubg/allabout.html index e88df01..618cf72 100644 --- a/doc/gnubg/allabout.html +++ b/doc/gnubg/allabout.html @@ -1,27 +1,26 @@ <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO8859-1" standalone="no"?> -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO8859-1" /><title>All about GNU Backgammon</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.76.1" /><link rel="home" href="#allabout" title="All about GNU Backgammon" /><link rel="next" href="#Acknowledgments" title="Acknowledgments" /></head><body><div xml:lang="en" class="article" title="All about GNU Backgammon" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a id="allabout"></a>All about GNU Backgammon</h2></div><div><div class="authorgroup"><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Albert</span> <span class="surname">Silver</span></h3><div class="affiliation"><span class="orgname">GNU Backgammon Project<br /></span><div class="address"><p><br /> +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO8859-1" /><title>All about GNU Backgammon</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.79.1" /><link rel="home" href="#allabout" title="All about GNU Backgammon" /><link rel="next" href="#Acknowledgments" title="Acknowledgments" /></head><body><div xml:lang="en" class="article" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a id="allabout"></a>All about GNU Backgammon</h2></div><div><div class="authorgroup"><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Albert</span> <span class="surname">Silver</span></h3><div class="affiliation"><span class="orgname">GNU Backgammon Project<br /></span><div class="address"><p><br /> <code class="email"><<a class="email" href="mailto:silver_albert@hotmail.com">silver_albert@hotmail.com</a>></code><br /> </p></div></div></div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Christian</span> <span class="surname">Anthon</span></h3><div class="affiliation"><span class="orgname">GNU Backgammon Project<br /></span><div class="address"><p><br /> <code class="email"><<a class="email" href="mailto:congoneser@gmail.com">congoneser@gmail.com</a>></code><br /> - </p></div></div></div></div></div><div><p class="releaseinfo">This is the GFDL docbook version of Albert Silver's introduction to GNU Backgammon. </p></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © -2007 Albert Silver</p></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2007 Christian Anthon</p></div><div><div class="legalnotice" title="Feedback"><a id="idp191216"></a><p> Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the + </p></div></div></div></div></div><div><p class="releaseinfo">This is the GFDL docbook version of Albert Silver's introduction to GNU Backgammon. </p></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © -2007 Albert Silver</p></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2007 Christian Anthon</p></div><div><div class="legalnotice"><a id="idm880097580"></a><p> Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref" href="#legal" title="A. GNU Free Documentation License">Appendix A, <em>GNU Free Documentation License</em></a>. </p><p class="legalnotice-title"><strong>Feedback</strong></p><p>To report a bug or make a suggestion regarding the <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> application or this manual, send your suggestions to <code class="email"><<a class="email" href="mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org">bug-gnubg@gnu.org</a>></code> or make a <a class="ulink" href="https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=gnubg" target="_top">bug - report</a>.</p></div></div><div><div class="revhistory"><table border="1" width="100%" summary="Revision history"><tr><th align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><strong>Revision History</strong></th></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision All about GNU Backgammon</td><td align="left">March 2007</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2"> + report</a>.</p></div></div><div><div class="revhistory"><table style="border-style:solid; width:100%;" summary="Revision History"><tr><th align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><strong>Revision History</strong></th></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision All about GNU Backgammon</td><td align="left">March 2007</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2"> <p class="publisher">The GNU Backgammon Project</p> </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision All about GNU</td><td align="left">March 2007</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2"> <p class="publisher">Albert Silver and Tom Keith</p> - </td></tr></table></div></div></div><hr /></div><div class="toc"><p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p><dl><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Acknowledgments">Acknowledgments</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Introduction">Introduction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Features">Features</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#How_strong_is_GNU_Backgammon">How strong is GNU Backgammon?</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Brief_feature_list">Brief feature list</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Where_to_get_it">Where to get it</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Playing_a_game">Playing a game</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Starting_a_game">Starting a game</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Player_strength">Player strength</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Playing_options_and_Tutor">Playing options and Tutor</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Backgammon_variations">Backgammon variations</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Advanced_Playing_Information">Advanced Playing Information</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Match_Equity_Table">Match Equity Table</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Kleinman_and_Thorp_counts">Kleinman and Thorp counts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Market_Window_Gammon_value">Market Window/Gammon value</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Temperature_Map">Temperature Map</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Importing_and_Exporting_games">Importing and Exporting games</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Importing_games">Importing games</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#FIBS_-_Importing_and_analyzing">FIBS - Importing and analyzing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#GamesGrid___Importing_and_analyzing">GamesGrid – Importing and analyzing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#TrueMoneyGames___Importing_and_Analyzing">TrueMoneyGames – Importing and Analyzing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Exporting_games_positions">Exporting games/positions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Windows_Clipboard_export">Windows Clipboard export</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#PNG_Image_export">PNG Image export</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#HTML_export">HTML export</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Analyzing_matches">Analyzing matches</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Analysis_Results_and_Grade">Analysis Results and Grade</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Player_Records">Player Records</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Reviewing_moves_and_mistakes">Reviewing moves and mistakes</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Game_Record">Game Record</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Hint_window__Analysis_pane">Hint window & Analysis pane</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Commenting_moves">Commenting moves</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Rollouts">Rollouts</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Playing_strength">Playing strength</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Trials">Trials</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Truncated_rollouts">Truncated rollouts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Evaluation_for_later_plies">Evaluation for later plies</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Stop_at_specific_Standard_Deviation">Stop at specific Standard Deviation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Stop_at_specific_Joint_Standard_Deviation">Stop at specific Joint Standard Deviation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Cubeful">Cubeful</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Bearoff_Truncation">Bearoff Truncation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Quasi-Random_dice">Quasi-Random dice</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Rollout_as_initial_position">Rollout as initial position</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Seed">Seed</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Same_cube_and_checker_settings_">Same cube and checker settings </a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Same_settings_for_both_players">Same settings for both players</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Final_truncated_evaluation">Final truncated evaluation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#My_suggested_settings">My suggested settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Stopping_and_continuing_rollouts">Stopping and continuing rollouts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Copy_and_Paste_results">Copy and Paste results</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Setting_up_a_position">Setting up a position</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Names_and_score">Names and score</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Side__cube__and_dice">Side, cube, and dice</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Checker_setup">Checker setup</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Appearance">Appearance</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Skins">Skins</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Board_designs___2D_and_3D">Board designs – 2D and 3D</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Full_Screen_Board">Full Screen Board</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Creating_Original_Designs">Creating Original Designs</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Conclusion">Conclusion</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#A_Word_about__Cheating_">A Word about <span class="emphasis"><em>Cheating</em></span></a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#legal">A. GNU Free Documentation License</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="sect1" title="Acknowledgments"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Acknowledgments"></a>Acknowledgments</h2></div></div></div><p>This manual is largely identical to Albert Silver's excellent <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/gnu/AllAboutGNU.html" target="_top">introduction</a> to GNU Backgammon, which may be found on Tom Keith's <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com" target="_top">backgammon site</a>.</p></div><div class="sect1" title="Introduction"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Introduction"></a>Introduction</h2></div></div></div><p>By now, it's fairly common knowledge that just about all the top players make use of the neural-net backgammon programs such as Snowie, or the older Jellyfish. The impact these programs have had on the way the game is understood and played cannot be overstated. Players of all levels have the option of purchasing these revolutionary <span class="emphasis"><em>bots</em></span> (short for robots) in order to not only have the pleasure of getting a drubbing by a world-class opponent as many times as they want, but also have it analyze their moves, games, and matches. The program will point out our mistakes, tell us how big a blunder our move was, and list the best moves. It is still up to us to understand why our move or cube action was wrong, however there is no question such a tool is priceless. </p><p>Perhaps <span class="emphasis"><em>priceless</em></span> is a poor choice of words as the price is by no means a given. Though the programs come with different options depending on how much one is willing to spend, a version with all the trimmings, such as importing one's matches, analyzing the games, grading your play, allowing rollouts, etc. will set you back no less than $380 for Snowie or <span class="emphasis"><em>only</em></span> $220 for the older, and less sophisticated Jellyfish. This would seem to indicate that a top-quality aide is only in reach of someone with deep pockets or a deep commitment. If not, one has to look at some of the free offerings available on the Internet.</p><p>Personally, when I first heard of GNU Backgammon, I immediately remembered with a grimace my first experience with an old version of GNU Chess several years earlier: an engine that barely played at an expert level, as opposed to other master-level programs, an absolute bare minimum in functions, and graphics that reminded me of my first Atari video game system from back in 1977. The surprise that awaited me couldn't have been greater.</p><p>GNU Backgammon is first of all a neural-net program of World-Class strength. It is based on the same technology from which Jellyfish and Snowie originated. </p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> + </td></tr></table></div></div></div><hr /></div><div class="toc"><p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Acknowledgments">Acknowledgments</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Introduction">Introduction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Features">Features</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#How_strong_is_GNU_Backgammon">How strong is GNU Backgammon?</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Brief_feature_list">Brief feature list</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Where_to_get_it">Where to get it</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Playing_a_game">Playing a game</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Starting_a_game">Starting a game</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Player_strength">Player strength</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Playing_options_and_Tutor">Playing options and Tutor</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Backgammon_variations">Backgammon variations</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Advanced_Playing_Information">Advanced Playing Information</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Match_Equity_Table">Match Equity Table</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Kleinman_and_Thorp_counts">Kleinman and Thorp counts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Market_Window_Gammon_value">Market Window/Gammon value</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Temperature_Map">Temperature Map</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Importing_and_Exporting_games">Importing and Exporting games</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Importing_games">Importing games</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#FIBS_-_Importing_and_analysing">FIBS - Importing and analysing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#GamesGrid___Importing_and_analysing">GamesGrid – Importing and analysing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#TrueMoneyGames___Importing_and_Analysing">TrueMoneyGames – Importing and Analysing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Exporting_games_positions">Exporting games/positions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Windows_Clipboard_export">Windows Clipboard export</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#PNG_Image_export">PNG Image export</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#HTML_export">HTML export</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Analysing_matches">Analysing matches</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Analysis_Results_and_Grade">Analysis Results and Grade</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Player_Records">Player Records</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Reviewing_moves_and_mistakes">Reviewing moves and mistakes</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Game_Record">Game Record</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Hint_window__Analysis_pane">Hint window & Analysis pane</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Commenting_moves">Commenting moves</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Rollouts">Rollouts</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Playing_strength">Playing strength</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Trials">Trials</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Truncated_rollouts">Truncated rollouts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Evaluation_for_later_plies">Evaluation for later plies</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Stop_at_specific_Standard_Deviation">Stop at specific Standard Deviation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Stop_at_specific_Joint_Standard_Deviation">Stop at specific Joint Standard Deviation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Cubeful">Cubeful</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Bearoff_Truncation">Bearoff Truncation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Quasi-Random_dice">Quasi-Random dice</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Rollout_as_initial_position">Rollout as initial position</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Seed">Seed</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Same_cube_and_checker_settings_">Same cube and checker settings </a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Same_settings_for_both_players">Same settings for both players</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Final_truncated_evaluation">Final truncated evaluation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#My_suggested_settings">My suggested settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Stopping_and_continuing_rollouts">Stopping and continuing rollouts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Copy_and_Paste_results">Copy and Paste results</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Setting_up_a_position">Setting up a position</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Names_and_score">Names and score</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Side__cube__and_dice">Side, cube, and dice</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Checker_setup">Checker setup</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Appearance">Appearance</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Skins">Skins</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Board_designs___2D_and_3D">Board designs – 2D and 3D</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Full_Screen_Board">Full Screen Board</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#Creating_Original_Designs">Creating Original Designs</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#Conclusion">Conclusion</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#A_Word_about__Cheating_">A Word about <span class="emphasis"><em>Cheating</em></span></a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#legal">A. GNU Free Documentation License</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Acknowledgments"></a>Acknowledgments</h2></div></div></div><p>This manual is largely identical to Albert Silver's excellent <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/gnu/AllAboutGNU.html" target="_top">introduction</a> to GNU Backgammon, which may be found on Tom Keith's <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com" target="_top">backgammon site</a>.</p></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Introduction"></a>Introduction</h2></div></div></div><p>By now, it's fairly common knowledge that just about all the top players make use of the neural-net backgammon programs such as Snowie, or the older Jellyfish. The impact these programs have had on the way the game is understood and played cannot be overstated. Players of all levels have the option of purchasing these revolutionary <span class="emphasis"><em>bots</em></span> (short for robots) in order to not only have the pleasure of getting a drubbing by a world-class opponent as many times as they want, but also have it analyse their moves, games, and matches. The program will point out our mistakes, tell us how big a blunder our move was, and list the best moves. It is still up to us to understand why our move or cube action was wrong, however there is no question such a tool is priceless. </p><p>Perhaps <span class="emphasis"><em>priceless</em></span> is a poor choice of words as the price is by no means a given. Though the programs come with different options depending on how much one is willing to spend, a version with all the trimmings, such as importing one's matches, analysing the games, grading your play, allowing rollouts, etc. will set you back no less than $380 for Snowie or <span class="emphasis"><em>only</em></span> $220 for the older, and less sophisticated Jellyfish. This would seem to indicate that a top-quality aide is only in reach of someone with deep pockets or a deep commitment. If not, one has to look at some of the free offerings available on the Internet.</p><p>Personally, when I first heard of GNU Backgammon, I immediately remembered with a grimace my first experience with an old version of GNU Chess several years earlier: an engine that barely played at an expert level, as opposed to other master-level programs, an absolute bare minimum in functions, and graphics that reminded me of my first Atari video game system from back in 1977. The surprise that awaited me couldn't have been greater.</p><p>GNU Backgammon is first of all a neural-net program of World-Class strength. It is based on the same technology from which Jellyfish and Snowie originated. </p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> <p>Neural Net technology</p> <p>The concept of neural-net technology is what permitted the breakthrough in playing levels from <span class="emphasis"><em>interesting amateur</em></span> to <span class="emphasis"><em>world-class</em></span> playing literally on par with the best in the world. The person behind this <a class="ulink" href="http://researchweb.watson.ibm.com/massive/tdl.html" target="_top">brilliant idea</a> is Gerald Tesauro, a researcher for IBM, who built the first neural-net program called TD-Gammon. The difference it brought was that instead of simply using weights and strategies of programmers and players, it created its own by playing against itself hundreds of thousands of times, with each version stronger than the previous one. By version 2.1, which had played 1.5 million games, two-time World Champion Bill Robertie declared it as good as a strong master and even wrote a book on the experience called <a class="ulink" href="http://bkgm.com/books/Robertie-LearningFromTheMachine.html" target="_top">Learning from the Machine</a>. In fact, because of its independent learning, its play and that of subsequent programs using neural-net technology have revealed revolutionary strategic knowledge of the game from which top modern practice is based. GNU Backgammon is among those neural-net giants, and is among the top programs in the world.</p> - </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Features"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Features"></a>Features</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="How strong is GNU Backgammon?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="How_strong_is_GNU_Backgammon"></a>How strong is GNU Backgammon?</h3></div></div></div><p>On <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gamesgrid.com/" target="_top">Gamesgrid</a>, the famous online server where many of the world's best play, a bot called GGRaccoon, using the GNU 0.13 engine and playing on a weaker setting so that it plays instantly, has achieved a rating as high as 2165 and is a favorite sparring partner of the top players there.</p><p>A match was also done using Tony Lezard's <a class="ulink" href="http://www.jobstream.com/~tony/backgammon/" target="_top">Dueller</a> software where GNU 0.13 played 100 7-point matches against Snowie 4 using their ideal settings. Although GNU won with a convincing 56-44, subsequent analysis, taking into account the luck factor, revealed that they were of exactly the same strength. GNU 0.14 is 1.18% stronger at 0-ply (the setting of GGRaccoon) than GNU 0.13 at 0-ply in money games.</p><p>GNU is made of 3 neural nets: the contact net which is the main net for middlegame positions, the crashed net, and the race net which is so that GNU does not suffer from the common bane of backgammon programs: the non-contact bearin. For more information on how the neural nets were developed, see Joseph Heled's (the developer) site <a class="ulink" href="http://pages.quicksilver.net.nz/pepe/ngb/index.html" target="_top">The GNU Backgammon Training Program</a>. Be sure to select full instead of concise at the bottom left of the site if you do visit it.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Brief feature list"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Brief_feature_list"></a>Brief feature list</h3></div></div></div><p>Aside from offering an analytical engine of the highest order, the program's interface provides a very impressive number of features for users, many of which are not available in commercial programs. It's worth mentioning that GNU Backgammon is also available for MacOS, Solaris, Linux, and other operating systems. There are also programs using the GNU engine running on <a class="ulink" href="http://bglightce.homelinux.net/" target="_top">Pocket PC PDAs</a>, and the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.nongnu.org/bglight/" target="_top">source</a> is available to be ported to PDAs. </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Import and export one's games and matches from other sources such as FIBS, Gamesgrid (it imports comments as well), and TrueMoneyGames.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Analyze a game or entire match with a detailed report, including your rating and even the equivalent Snowie error rate.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Keeps track of your results in the Player Record</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Rollouts galore with checker play according to score and extensive customizable options.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Setting up of positions.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Export to text documents (with diagrams) and PDF documents.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Export to HTML customizing the information exported and the graphics used.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Copy board and analysis to the Windows clipboard for easy pasting elsewhere.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Numerous ready-made board designs plus the option to make one's own.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Several skins available.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Bearoff databases (both two-sided and one-sided), and tools to make one's own, however large (up to the 12-point, 13-point, etc.).</p></li></ol></div><p>Advanced players will also find a wealth of options to help in their study of the game: </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Choose between no less than 12(!) Match Equity Tables such as Woolsey's, Trice and Jacobs, or even the Snowie table, not to mention some newer more precise ones. You can also create your own to use instead.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>A Temperature Map to visualize the dangers and jokers of a move as well as the volatility of cube decisions.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Kleinman counts and Thorp counts.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Gammon Values and a powerful Market Value viewer showing the values of take points, cash point, beavers, etc. including separate values for a dead cube or live cube.</p></li></ol></div><p>What follows is a tutorial intended to present most of what GNU Backgammon has to offer, though not exhaustively so, and how to make the most of it. </p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Where to get it"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Where_to_get_it"></a>Where to get it</h2></div></div></div><p>The official site of GNU Backgammon is either <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnu.org/software/gnubg/" target="_top">http://www.gnu.org/software/gnubg/</a> or <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnubg.org/" target="_top">http://www.gnubg.org</a> though to download an installable version of the program, you'll want to go to the second site. Go there and select Download </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/md9b1995.png" align="middle" /></div><p>And then the version (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, etc.) you want. </p></div><div class="sect1" title="Playing a game"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Playing_a_game"></a>Playing a game</h2></div></div></div><p>The first and most basic feature is to simply set up a game and play, so let's start with that. Start the program and maximize the window. If the appearance isn't to your liking, you will find out how to customize it further below. </p><div class="sect2" title="Starting a game"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Starting_a_game"></a>Starting a game</h3></div></div></div><p>To start a game, just click on the New button <img src="images/5412263e.png" /> and a small window will open </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m259fcca6.png" align="middle" /></div><p>so you can set your choice of a game, match, or money game session, as well as whether you want to use Manual dice, or activate the Tutor mode. When you are playing, it will automatically show the pip count (and difference), though you can de-activate it by going to Settings menu and in Options, under the Display tab</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/51394706.png" align="middle" /></div><p>uncheck the box Show pip count below board. If you want to only refer to it on occasion, for example to test your own estimation, go to the Analyze menu, select Pip count, and the count will appear at the bottom left.</p><div class="sect3" title="Rolling dice and doubling"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Rolling_dice_and_doubling"></a>Rolling dice and doubling</h4></div></div></div><p>To roll the dice, simply click on the empty space of the board on the right side. The same goes for doubling, where you can just click on the cube on the board.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m7cee1bfc.png" align="middle" /></div><p>After you've rolled the dice, just clicking on a checker will have GNU play the highest number with it, and after with a second checker or the same one, it will play the lower number. GNU will also help you see where the pieces can go. Just click on a piece and start to drag it. You will see the possible landing squares highlight in green.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m3a7e4f1b.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you would like the programs analysis of a move or cube decision while playing, go to the Analyze menu and select Hint, or press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-H. For details on the Hint/Annotation window, see below. </p><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>You can also play GNU with a full-screen 3D board and 3D dice rolling. See <a class="xref" href="#Board_designs___2D_and_3D" title="Board designs – 2D and 3D">Board designs</a> and <a class="xref" href="#Full_Screen_Board" title="Full Screen Board">Full Screen</a> for more on that.</p></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Toolbar"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Toolbar"></a>Toolbar</h4></div></div></div><p>While playing, you can access the main functions through the toolbar at the top:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m215edfe5.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The functions from left to right are: </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>New – to start a new game </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Open – to open a saved match or position </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Import – to import a game/match from another source, such as FIBS, Gamesgrid, or Truemoneygames.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Save – to save a game or position in the program's native format.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Export – to export the game to HTML or another format</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Accept and Decline – In case a double or redouble is offered.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Beaver – allows you to beaver in case a double or redouble is offered in a money game.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Resign – to resign, though GNU will refuse an offer for a single game if there is a chance for a gammon still.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Undo – if you haven't clicked on the dice yet, and want to change your move.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Hint – to ask the program's considerable opinion</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Edit – to change the names of the players, or the position.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Direction – to change the direction the checkers move.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Stop – to stop the program if it is analyzing or doing a rollout. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Human vs. Human"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Human_vs._Human"></a>Human vs. Human</h4></div></div></div><p>You may wish to use GNU to keep track of a game or match against a friend, and play directly on the program, or you may wish to enter a game from another source such as a book or a videotape for safekeeping and analysis. Start a game by clicking on the New button. In the window, select Human vs. Human. Select Manual dice if you want to enter the dice played, and not have GNU roll them.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/38371a4c.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you want to change the direction of the play (ex: left to right), just click on the Reverse Direction <img src="images/1540d81e.png" /> button. You can set/change whose turn it is to play by clicking on the small checker next to the player's name at the bottom. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2b86c3ea.png" align="middle" /></div><p>You can also set the turn of the player to move in the Game menu and by selecting Set turn at the bottom. </p><p>To enter the moves, just play as you normally would against the program: clicking on the board to roll the dice, selecting the dice rolled, and then playing the move. If you make a mistake and enter the wrong dice, just go to the Game menu again and select Set dice.</p><p>If you make a mistake in the move played, and want to correct this, go to the Game Record (the move list), click on the move you want to change,</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/78be1dd5.png" align="middle" /></div><p>replay it, and continue from there. It will automatically erase the moves after. If you also want to change the dice rolled, click on the move, then press the Edit button on the toolbar, click on the dice, select the dice you want, press the Edit again, and continue from there.</p><p>If you wanted to double, the simplest way is to click on the move before, re-enter it, and then double. GNU will automatically continue the game with your change and erase the moves that came after.</p><p>If you don't see the move list, go to the View menu, and select Game Record.</p><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>Don't forget to save your results regularly (press the Save button) so you don't lose important information by accident.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Player strength"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Player_strength"></a>Player strength</h3></div></div></div><p>First set the settings by clicking on the Settings menu at the top, then click on Players. This opens a window displaying the settings for GNU or allowing you to play against someone else (or even have GNU play against itself). At the top there is a tab where you can also set your name for the player. For the GNU engine, I prefer the pre-defined setting of Supremo or World Class for both checker play and cube decisions. At this setting it will take some time to play at given moments which may not be to the taste of everyone, so if you want a top-notch game, just a fraction worse, but almost instant, select Expert instead. You may also get tired of getting beat up by it (if you think it cheats, read the section <a class="xref" href="#A_Word_about__Cheating_" title="A Word about Cheating">Cheating </a>), in which case, you can select more modest playing levels.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/48d8024f.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you are a Snowie user, or have seen Snowie's analysis, you may wonder why my recommended level of play (Supremo) is set at 2-ply when Snowie's strongest setting is at 3-ply. The reason is simply one of nomenclature, or naming. Snowie starts counting at 1-ply whereas GNU starts at 0-ply, so the program's 2-ply is in fact the same search depth as Snowie's 3-ply.</p><div class="sect3" title="Move Filter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Move_Filter"></a>Move Filter</h4></div></div></div><p>The move filter allows you to control exactly how many moves GNU is examining at each ply. A ply is basically one move played by one side, thus if both sides played a move, it would be one whole move, but two plies, one for each side. To change the specific settings, press the Modify... button.</p><p>Although the level presets, such as World Class, Supremo, etc. are tested and good, you may want to know or control how GNU filters its moves to analyze and how many. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/e613071.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you are playing Expert level (this is what GGRaccoon is set at) or another 0-ply setting, the Move Filter settings will not change a thing, as Expert level automatically examines all moves. At Supremo level, this changes though, as it takes a selection of the best moves from 0-ply and examines them at 2-ply. This means that for those selected moves it will calculate all the possibilities 2 plies ahead and evaluate them, allowing it to find better moves. Since Supremo is a 2-ply setting, we are only interested in the 2-ply settings of Large as in the figure above. 3-ply or 4-ply settings will have no effect here because Supremo doesn't examine at that depth. </p><p>In the figure above, we can see it first will Always accept 0 moves. This first line means that it won't force any moves to be analyzed at 2-ply, it will only analyze moves according to the second line. If it had said it would always analyze 2 moves, this would mean that no matter how ridiculously bad the 2nd move was compared to the 1st, it would analyze both at 2-ply. </p><p>The second line says it will Add extra 16 moves within 0.320. This means that provided they aren't more than 0.320 equity worse than the top move, it will select a maximum of 16 moves to analyze at 2-ply. For example, in the diagram below</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m4149eeab.png" align="middle" /></div><p>the 2nd best move is no less than 0.453 equity worse than the top choice, so it didn't bother analyzing them at 2-ply as it is unlikely to change its mind on what the best move is. </p><p>Take a look at the figure below now:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m4ed24f10.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Here, the exact same settings were maintained, but the 1-ply filter was activated. This just means that those 16 moves selected from the 0-ply are sent instead to be analyzed at 1-ply, and then up to 5 moves from 1-ply will be sent to be analyzed at 2-ply. So this would actually be faster than the previous setting (and weaker), since a maximum of only 5 moves would be analyzed at 2-ply depth.</p><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>Feel free to experiment with the settings, as you can always reset them by simply choosing one of the level presets. One setting change I'd recommend is that of the 4-ply. The default setting only considers 2 moves if they are within 0.040 equity of each other. While I trust the program's analysis, there is often more than one move within that range, and I wouldn't want it to miss analyzing one because it is instructed to only look at two moves. I set the filter as in the diagram below: </p></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/4bd6c15f.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Before going any further, do not forget to click on Save settings at the bottom of the Settings menu. You must do this every time you make changes you wish the program to remember the next time you load it.</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Playing options and Tutor"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Playing_options_and_Tutor"></a>Playing options and Tutor</h3></div></div></div><p>In the Settings menu, select Options, and a small window opens. Here, you can activate automatic bear-off (it will automatically take off the most checkers if it can sparing you the effort of playing obvious moves), choose the equity table to be used (Woolsey's, Snowie's, etc.), select Nackgammon, choose to play with manual dice (you play with your own personal dice instead of the computer's) AND a great teaching tool: the Tutor Mode.</p><p>When activated, the Tutor mode has GNU analyzing your moves and/or cube decisions and comparing them with its choices. You set the threshold for its alerts, so if you set it for bad, it will only warn you when you make a bad mistake. It will then allow you to re-examine your choice, go right ahead with it, or provide a <span class="emphasis"><em>hint</em></span> essentially showing you its analysis. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/58c77df2.png" align="middle" /></div><p>My personal choices are to set the limit to bad, and to set the Tutor decisions as Same as Analysis. </p><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>Before going any further, do not forget to click on Save settings at the bottom of the Settings menu. You must do this every time you make changes you wish the program to remember the next time you load it.</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Backgammon variations"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Backgammon_variations"></a>Backgammon variations</h3></div></div></div><p>Backgammon has a number of variations, some of which are quite popular on the servers. The main ones are Nackgammon and Hypergammon, both of which are supported by the program, as well as an Eastern variation of the rules not allowing more than 5 checkers on a single point. GNU is also capable of directly importing and recognizing Nackgammon and Hypergammon games played on the servers for analysis.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Nackgammon – This variation of backgammon conceived by Nick "Nack" Ballard has two checkers removed from the 6 and 13 points and places them in the opponent's board to form a second anchor. Play follows standard backgammon rules and games are naturally longer. It is considered a more strategic struggle, with luck influencing less than normal backgammon. To play a game of Nackgammon against the program, go to the Settings menu and then select Options.</p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m68ad25e2.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Under the tab Game, select Standard backgammon with Nackgammon starting position. This way it will set up a game of Nackgammon instead of normal backgammon.</p><p>Hypergammon – Hypergammon is a very different game, though it too follows the standard rules of backgammon. In it, each player starts with only 3 checkers in the opponent's board and must of course cross the board and bear them off as in normal backgammon. To play Hypergammon in GNU you must first build the Hypergammon databases using the tool makehyper.exe or you can download the bases <a class="ulink" href="ftp://ftp.demon.nl/pub/Demon/games/gnubg/databases/hyper" target="_top">here</a>.</p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Advanced Playing Information"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Advanced_Playing_Information"></a>Advanced Playing Information</h2></div></div></div><p>For players seeking more advanced information on the position, GNU also provides information on the Match Equity Table (MET), race theory (Kleinman count, Thorp count), a powerful Market Window/Gammon value viewer, and a new tool called the Temperature Map courtesy of <a class="ulink" href="http://www46.pair.com/sengoku/TempMap/English/TempMap.html" target="_top">Sho Sengoku</a>.</p><div class="sect2" title="Match Equity Table"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Match_Equity_Table"></a>Match Equity Table</h3></div></div></div><p>The Match Equity Table can be viewed at any moment by entering the Analyze menu and selecting Match Equity Table. There you will see table values including Pre-Crawford and Post-Crawford scores. The table used by GNU is by no means imposed, and you can select any of a number of provided ones, including the Snowie MET, Woolsey's, Jacob and Trice's, etc. by selecting Load Table. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/33d3487.png" align="middle" /></div><p>In the window that opens, enter the met directory on the right, and then on the right choose the table you want. The tables all end with the .XML extension, so to select the Jacobs and Trice table, choose jacobs.xml. Again, don't forget to save the settings (<span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Save Settings</span>) otherwise it won't remember your choice of table the next time you use the program. </p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> + </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Features"></a>Features</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="How_strong_is_GNU_Backgammon"></a>How strong is GNU Backgammon?</h3></div></div></div><p>On <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gamesgrid.com/" target="_top">Gamesgrid</a>, the famous online server where many of the world's best play, a bot called GGRaccoon, using the GNU 0.13 engine and playing on a weaker setting so that it plays instantly, has achieved a rating as high as 2165 and is a favorite sparring partner of the top players there.</p><p>A match was also done using Tony Lezard's <a class="ulink" href="http://www.jobstream.com/~tony/backgammon/" target="_top">Dueller</a> software where GNU 0.13 played 100 7-point matches against Snowie 4 using their ideal settings. Although GNU won with a convincing 56-44, subsequent analysis, taking into account the luck factor, revealed that they were of exactly the same strength. GNU 0.14 is 1.18% stronger at 0-ply (the setting of GGRaccoon) than GNU 0.13 at 0-ply in money games.</p><p>GNU is made of 3 neural nets: the contact net which is the main net for middlegame positions, the crashed net, and the race net which is so that GNU does not suffer from the common bane of backgammon programs: the non-contact bearin. For more information on how the neural nets were developed, see Joseph Heled's (the developer) site <a class="ulink" href="http://pages.quicksilver.net.nz/pepe/ngb/index.html" target="_top">The GNU Backgammon Training Program</a>. Be sure to select full instead of concise at the bottom left of the site if you do visit it.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Brief_feature_list"></a>Brief feature list</h3></div></div></div><p>Aside from offering an analytical engine of the highest order, the program's interface provides a very impressive number of features for users, many of which are not available in commercial programs. It's worth mentioning that GNU Backgammon is also available for MacOS, Solaris, Linux, and other operating systems. There are also programs using the GNU engine running on <a class="ulink" href="http://bglightce.homelinux.net/" target="_top">Pocket PC PDAs</a>, and the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.nongnu.org/bglight/" target="_top">source</a> is available to be ported to PDAs. </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Import and export one's games and matches from other sources such as FIBS, Gamesgrid (it imports comments as well), and TrueMoneyGames.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Analyse a game or entire match with a detailed report, including your rating and even the equivalent Snowie error rate.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Keeps track of your results in the Player Record</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Rollouts galore with checker play according to score and extensive customizable options.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Setting up of positions.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Export to text documents (with diagrams) and PDF documents.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Export to HTML customizing the information exported and the graphics used.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Copy board and analysis to the Windows clipboard for easy pasting elsewhere.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Numerous ready-made board designs plus the option to make one's own.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Several skins available.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Bearoff databases (both two-sided and one-sided), and tools to make one's own, however large (up to the 12-point, 13-point, etc.).</p></li></ol></div><p>Advanced players will also find a wealth of options to help in their study of the game: </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Choose between no less than 12(!) Match Equity Tables such as Woolsey's, Trice and Jacobs, or even the Snowie table, not to mention some newer more precise ones. You can also create your own to use instead.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>A Temperature Map to visualize the dangers and jokers of a move as well as the volatility of cube decisions.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Kleinman counts and Thorp counts.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Gammon Values and a powerful Market Value viewer showing the values of take points, cash point, beavers, etc. including separate values for a dead cube or live cube.</p></li></ol></div><p>What follows is a tutorial intended to present most of what GNU Backgammon has to offer, though not exhaustively so, and how to make the most of it. </p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Where_to_get_it"></a>Where to get it</h2></div></div></div><p>The official site of GNU Backgammon is either <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnu.org/software/gnubg/" target="_top">http://www.gnu.org/software/gnubg/</a> or <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnubg.org/" target="_top">http://www.gnubg.org</a> though to download an installable version of the program, you'll want to go to the second site. Go there and select Download </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/md9b1995.png" align="middle" /></div><p>And then the version (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, etc.) you want. </p></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Playing_a_game"></a>Playing a game</h2></div></div></div><p>The first and most basic feature is to simply set up a game and play, so let's start with that. Start the program and maximize the window. If the appearance isn't to your liking, you will find out how to customize it further below. </p><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Starting_a_game"></a>Starting a game</h3></div></div></div><p>To start a game, just click on the New button <img src="images/5412263e.png" /> and a small window will open </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m259fcca6.png" align="middle" /></div><p>so you can set your choice of a game, match, or money game session, as well as whether you want to use Manual dice, or activate the Tutor mode. When you are playing, it will automatically show the pip count (and difference), though you can de-activate it by going to Settings menu and in Options, under the Display tab</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/51394706.png" align="middle" /></div><p>uncheck the box Show pip count below board. If you want to only refer to it on occasion, for example to test your own estimation, go to the Analyse menu, select Pip count, and the count will appear at the bottom left.</p><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Rolling_dice_and_doubling"></a>Rolling dice and doubling</h4></div></div></div><p>To roll the dice, simply click on the empty space of the board on the right side. The same goes for doubling, where you can just click on the cube on the board.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m7cee1bfc.png" align="middle" /></div><p>After you've rolled the dice, just clicking on a checker will have GNU play the highest number with it, and after with a second checker or the same one, it will play the lower number. GNU will also help you see where the pieces can go. Just click on a piece and start to drag it. You will see the possible landing squares highlight in green.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m3a7e4f1b.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you would like the programs analysis of a move or cube decision while playing, go to the Analyse menu and select Hint, or press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-H. For details on the Hint/Annotation window, see below. </p><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>You can also play GNU with a full-screen 3D board and 3D dice rolling. See <a class="xref" href="#Board_designs___2D_and_3D" title="Board designs – 2D and 3D">Board designs</a> and <a class="xref" href="#Full_Screen_Board" title="Full Screen Board">Full Screen</a> for more on that.</p></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Toolbar"></a>Toolbar</h4></div></div></div><p>While playing, you can access the main functions through the toolbar at the top:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m215edfe5.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The functions from left to right are: </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>New – to start a new game </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Open – to open a saved match or position </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Import – to import a game/match from another source, such as FIBS, Gamesgrid, or Truemoneygames.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Save – to save a game or position in the program's native format.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Export – to export the game to HTML or another format</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Accept and Decline – In case a double or redouble is offered.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Beaver – allows you to beaver in case a double or redouble is offered in a money game.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Resign – to resign, though GNU will refuse an offer for a single game if there is a chance for a gammon still.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Undo – if you haven't clicked on the dice yet, and want to change your move.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Hint – to ask the program's considerable opinion</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Edit – to change the names of the players, or the position.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Direction – to change the direction the checkers move.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Stop – to stop the program if it is analysing or doing a rollout. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Human_vs._Human"></a>Human vs. Human</h4></div></div></div><p>You may wish to use GNU to keep track of a game or match against a friend, and play directly on the program, or you may wish to enter a game from another source such as a book or a videotape for safekeeping and analysis. Start a game by clicking on the New button. In the window, select Human vs. Human. Select Manual dice if you want to enter the dice played, and not have GNU roll them.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/38371a4c.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you want to change the direction of the play (ex: left to right), just click on the Reverse Direction <img src="images/1540d81e.png" /> button. You can set/change whose turn it is to play by clicking on the small checker next to the player's name at the bottom. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2b86c3ea.png" align="middle" /></div><p>You can also set the turn of the player to move in the Game menu and by selecting Set turn at the bottom. </p><p>To enter the moves, just play as you normally would against the program: clicking on the board to roll the dice, selecting the dice rolled, and then playing the move. If you make a mistake and enter the wrong dice, just go to the Game menu again and select Set dice.</p><p>If you make a mistake in the move played, and want to correct this, go to the Game Record (the move list), click on the move you want to change,</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/78be1dd5.png" align="middle" /></div><p>replay it, and continue from there. It will automatically erase the moves after. If you also want to change the dice rolled, click on the move, then press the Edit button on the toolbar, click on the dice, select the dice you want, press the Edit again, and continue from there.</p><p>If you wanted to double, the simplest way is to click on the move before, re-enter it, and then double. GNU will automatically continue the game with your change and erase the moves that came after.</p><p>If you don't see the move list, go to the View menu, and select Game Record.</p><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>Don't forget to save your results regularly (press the Save button) so you don't lose important information by accident.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Player_strength"></a>Player strength</h3></div></div></div><p>First set the settings by clicking on the Settings menu at the top, then click on Players. This opens a window displaying the settings for GNU or allowing you to play against someone else (or even have GNU play against itself). At the top there is a tab where you can also set your name for the player. For the GNU engine, I prefer the pre-defined setting of Supremo or World Class for both checker play and cube decisions. At this setting it will take some time to play at given moments which may not be to the taste of everyone, so if you want a top-notch game, just a fraction worse, but almost instant, select Expert instead. You may also get tired of getting beat up by it (if you think it cheats, read the section <a class="xref" href="#A_Word_about__Cheating_" title="A Word about Cheating">Cheating </a>), in which case, you can select more modest playing levels.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/48d8024f.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you are a Snowie user, or have seen Snowie's analysis, you may wonder why my recommended level of play (Supremo) is set at 2-ply when Snowie's strongest setting is at 3-ply. The reason is simply one of nomenclature, or naming. Snowie starts counting at 1-ply whereas GNU starts at 0-ply, so the program's 2-ply is in fact the same search depth as Snowie's 3-ply.</p><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Move_Filter"></a>Move Filter</h4></div></div></div><p>The move filter allows you to control exactly how many moves GNU is examining at each ply. A ply is basically one move played by one side, thus if both sides played a move, it would be one whole move, but two plies, one for each side. To change the specific settings, press the Modify... button.</p><p>Although the level presets, such as World Class, Supremo, etc. are tested and good, you may want to know or control how GNU filters its moves to analyse and how many. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/e613071.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you are playing Expert level (this is what GGRaccoon is set at) or another 0-ply setting, the Move Filter settings will not change a thing, as Expert level automatically examines all moves. At Supremo level, this changes though, as it takes a selection of the best moves from 0-ply and examines them at 2-ply. This means that for those selected moves it will calculate all the possibilities 2 plies ahead and evaluate them, allowing it to find better moves. Since Supremo is a 2-ply setting, we are only interested in the 2-ply settings of Large as in the figure above. 3-ply or 4-ply settings will have no effect here because Supremo doesn't examine at that depth. </p><p>In the figure above, we can see it first will Always accept 0 moves. This first line means that it won't force any moves to be analysed at 2-ply, it will only analyse moves according to the second line. If it had said it would always analyse 2 moves, this would mean that no matter how ridiculously bad the 2nd move was compared to the 1st, it would analyse both at 2-ply. </p><p>The second line says it will Add extra 16 moves within 0.320. This means that provided they aren't more than 0.320 equity worse than the top move, it will select a maximum of 16 moves to analyse at 2-ply. For example, in the diagram below</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m4149eeab.png" align="middle" /></div><p>the 2nd best move is no less than 0.453 equity worse than the top choice, so it didn't bother analysing them at 2-ply as it is unlikely to change its mind on what the best move is. </p><p>Take a look at the figure below now:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m4ed24f10.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Here, the exact same settings were maintained, but the 1-ply filter was activated. This just means that those 16 moves selected from the 0-ply are sent instead to be analysed at 1-ply, and then up to 5 moves from 1-ply will be sent to be analysed at 2-ply. So this would actually be faster than the previous setting (and weaker), since a maximum of only 5 moves would be analysed at 2-ply depth.</p><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>Feel free to experiment with the settings, as you can always reset them by simply choosing one of the level presets. One setting change I'd recommend is that of the 4-ply. The default setting only considers 2 moves if they are within 0.040 equity of each other. While I trust the program's analysis, there is often more than one move within that range, and I wouldn't want it to miss analysing one because it is instructed to only look at two moves. I set the filter as in the diagram below: </p></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/4bd6c15f.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Before going any further, do not forget to click on Save settings at the bottom of the Settings menu. You must do this every time you make changes you wish the program to remember the next time you load it.</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Playing_options_and_Tutor"></a>Playing options and Tutor</h3></div></div></div><p>In the Settings menu, select Options, and a small window opens. Here, you can activate automatic bear-off (it will automatically take off the most checkers if it can sparing you the effort of playing obvious moves), choose the equity table to be used (Woolsey's, Snowie's, etc.), select Nackgammon, choose to play with manual dice (you play with your own personal dice instead of the computer's) AND a great teaching tool: the Tutor Mode.</p><p>When activated, the Tutor mode has GNU analysing your moves and/or cube decisions and comparing them with its choices. You set the threshold for its alerts, so if you set it for bad, it will only warn you when you make a bad mistake. It will then allow you to re-examine your choice, go right ahead with it, or provide a <span class="emphasis"><em>hint</em></span> essentially showing you its analysis. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/58c77df2.png" align="middle" /></div><p>My personal choices are to set the limit to bad, and to set the Tutor decisions as Same as Analysis. </p><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>Before going any further, do not forget to click on Save settings at the bottom of the Settings menu. You must do this every time you make changes you wish the program to remember the next time you load it.</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Backgammon_variations"></a>Backgammon variations</h3></div></div></div><p>Backgammon has a number of variations, some of which are quite popular on the servers. The main ones are Nackgammon and Hypergammon, both of which are supported by the program, as well as an Eastern variation of the rules not allowing more than 5 checkers on a single point. GNU is also capable of directly importing and recognizing Nackgammon and Hypergammon games played on the servers for analysis.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Nackgammon – This variation of backgammon conceived by Nick "Nack" Ballard has two checkers removed from the 6 and 13 points and places them in the opponent's board to form a second anchor. Play follows standard backgammon rules and games are naturally longer. It is considered a more strategic struggle, with luck influencing less than normal backgammon. To play a game of Nackgammon against the program, go to the Settings menu and then select Options.</p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m68ad25e2.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Under the tab Game, select Standard backgammon with Nackgammon starting position. This way it will set up a game of Nackgammon instead of normal backgammon.</p><p>Hypergammon – Hypergammon is a very different game, though it too follows the standard rules of backgammon. In it, each player starts with only 3 checkers in the opponent's board and must of course cross the board and bear them off as in normal backgammon. To play Hypergammon in GNU you must first build the Hypergammon databases using the tool makehyper.exe or you can download the bases <a class="ulink" href="ftp://ftp.demon.nl/pub/Demon/games/gnubg/databases/hyper" target="_top">here</a>.</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Advanced_Playing_Information"></a>Advanced Playing Information</h2></div></div></div><p>For players seeking more advanced information on the position, GNU also provides information on the Match Equity Table (MET), race theory (Kleinman count, Thorp count), a powerful Market Window/Gammon value viewer, and a new tool called the Temperature Map courtesy of <a class="ulink" href="http://www46.pair.com/sengoku/TempMap/English/TempMap.html" target="_top">Sho Sengoku</a>.</p><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Match_Equity_Table"></a>Match Equity Table</h3></div></div></div><p>The Match Equity Table can be viewed at any moment by entering the Analyse menu and selecting Match Equity Table. There you will see table values including Pre-Crawford and Post-Crawford scores. The table used by GNU is by no means imposed, and you can select any of a number of provided ones, including the Snowie MET, Woolsey's, Jacob and Trice's, etc. by selecting Load Table. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/33d3487.png" align="middle" /></div><p>In the window that opens, enter the met directory on the right, and then on the right choose the table you want. The tables all end with the .XML extension, so to select the Jacobs and Trice table, choose jacobs.xml. Again, don't forget to save the settings (<span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Save Settings</span>) otherwise it won't remember your choice of table the next time you use the program. </p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> <p>Match Equity Tables</p> <p>The use and knowledge of Match Equity Tables, or METs, in match play is well understood by experienced players. If 25% is the limit to take a double in a money game, ignoring cube revig, in a match this changes enormously according to score. The most famous and popular MET is probably that by Kit Woolsey and Hal Heinrich. However, quite a number have been developed by notable players and researchers, each seeking to get a little closer to playing perfection. GNU allows you to select the MET of your choice, and also includes several you may not be familiar with, with mysterious names such as g11 or mec26. The first thing to realize is that the Woolsey/Heinrich table is based on a 20% gammon rate, and the bots have clearly shown by today that a more appropriate gammon rate is around 26-27%. Both the Rockwell-Kazaross, g11 and mec26 tables use such a rate, though Rockwell-Kazaross is probably the most precise, as the values up to a 15-point match were generated from extensive 2-ply rollouts by the program. For an expert opinion on the subject, allow me to refer to <a class="ulink" href="http://www.chicagopoint.com/abtalltime.html" target="_top">Neil Kazaross</a>, who wrote a <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/rgb/rgb.cgi?view+1187" target="_top">post</a> on this at the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gammonline.com/" target="_top">GammonLine</a> forum.</p> - </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Kleinman and Thorp counts"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Kleinman_and_Thorp_counts"></a>Kleinman and Thorp counts</h3></div></div></div><p>If the game situation is a race, one can look up what the Kleinman count or Thorp count has to say about it.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/ff1f1de.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Market Window/Gammon value"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Market_Window_Gammon_value"></a>Market Window/Gammon value</h3></div></div></div><p>GNU offers a powerful Market Window/Gammon values tool (<span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Market Window</span>) to the advanced or aspiring player. This tool will answer all questions on a position's take point, double point, etc. for both players at any match situation, including side-by-side dead-cube/live-cube scores. If you wish to see how other match scores would affect the figures, you can simply use the arrows, and you can change the cube value. And if it is a money game, then the respective double, beaver, raccoon, redouble values will be shown instead.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/234924dc.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Temperature Map"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Temperature_Map"></a>Temperature Map</h3></div></div></div><p>Sho Sengoku conceived and developed the idea of the <a class="ulink" href="http://www46.pair.com/sengoku/TempMap/English/TempMap.html" target="_top">Temperature Map</a>, which is now available to GNU users. Essentially what it does is allow you to see the possible consequences of a move or cube decision in a visual manner. It is available in the Analysis pane, and in the Hint window. The best way to understand this is to give an example. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/3658e0e8.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Commenting on the position above, as can be seen in the Hint window below, GNU says that running off the anchor with 20/14 would lose 0.064 equity compared to the best move 6/5 6/1. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2759b1ca.png" align="middle" /></div><p>It explains this to us through its estimated percentages of wins and losses, but even trusting the numbers, it is sometimes difficult for a player to see why one is worse than the other. This is a classic "pay now, pay later" situation, ideally suited for the Temperature Map. To see it I highlight the moves I want to compare, and then press the Temp. Map button. To select more than one move, keep the Ctrl key pressed and click on the moves you want to examine. Here is what it shows me:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/2e6307ae.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The whiter the squares the worse the roll would be for me, and the darker the red, the better. We can see that after 20/14 there would be a number of possible rolls that would lead to disastrous situations compared to the ugly, but necessary 6/5 6/1. </p><p>If for example, you wanted to see why a certain roll, flagged with a white square, plays worse, you can click on Show best move, and the best move after each roll will appear in the corresponding square. Likewise, checking Show equities would show the resulting equities of each case scenario.</p><p>The Temperature Map is also available for cube decisions. Why cube decisions you might ask? The reason is that it allows you to see the volatility of the position, and would thus allow you to see quickly and easily the potential market losers of a position. You can set the depth of the analysis as seen at the bottom of the figure above, but be warned that even a 2-ply analysis of all the possibilities can take some time.</p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Importing and Exporting games"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Importing_and_Exporting_games"></a>Importing and Exporting games</h2></div></div></div><p>GNU allows users to import matches from a variety of formats, including the Jellyfish formats, the FIBS oldmoves format, the Snowie GamesGrid format (.sgg), the TrueMoneyGames format (.tmg), and even Snowie's Standard Text Format among others. It also allows you to export your games and positions into the Jellyfish format (.mat), HTML (including easily customizable graphics), a readable text format with diagrams (.txt), and even a PDF document. If you'd like to share a position and some analysis in text format, you can have GNU send this directly to the Windows clipboard for pasting.</p><div class="sect2" title="Importing games"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Importing_games"></a>Importing games</h3></div></div></div><p>Since many players who play online will want to make use of this to analyze their matches, or at the very least see how they did, below are step-by-step instructions on how to do this whether you play at <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fibs.com/" target="_top">FIBS</a>, <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gamesgrid.com/" target="_top">GamesGrid</a>, or <a class="ulink" href="http://www.truemoneygames.com/" target="_top">TrueMoneyGames</a>. Essentially, you just want to save the games in a format that GNU can read and then import them.</p><p>To import a match or position, just press the <img src="images/m46788d89.png" /> button on the toolbar. Then select the type of file you wish to import, locate the file, and that's that.</p><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>For those who take online classes, please note that it imports the commentary saved on a move-by-move basis at GamesGrid, so you can see comments in the annotation window when going over the moves. I tested this with an online class and it was all there, neatly saved at every move.</p></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m6e43baca.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2" title="FIBS - Importing and analyzing"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="FIBS_-_Importing_and_analyzing"></a>FIBS - Importing and analyzing</h3></div></div></div><p>These instructions are for use with <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fibs.com/~cthulhu/" target="_top">JavaFIBS</a>, my preferred FIBS client.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>After your match or game is finished, in the JavaFIBS client, go to the Tools menu and select Match Converter.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>In the window that opens, click on the match you want to analyze, and press the Convert button. I'd recommend deleting the match after this (pressing the Delete button) so the list doesn't grow too big.</p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m5878543.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Open the program, enter the File menu, select Import, and then choose .mat match.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Locate the match and import it. You'll find it in the main JavaFIBS directory, in the subdirectory Match and then Jellyfish. See the <a class="xref" href="#remember" title="Tip">remember</a> below to avoid having to do this everytime.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Go to the Analyze menu and select Analyze match. See <a class="xref" href="#Analyzing_matches" title="Analyzing matches">Analyzing matches</a> to learn how to change the analysis settings.</p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2" title="GamesGrid – Importing and analyzing"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="GamesGrid___Importing_and_analyzing"></a>GamesGrid – Importing and analyzing</h3></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>When playing or watching a match at Gamesgrid, be certain to activate the Record button <img src="images/m2c37a1e7.png" /> so it will save the game when you are done.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>In the save game window, change the format to be saved to Gamesgrid Snowie Match (.sgg) and then press Save.</p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m93f2ca3.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Open the program, enter the File menu, select Import, and then choose Gamesgrid .sgg match.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Locate the match and import it. You'll probably find it in the Gamesgrid directory in a subdirectory called SaveGame. See the <a class="xref" href="#remember" title="Tip">remember</a> below to avoid having to do this everytime.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Go to the Analyze menu and select Analyze match. See <a class="xref" href="#Analyzing_matches" title="Analyzing matches">Analyzing matches</a> to learn how to change the analysis settings.</p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2" title="TrueMoneyGames – Importing and Analyzing"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="TrueMoneyGames___Importing_and_Analyzing"></a>TrueMoneyGames – Importing and Analyzing</h3></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>I'd first suggest changing the option in the TrueMoneyGames client so that it always saves matches by default. Note that you cannot save a match that you are only watching. After opening the program, go to the Tools menu and select Options. In the window that opens, click on the Table tab at the top and then set the options as in the figure below.</p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/16d7944c.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>After saving your game or match, open the program, enter the File menu, select Import, and then choose TrueMoneyGames .tmg match.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Locate the match and import it. You'll probably find it in the TrueMoneyGames directory, called TMG, in a subdirectory called SavedGames. See the <a class="xref" href="#remember" title="Tip">remember</a>" below to avoid having to do this everytime.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Go to the Analyze menu and select Analyze match. See <a class="xref" href="#Analyzing_matches" title="Analyzing matches">Analyzing matches</a> to learn how to change the analysis settings. </p></li></ol></div><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title"><a id="remember"></a>Tip</h3><p>You can have GNU always remember where to get or save a specific file format. For example, to have it remember where to import your matches from Gamesgrid go to File, then Import, and then Gamesgrid .sgg match. In the window that opens, first go to the directory where the matches are saved, but before opening the file, press the Set As Default button at the top. After this, save your settings (<span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Save Settings</span>) and GNU will remember where to find your Gamesgrid matches. You can set GNU to remember different directories for each and every type of file format.</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Exporting games/positions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Exporting_games_positions"></a>Exporting games/positions</h3></div></div></div><p>GNU allows users to Export their games and matches into a variety of formats such as the Jellyfish formats, text format, not to mention PDF, LaTex, PostScript, and even HTML. Note that when exporting to these formats you get the moves, diagrams at each move, the analysis, and even the game/match statistics. In text format you'll see the boards in ASCII art, and in PDF, you'll literally get an instant e-book of the match. It also can export board positions and Gammonline HTML to the Windows clipboard for easy pasting.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Windows Clipboard export"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Windows_Clipboard_export"></a>Windows Clipboard export</h3></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Text export - If you want to share a position and analysis with someone via e-mail or a bulletin board, you can save it to a text file and then recopy the contents, but there is a simpler way. When the position is on the board, go to the Edit menu and select Copy as and the Position as ASCII.</p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/2d9edbab.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Now all you need to do is paste it wherever you like using the Paste command from the menu or the Windows shortcut Ctrl-V (or Shift-Ins) and get something like this:</p><div class="informalexample"><pre class="screen"> + </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Kleinman_and_Thorp_counts"></a>Kleinman and Thorp counts</h3></div></div></div><p>If the game situation is a race, one can look up what the Kleinman count or Thorp count has to say about it.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/ff1f1de.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Market_Window_Gammon_value"></a>Market Window/Gammon value</h3></div></div></div><p>GNU offers a powerful Market Window/Gammon values tool (<span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Market Window</span>) to the advanced or aspiring player. This tool will answer all questions on a position's take point, double point, etc. for both players at any match situation, including side-by-side dead-cube/live-cube scores. If you wish to see how other match scores would affect the figures, you can simply use the arrows, and you can change the cube value. And if it is a money game, then the respective double, beaver, raccoon, redouble values will be shown instead.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/234924dc.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Temperature_Map"></a>Temperature Map</h3></div></div></div><p>Sho Sengoku conceived and developed the idea of the <a class="ulink" href="http://www46.pair.com/sengoku/TempMap/English/TempMap.html" target="_top">Temperature Map</a>, which is now available to GNU users. Essentially what it does is allow you to see the possible consequences of a move or cube decision in a visual manner. It is available in the Analysis pane, and in the Hint window. The best way to understand this is to give an example. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/3658e0e8.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Commenting on the position above, as can be seen in the Hint window below, GNU says that running off the anchor with 20/14 would lose 0.064 equity compared to the best move 6/5 6/1. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2759b1ca.png" align="middle" /></div><p>It explains this to us through its estimated percentages of wins and losses, but even trusting the numbers, it is sometimes difficult for a player to see why one is worse than the other. This is a classic "pay now, pay later" situation, ideally suited for the Temperature Map. To see it I highlight the moves I want to compare, and then press the Temp. Map button. To select more than one move, keep the Ctrl key pressed and click on the moves you want to examine. Here is what it shows me:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/2e6307ae.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The whiter the squares the worse the roll would be for me, and the darker the red, the better. We can see that after 20/14 there would be a number of possible rolls that would lead to disastrous situations compared to the ugly, but necessary 6/5 6/1. </p><p>If for example, you wanted to see why a certain roll, flagged with a white square, plays worse, you can click on Show best move, and the best move after each roll will appear in the corresponding square. Likewise, checking Show equities would show the resulting equities of each case scenario.</p><p>The Temperature Map is also available for cube decisions. Why cube decisions you might ask? The reason is that it allows you to see the volatility of the position, and would thus allow you to see quickly and easily the potential market losers of a position. You can set the depth of the analysis as seen at the bottom of the figure above, but be warned that even a 2-ply analysis of all the possibilities can take some time.</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Importing_and_Exporting_games"></a>Importing and Exporting games</h2></div></div></div><p>GNU allows users to import matches from a variety of formats, including the Jellyfish formats, the FIBS oldmoves format, the Snowie GamesGrid format (.sgg), the TrueMoneyGames format (.tmg), and even Snowie's Standard Text Format among others. It also allows you to export your games and positions into the Jellyfish format (.mat), HTML (including easily customizable graphics), a readable text format with diagrams (.txt), and even a PDF document. If you'd like to share a position and some analysis in text format, you can have GNU send this directly to the Windows clipboard for pasting.</p><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Importing_games"></a>Importing games</h3></div></div></div><p>Since many players who play online will want to make use of this to analyse their matches, or at the very least see how they did, below are step-by-step instructions on how to do this whether you play at <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fibs.com/" target="_top">FIBS</a>, <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gamesgrid.com/" target="_top">GamesGrid</a>, or <a class="ulink" href="http://www.truemoneygames.com/" target="_top">TrueMoneyGames</a>. Essentially, you just want to save the games in a format that GNU can read and then import them.</p><p>To import a match or position, just press the <img src="images/m46788d89.png" /> button on the toolbar. Then select the type of file you wish to import, locate the file, and that's that.</p><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>For those who take online classes, please note that it imports the commentary saved on a move-by-move basis at GamesGrid, so you can see comments in the annotation window when going over the moves. I tested this with an online class and it was all there, neatly saved at every move.</p></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m6e43baca.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="FIBS_-_Importing_and_analysing"></a>FIBS - Importing and analysing</h3></div></div></div><p>These instructions are for use with <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fibs.com/~cthulhu/" target="_top">JavaFIBS</a>, my preferred FIBS client.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>After your match or game is finished, in the JavaFIBS client, go to the Tools menu and select Match Converter.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>In the window that opens, click on the match you want to analyse, and press the Convert button. I'd recommend deleting the match after this (pressing the Delete button) so the list doesn't grow too big.</p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m5878543.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Open the program, enter the File menu, select Import, and then choose .mat match.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Locate the match and import it. You'll find it in the main JavaFIBS directory, in the subdirectory Match and then Jellyfish. See the <a class="xref" href="#remember" title="Tip">remember</a> below to avoid having to do this every time.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Go to the Analyse menu and select Analyse match. See <a class="xref" href="#Analysing_matches" title="Analysing matches">Analysing matches</a> to learn how to change the analysis settings.</p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="GamesGrid___Importing_and_analysing"></a>GamesGrid – Importing and analysing</h3></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>When playing or watching a match at Gamesgrid, be certain to activate the Record button <img src="images/m2c37a1e7.png" /> so it will save the game when you are done.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>In the save game window, change the format to be saved to Gamesgrid Snowie Match (.sgg) and then press Save.</p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m93f2ca3.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Open the program, enter the File menu, select Import, and then choose Gamesgrid .sgg match.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Locate the match and import it. You'll probably find it in the Gamesgrid directory in a subdirectory called SaveGame. See the <a class="xref" href="#remember" title="Tip">remember</a> below to avoid having to do this every time.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Go to the Analyse menu and select Analyse match. See <a class="xref" href="#Analysing_matches" title="Analysing matches">Analysing matches</a> to learn how to change the analysis settings.</p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="TrueMoneyGames___Importing_and_Analysing"></a>TrueMoneyGames – Importing and Analysing</h3></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>I'd first suggest changing the option in the TrueMoneyGames client so that it always saves matches by default. Note that you cannot save a match that you are only watching. After opening the program, go to the Tools menu and select Options. In the window that opens, click on the Table tab at the top and then set the options as in the figure below.</p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/16d7944c.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>After saving your game or match, open the program, enter the File menu, select Import, and then choose TrueMoneyGames .tmg match.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Locate the match and import it. You'll probably find it in the TrueMoneyGames directory, called TMG, in a subdirectory called SavedGames. See the <a class="xref" href="#remember" title="Tip">remember</a>" below to avoid having to do this every time.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Go to the Analyse menu and select Analyse match. See <a class="xref" href="#Analysing_matches" title="Analysing matches">Analysing matches</a> to learn how to change the analysis settings. </p></li></ol></div><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title"><a id="remember"></a>Tip</h3><p>You can have GNU always remember where to get or save a specific file format. For example, to have it remember where to import your matches from Gamesgrid go to File, then Import, and then Gamesgrid .sgg match. In the window that opens, first go to the directory where the matches are saved, but before opening the file, press the Set As Default button at the top. After this, save your settings (<span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Save Settings</span>) and GNU will remember where to find your Gamesgrid matches. You can set GNU to remember different directories for each and every type of file format.</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Exporting_games_positions"></a>Exporting games/positions</h3></div></div></div><p>GNU allows users to Export their games and matches into a variety of formats such as the Jellyfish formats, text format, not to mention PDF, LaTeX, PostScript, and even HTML. Note that when exporting to these formats you get the moves, diagrams at each move, the analysis, and even the game/match statistics. In text format you'll see the boards in ASCII art, and in PDF, you'll literally get an instant e-book of the match. It also can export board positions and Gammonline HTML to the Windows clipboard for easy pasting.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Windows_Clipboard_export"></a>Windows Clipboard export</h3></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Text export - If you want to share a position and analysis with someone via e-mail or a bulletin board, you can save it to a text file and then recopy the contents, but there is a simpler way. When the position is on the board, go to the Edit menu and select Copy as and the Position as ASCII.</p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/2d9edbab.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Now all you need to do is paste it wherever you like using the Paste command from the menu or the Windows shortcut Ctrl-V (or Shift-Ins) and get something like this:</p><div class="informalexample"><pre class="screen"> GNU Backgammon Position ID: sGfwGQDg28EBBg Match ID : cAlvATAAIAAA +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+ O: Kit Woolsey @@ -37,9 +36,9 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref | O O X X | | X | Rolled 63 | O O X X | | X | 4 points +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+ X: Gammonline Readers - </pre></div><p>If the diagram comes out bad, it is probably because of the font. To fix it to look like the above, highlight the text of the diagram and change the font to Courier New and the size to 9 or 10.</p><p>To paste the analysis of the position, look at the analysis in either the Annotation window or the Hint window, highlight the moves, and press the Copy button. Then paste it just like the diagram.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Gammonline HTML export – If you are a <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gammonline.com/" target="_top">GammonLine</a> subscriber, enjoy the GammonLine forum, and would like to share an interesting position, you can also make use of the GammonLine board images as seen in pretty much every article available, AND publish the analysis in elegant HTML. To do this go to the Edit menu, select Copy as, and then GammOnLine (HTML). </p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/60df14d2.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Now go to the text body in the forum and paste it with Ctrl-V (or Shift-Ins). This will work even if the analysis is only in the Hint window.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="PNG Image export"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="PNG_Image_export"></a>PNG Image export</h3></div></div></div><p>You may also wish to simply save the board position as an image file that you can add to a Word document or HTML document for example. To do so, go to the File menu and select Export, then Position, and PNG. Be careful to add .PNG to the name when saving the image. The board image saved will use the color scheme currently being used. If you wish a different color scheme, change the design (for more info see Appearance|boards). You can also change the size of the image that is created by entering the Settings menu, then Export, and at the bottom right of the window that opens, set the size you want.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="HTML export"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="HTML_export"></a>HTML export</h3></div></div></div><p>GNU is capable of creating elegant HTML files so that you can publish your games on the web. It will create them exactly according to your specifications, including the number of moves, what it analyzed, the board design of your choice, and even the match/game statistics. Here is a sample of what it looks like:</p><p>Move number 3: mamabear to play 31</p><p> + </pre></div><p>If the diagram comes out bad, it is probably because of the font. To fix it to look like the above, highlight the text of the diagram and change the font to Courier New and the size to 9 or 10.</p><p>To paste the analysis of the position, look at the analysis in either the Annotation window or the Hint window, highlight the moves, and press the Copy button. Then paste it just like the diagram.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Gammonline HTML export – If you are a <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gammonline.com/" target="_top">GammonLine</a> subscriber, enjoy the GammonLine forum, and would like to share an interesting position, you can also make use of the GammonLine board images as seen in pretty much every article available, AND publish the analysis in elegant HTML. To do this go to the Edit menu, select Copy as, and then GammOnLine (HTML). </p></li></ol></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/60df14d2.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Now go to the text body in the forum and paste it with Ctrl-V (or Shift-Ins). This will work even if the analysis is only in the Hint window.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="PNG_Image_export"></a>PNG Image export</h3></div></div></div><p>You may also wish to simply save the board position as an image file that you can add to a Word document or HTML document for example. To do so, go to the File menu and select Export, then Position, and PNG. Be careful to add .PNG to the name when saving the image. The board image saved will use the color scheme currently being used. If you wish a different color scheme, change the design (for more info see Appearance|boards). You can also change the size of the image that is created by entering the Settings menu, then Export, and at the bottom right of the window that opens, set the size you want.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="HTML_export"></a>HTML export</h3></div></div></div><p>GNU is capable of creating elegant HTML files so that you can publish your games on the web. It will create them exactly according to your specifications, including the number of moves, what it analysed, the board design of your choice, and even the match/game statistics. Here is a sample of what it looks like:</p><p>Move number 3: mamabear to play 31</p><p> <img src="images/20d56757.png" /> - </p><p>Position ID: 0HPhATDg2+ABMA Match ID: MIHlAEAAAAAAPip counts: mamabear 160, KitWoolsey 162</p><p>*mamabear moves 24/20*</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /><col class="c4" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> <p>#</p> </td><td> <p>Ply</p> </td><td> <p>Move</p> </td><td> <p>Equity</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <p>*1</p> </td><td> <p>2</p> </td><td> <p>24/20*</p> </td><td> <p>+0.206</p> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td class="auto-generated"> </td><td colspan="2"> <p>60.6% 21.1% 1.7% - 39.4% 8.9% 0.2%</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <p>2</p> </td><td> <p>2</p> </td><td> <p>8/5 6/5</p> </td><td> <p>-0.067 ( -0.272)</p> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td class="auto-generated"> </td><td colspan="2"> <p>55.2% 18.1% 1.1% - 44.8% 13.8% 0.6%</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <p>3</p> </td><td> <p>0</p> </td><td> <p>24/23 13/10</p> </td><td> <p>-0.244 ( -0.449)</p> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td class="auto-generated"> </td><td colspan="2"> <p>50.2% 15.1% 0.9% - 49.8% 15.1% 0.6%</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <p>4</p> </td><td> <p>0</p> </td><td> <p>24/23 24/21</p> </td><td> <p>-0.256 ( -0.462)</p> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td class="auto-generated"> </td><td colspan="2"> <p>49.8% 13.6% 0.8% - 50.2% 14.8% 0.4%</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <p>5</p> </td><td> <p>0</p> </td><td> <p>24/21 6/5</p> </td><td> <p>-0.285 ( -0.491)</p> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td class="auto-generated"> </td><td colspan="2"> <p>49.7% 14.4% 1.0% - 50.3% 16.5% 0.7%</p> </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>To set all the settings as you'd like, you need to go to the Settings and then select Export. There you can choose, down to the smallest details, what it will display and how. The <span class="emphasis"><em>how</em></span> concerns the images used to produce board positions. This is chosen at the bottom of the window and you can choose between its own HTML images or two others, which are FIBS and BBS. </p><p>You can choose what the board in the HTML page will look like, and have it appear exactly as the board design (see <a class="xref" href="#Board_designs___2D_and_3D" title="Board designs – 2D and 3D">Board designs</a> for more on this) you are using in the program. To do so, you need to create a directory to place the images and then export them. First, go to the File menu, select Export, and then HTML Images... Find a directory to place them in, or create your own by pressing the Create Directory button at the top. I'd suggest using the default name \html-images. Now enter the directory and press the OK button. Be careful to remember the name of the directory you placed the images in, including capital letters if you used any. Now go to the Settings menu, select Export and then at the bottom select GNU Backgammon board images (circled in red below) and type the name of the directory. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/29c6aa57.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>If you want to post a position in an online forum that supports HTML you can do this regardless of whether the forum itself supports the necessary images. Here's how:</p></div><p>1) First be sure the image to be exported is currently on the board, and then in the Export settings set the HTML board type to fibs2html. In the space below URL to pictures, enter <a class="ulink" href="http://fibs2html.sourceforge.net/images/" target="_top">http://fibs2html.sourceforge.net/images/</a> as shown below. Be sure to click Ok, and then Save Settings.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m3fb550fb.png" align="middle" /></div><p>2) Go to the File menu, and select Export, then Position, and then HTML.. Save the file and then open it in Internet Explorer. In case this already sounds a bit mysterious, inside IE just go to <span class="guimenu">File</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Open...</span> and click on Browse... Locate the HTML file you saved and open it.</p><p>3) Once you see the board and image in front of you, still in IE, go to the View menu and select Source... This will open a small window with a lot of code. Copy the entire contents to the body of the post you are writing, and the board and analysis should appear in the forum without any problems.</p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Analyzing matches"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Analyzing_matches"></a>Analyzing matches</h2></div></div></div><p>GNU also comes with a set of functions that allow it to analyze a game or match, provide a detailed graded report, and allow you to navigate through the moves to quickly see the mistakes made.</p><p>Before starting, you'll want to configure the settings first, though this will only need to be done once. Go to Settings and select Analysis. A fairly large window will open, allowing you to play with as many settings as you could want. This is also where you set the thresholds for the Tutor mode (dubious, bad, etc.). Feel free to look around, but I simply set this to analyze checker play, cube decisions, and luck, and set the level of analysis at World Class for both checker play and cube decisions. The Move limit setting is to set the maximum number of moves it will display in the Hint window and the Analysis pane.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/3b2e620f.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>Once more, please do not forget to save (Settings|Save settings) after making changes in the settings, or you will be forced to change them again the next time you start the program.</p></div><p>If you just played a match at an online server, import it first, then go to the Analyze menu and select Analyze match. If you only want to analyze a specific game, open it and then select Analyze game. Once started, you will see a bar in the bottom right corner showing the progress made in both the number of moves and percentage completed.</p></div><div class="sect1" title="Analysis Results and Grade"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Analysis_Results_and_Grade"></a>Analysis Results and Grade</h2></div></div></div><p>Once GNU has finished analyzing your games, you'll want to see the report and then go over the bloopers. In the Analyze menu, select Match statistics, and a window will open. Feel free to resize it (clicking and dragging the edges) to show more information. It will show you the results of both players side by side, allowing you to quickly compare notes. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m3fd7ee24.png" align="middle" /></div><p>You can click on the tabs at the top see the detailed information on how you did specifically in checker play, cubes, and even how luck or unlucky you were, and see the individual grades for each area. </p><p>If you right-click on the information, you will have the choice to copy it or all the pages into the Windows clipboard, that you can paste wherever you like. </p><p>It is very revealing when you see a very different evaluation of your checker play as opposed to your cube decisions. Another feature (in my opinion) is that GNU only grades your checker play according to non-forced moves, contrary to Snowie which grades while including moves that were spent on the bar or that were forced. In other words, if you played 50 moves but 10 of those were spent on the bar (you can hardly make a mistake if you can't play), then GNU will average your error rate according to the 40 unforced moves. You can save these results with the match (<span class="guimenu">File</span> → <span class="guisubmenu">Save</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Match</span>), so that you can see the analysis at anytime without having to redo it. If you are used to Snowie's grade system, or would like to compare them, you will see the equivalent Snowie grade at the top.</p><p>GNU can be quite tough on the grades, much harder than Snowie 4, so an Advanced grade in GNU could easily be an Expert or World Class grade in Snowie 4. Below are the limits of each grade:</p><p>Snowie's thresholds (to understand the Snowie rating) are:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> + </p><p>Position ID: 0HPhATDg2+ABMA Match ID: MIHlAEAAAAAAPip counts: mamabear 160, KitWoolsey 162</p><p>*mamabear moves 24/20*</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /><col class="c4" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> <p>#</p> </td><td> <p>Ply</p> </td><td> <p>Move</p> </td><td> <p>Equity</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <p>*1</p> </td><td> <p>2</p> </td><td> <p>24/20*</p> </td><td> <p>+0.206</p> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td class="auto-generated"> </td><td colspan="2"> <p>60.6% 21.1% 1.7% - 39.4% 8.9% 0.2%</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <p>2</p> </td><td> <p>2</p> </td><td> <p>8/5 6/5</p> </td><td> <p>-0.067 ( -0.272)</p> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td class="auto-generated"> </td><td colspan="2"> <p>55.2% 18.1% 1.1% - 44.8% 13.8% 0.6%</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <p>3</p> </td><td> <p>0</p> </td><td> <p>24/23 13/10</p> </td><td> <p>-0.244 ( -0.449)</p> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td class="auto-generated"> </td><td colspan="2"> <p>50.2% 15.1% 0.9% - 49.8% 15.1% 0.6%</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <p>4</p> </td><td> <p>0</p> </td><td> <p>24/23 24/21</p> </td><td> <p>-0.256 ( -0.462)</p> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td class="auto-generated"> </td><td colspan="2"> <p>49.8% 13.6% 0.8% - 50.2% 14.8% 0.4%</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <p>5</p> </td><td> <p>0</p> </td><td> <p>24/21 6/5</p> </td><td> <p>-0.285 ( -0.491)</p> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td class="auto-generated"> </td><td colspan="2"> <p>49.7% 14.4% 1.0% - 50.3% 16.5% 0.7%</p> </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>To set all the settings as you'd like, you need to go to the Settings and then select Export. There you can choose, down to the smallest details, what it will display and how. The <span class="emphasis"><em>how</em></span> concerns the images used to produce board positions. This is chosen at the bottom of the window and you can choose between its own HTML images or two others, which are FIBS and BBS. </p><p>You can choose what the board in the HTML page will look like, and have it appear exactly as the board design (see <a class="xref" href="#Board_designs___2D_and_3D" title="Board designs – 2D and 3D">Board designs</a> for more on this) you are using in the program. To do so, you need to create a directory to place the images and then export them. First, go to the File menu, select Export, and then HTML Images... Find a directory to place them in, or create your own by pressing the Create Directory button at the top. I'd suggest using the default name \html-images. Now enter the directory and press the OK button. Be careful to remember the name of the directory you placed the images in, including capital letters if you used any. Now go to the Settings menu, select Export and then at the bottom select GNU Backgammon board images (circled in red below) and type the name of the directory. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/29c6aa57.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>If you want to post a position in an online forum that supports HTML you can do this regardless of whether the forum itself supports the necessary images. Here's how:</p></div><p>1) First be sure the image to be exported is currently on the board, and then in the Export settings set the HTML board type to fibs2html. In the space below URL to pictures, enter <a class="ulink" href="http://fibs2html.sourceforge.net/images/" target="_top">http://fibs2html.sourceforge.net/images/</a> as shown below. Be sure to click Ok, and then Save Settings.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m3fb550fb.png" align="middle" /></div><p>2) Go to the File menu, and select Export, then Position, and then HTML.. Save the file and then open it in Internet Explorer. In case this already sounds a bit mysterious, inside IE just go to <span class="guimenu">File</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Open...</span> and click on Browse... Locate the HTML file you saved and open it.</p><p>3) Once you see the board and image in front of you, still in IE, go to the View menu and select Source... This will open a small window with a lot of code. Copy the entire contents to the body of the post you are writing, and the board and analysis should appear in the forum without any problems.</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Analysing_matches"></a>Analysing matches</h2></div></div></div><p>GNU also comes with a set of functions that allow it to analyse a game or match, provide a detailed graded report, and allow you to navigate through the moves to quickly see the mistakes made.</p><p>Before starting, you'll want to configure the settings first, though this will only need to be done once. Go to Settings and select Analysis. A fairly large window will open, allowing you to play with as many settings as you could want. This is also where you set the thresholds for the Tutor mode (dubious, bad, etc.). Feel free to look around, but I simply set this to analyse checker play, cube decisions, and luck, and set the level of analysis at World Class for both checker play and cube decisions. The Move limit setting is to set the maximum number of moves it will display in the Hint window and the Analysis pane.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/3b2e620f.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>Once more, please do not forget to save (Settings|Save settings) after making changes in the settings, or you will be forced to change them again the next time you start the program.</p></div><p>If you just played a match at an online server, import it first, then go to the Analyse menu and select Analyse match. If you only want to analyse a specific game, open it and then select Analyse game. Once started, you will see a bar in the bottom right corner showing the progress made in both the number of moves and percentage completed.</p></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Analysis_Results_and_Grade"></a>Analysis Results and Grade</h2></div></div></div><p>Once GNU has finished analysing your games, you'll want to see the report and then go over the bloopers. In the Analyse menu, select Match statistics, and a window will open. Feel free to resize it (clicking and dragging the edges) to show more information. It will show you the results of both players side by side, allowing you to quickly compare notes. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m3fd7ee24.png" align="middle" /></div><p>You can click on the tabs at the top see the detailed information on how you did specifically in checker play, cubes, and even how luck or unlucky you were, and see the individual grades for each area. </p><p>If you right-click on the information, you will have the choice to copy it or all the pages into the Windows clipboard, that you can paste wherever you like. </p><p>It is very revealing when you see a very different evaluation of your checker play as opposed to your cube decisions. Another feature (in my opinion) is that GNU only grades your checker play according to non-forced moves, contrary to Snowie which grades while including moves that were spent on the bar or that were forced. In other words, if you played 50 moves but 10 of those were spent on the bar (you can hardly make a mistake if you can't play), then GNU will average your error rate according to the 40 unforced moves. You can save these results with the match (<span class="guimenu">File</span> → <span class="guisubmenu">Save</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Match</span>), so that you can see the analysis at anytime without having to redo it. If you are used to Snowie's grade system, or would like to compare them, you will see the equivalent Snowie grade at the top.</p><p>GNU can be quite tough on the grades, much harder than Snowie 4, so an Advanced grade in GNU could easily be an Expert or World Class grade in Snowie 4. Below are the limits of each grade:</p><p>Snowie's thresholds (to understand the Snowie rating) are:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> <p>0.0 - 1.2 : Extra-terrestrial</p> <p>1.2 - 4.4 : World class</p> <p>4.4 - 5.9 : Expert</p> @@ -47,7 +46,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref <p>8.8 - 12.6 : Intermediate</p> <p>12.6 -18.5 : Beginner</p> <p>18.5 - ?? : Novice</p> - </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>The program's thresholds are:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> + </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>The program's thresholds are:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> <p>0.000 - 0.002 Supernatural</p> <p>0.002 - 0.005 World Class </p> <p>0.005 - 0.008 Expert 0.008 - 0.012 Advanced </p> @@ -55,7 +54,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref <p>0.018 - 0.026 Casual Player </p> <p>0.026 - 0.035 Beginner </p> <p>0.035 - oo Awful! </p> - </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>GNU will also attribute an estimated Elo rating of your play based on the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.northcoast.com/~mccool/fibsrate.html" target="_top">FIBS rating system</a>, but it will only do so for match play. To know how they are derived, consult the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~kvdoel/tmp/ratings/" target="_top">author's paper</a> on this.</p><p>You can also copy the results of the report to another document. To do this, click on any of the lines, then right-click with the mouse, and select either Copy Page or Copy all Pages</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/34740886.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>If you use a program such as Word or WordPad (avoid Notepad), the formatting will be lost when you paste it, but this is easily fixed: in the document, highlight the text, and change the font to Courier New and size to either 9 or 10. Ex:</p></div><div class="informalexample"><pre class="screen"> + </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>GNU will also attribute an estimated Elo rating of your play based on the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.northcoast.com/~mccool/fibsrate.html" target="_top">FIBS rating system</a>, but it will only do so for match play. To know how they are derived, consult the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~kvdoel/tmp/ratings/" target="_top">author's paper</a> on this.</p><p>You can also copy the results of the report to another document. To do this, click on any of the lines, then right-click with the mouse, and select either Copy Page or Copy all Pages</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/34740886.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>If you use a program such as Word or WordPad (avoid Notepad), the formatting will be lost when you paste it, but this is easily fixed: in the document, highlight the text, and change the font to Courier New and size to either 9 or 10. Ex:</p></div><div class="informalexample"><pre class="screen"> Malcolm Davis Neil Kazaross Overall Statistics: Error rate (total) -1.421 (-12.205%) -1.121 (-10.072%) @@ -67,12 +66,12 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref Luck based FIBS rating diff. +9.13 Error based abs. FIBS rating 1951.5 1972.1 Checkerplay errors rating loss 89.2 77.4 - </pre></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Player Records"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Player_Records"></a>Player Records</h2></div></div></div><p>You can keep track of the results obtained by yourself and your opponents using the Player Records. There you can store the statistics of your matches and keep records of the average results obtained such as checker play, cube decisions, and luck. It will also break down the results according to the last 20 games played, the last 100, etc.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m7bf4f29.png" align="middle" /></div><p>To add results to an existing account, or simply create a new account in which to add the results (of course you must first have an analyzed match open), go to the Analyze menu, and select Add to Player Records and Match statistics. If the account doesn't already exist, GNU will create it automatically and add the results. If you wish to remove an account, then click on the name in the Player Records, and press the Erase button.</p></div><div class="sect1" title="Reviewing moves and mistakes"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Reviewing_moves_and_mistakes"></a>Reviewing moves and mistakes</h2></div></div></div><p>Once you have seen the results of the report, you will probably want to go over the mistakes you made. To do this, you'll need to be sure both the Game Record and the Analysis panes are visible. If you don't see them, or are unsure, go to the View menu, and activate them. </p><div class="sect2" title="Game Record"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Game_Record"></a>Game Record</h3></div></div></div><p>The Game Record pane is located at the top right, and will list the moves, games, and errors:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/4b13a0e7.png" align="middle" /></div><p>It always shows the last move of the last game when you open or import a match. You can navigate backwards and forwards move-by-move with the green arrows, and game-by-game with the red arrows. If you use the buttons with the question marks on the green arrows, it will go from mistake-to-mistake. The side-by-side list with colored commentary (note that you must first analyze the match or move before) allows you to quickly overview who made more mistakes in a game, and identify what mistakes and how bad they were. Remember you can set the limits of what is considered a mistake by GNU in the Analysis options in the Settings menu.</p><p>Here is a summary of what the colors and codes mean. The early versions of GNU didn't have the color coding, so they used punctuation marks, standard in chess notation, to describe the moves.</p><p>!? indicates a dubious move</p><p>? indicates a bad move, and</p><p>?? indicates a blunder</p><p>Since every move has two decisions involved, a checker play and a cube decision, one can make two mistakes in a single move, and thus see something like:</p><p>63: 24/15!???</p><p>Though it may seem like GNU got overly enthusiastic about its comments, the fact is there are two separate comments above. The first punctuation (!?) is for the checker play, and the second (??) is for the cube, so here a dubious checker play was made, and a cube decision blunder was also made.</p><p>Note that you can ignore this if you like, and stick to the color coding, as described below. If all this seems a bit disorienting at first, with a bit of practice, it will become second nature.</p><p>Green text indicates a dubious checker play</p><p>Blue text indicates a bad checker play</p><p>Red text indicates a very bad checker play</p><p>Grey background indicates a dubious cube decision</p><p>Purple background indicates a bad cube decision</p><p>Yellow background indicates a very bad cube decision</p><p>Boldface indicates a very lucky move</p><p>Italics indicates a very unlucky move</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Hint window & Analysis pane"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Hint_window__Analysis_pane"></a>Hint window & Analysis pane</h3></div></div></div><p>You can see the program's analysis either in the Hint window by pressing the <img src="images/m6e32590b.png" /> button on the toolbar, or in the Analysis pane after a game or move has been analyzed (see <a class="xref" href="#Analyzing_matches" title="Analyzing matches">Analyzing matches</a> above). You will see a window open showing the best to worst moves from top to bottom or an analysis of the cube decision. </p><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>GNU allows one to see the analysis in several forms, such as the GWC (Game winning chances) or MWC. In order to see it as shown below go to the Settings menu, select Options, then select the Display tab at the top. Set the last 3 choices as below:</p></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m6fc19da0.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="sect3" title="Checker play analysis"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Checker_play_analysis"></a>Checker play analysis</h4></div></div></div><p>A first suggestion is to go to the Settings menu, then Appearance, and in it, to the right, make sure the box for GWC as Percentage is checked. Here is what it shows for the dubious move shown above:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2759b1ca.png" align="middle" /></div><p>First of all, if you are new to backgammon software, and the above looks hopelessly complicated, relax, it isn't nearly that bad. Let's look at the 5th line in red, the move that was played, and figure out what it all means:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Rank – As it's ranked 5th we know that GNU thinks it is only the 5th best move.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Type – It says Cubeful which means that it is taking into account the possibility that someone may double. This means that occasionally you may see several moves with an equity of -1.000 (see Equity below), despite significantly different winning percentiles, because it thinks that if they are played then the opponent will double, and you should pass. The 2-ply is the depth GNU analyzed the move.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Win - This number is the percentage the move has to win the game. Thus the move played gives the player a 29.7% chance to win (including gammons and backgammons). </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>W g - This number is the percentage of games that should win by at least a gammon (including backgammons). Thus you have a 0.7% of winning with a gammon or better.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>W bg – This number is the percentage of games that should win by a backgammon. Thus you have a 0.0% of winning with a backgammon.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Lose – This is the percentage of losses expected. Thus one has a 70.3% chance of losing the game (including gammons and backgammons). </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>L g - This number is the percentage of games that should lose by at least a gammon (including backgammons). Thus 8.1% of the games will lose by a gammon or worse.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>L bg - This number is the percentage of games that should end in backgammon losses. Thus 0.2% of the games will lose by a backgammon.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Equity – This is the overall evaluation of the position by the program, after considering the different win/loss percentiles, the cube position, and the match score. A 1.000 would mean that you are expected to win a point, a 0.000 would mean that it is roughly equal, and a -1.000 that you are expected to lose a point. The score shows an edge for the side that played as it says 0.137</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Diff. – This is the size of the error (the difference in equity) perceived in comparison to the top move. As we can see, the top move's equity reads 0.187 and the move played only 0.137, thus equating to a -0.050 error. The thresholds of the degrees of errors are determined in the Analysis settings. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Move – This is the move being evaluated. In the case of the red line, it is the move that was played.</p></li></ol></div><p>As you can see, it shows the best moves considered, with the move actually played in red, plus the various equity scores for gammons, etc. Most players will focus on the last three, which are the total equity of the move, the difference in equity between the move played and the program's top choice, and what move is being evaluated. However, since GNU can't explain why one move is better than another, looking at the win percentage, and the respective percentages of gammon wins and gammon losses can help.</p><p>That's all nice and well for the Hint window, however the Analysis pane, if activated, will appear below the Game Record a bit differently. If you don't see it at all, be sure it is activated in the View menu. Remember also that you must first have analyzed moves or games (<span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analyze match</span>) for it to display anything.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/5308d35c.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The organization is similar to the Hint window described above, and the information is identical. The top line of each move shows the rank, the type (depth), the equity and the move played (in boldface). The line below shows the move's winning percentages, the gammon winning chances, and the backgammon percentages, followed by the respective percentages of the opponent. See above for a detailed description.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Cube analysis"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Cube_analysis"></a>Cube analysis</h4></div></div></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m1bd07579.png" align="middle" /></div><p>In the diagram above, you can see how its cube analysis looks like. First you will see that aside from the pure cubeless equity, it also says (Money: +0.357). The reason is that the cube analysis was from a match, where the score can completely change the value and correctness of a double or not, and GNU tells you what the equity would be if the decision were in a money game.</p><p>Below you can see the expected win/loss percentages, just as for checker play, and below that you can see the actual cube analysis. Here is what you are seeing:</p><p>1. Double, take +0.688 – This is the equity GNU estimates you will have if you double, and your opponent accepts. You will notice this is quite different from the cubeless equity at the top at +0.308. The reason is that this second equity of +0.688 takes into account the cube and power it gives. Since we know this is a match cube, the cube may have a very different value depending on how much it weighs on the match score.</p><p>2. Double, pass +1.000 +0.312 – The +1.000 is simply because if your opponent passes, you would win a single game (no gammon or backgammon) hence the +1.000 equity. Since this is considerably higher than your equity of +0.688 if he were to take, dropping the cube would be a +0.312 blunder (1000 – 688).</p><p>3. No double +0.646 -0.042 – This is what your equity would be if you didn't double. Since the equity is lower than the +0.688 you would have if you doubled and the double was accepted, not doubling would lose 0.042 (688 – 646), and would therefore be a mistake.</p><p>Proper cube action obviously represents what should be done on both sides, in other words you should double, since not doubling would be a 0.042 mistake as we saw, and your opponent should take, since dropping would be a 0.312 blunder.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Other analysis functions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Other_analysis_functions"></a>Other analysis functions</h4></div></div></div><p>If you'd like to copy the analysis of a move(s) or cube decision to a document, highlight the moves that interest you, and press Copy. If you want to highlight more than one, keep the Ctrl key pressed while selecting the moves. Then paste it where you wish. Don't forget to change the font to Courier New size 9 or 10 if you wish to maintain the formatting.</p><p>If you'd like to see how the different moves it analyzed appear on the board, press the Show button. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m1921b4.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Now just click on a move you want to see in the list of analyzed moves and the board will display it. To see another move, just click on it. This allows you to quickly see and compare the moves it analyzed. To exit Show mode to be able to analyze the moves or run rollouts, click on the Show button again.</p><p>You'll also note a button called the Temp. Map <img src="images/m707a2772.png" />. This is a powerful tool conceived and developed by Sho Sengoku. Please refer to the <a class="xref" href="#Temperature_Map" title="Temperature Map">Temperature Map</a> section for details.</p><p>You may also want to have GNU analyze a few select moves a bit deeper. To do this you can have it go a 3rd ply, a 4th ply, or even do a rollout. To do a 3-ply or 4-ply analysis, select the moves you want analyzed, and then press the <img src="images/m22b92249.png" /> or <img src="images/3117171e.png" />. Let's have it do a 3-ply analysis of the three moves highlighted above. Just click on the number <span class="emphasis"><em>3</em></span> and it will do a 3-ply analysis. Be a little patient as 3 plies is considerably slower than 2 plies, but it shouldn't be too long. If you want to customize the evaluator, click on the button indicated with a small red circle <img src="images/m2a94f4ab.png" />, and change the parameters you want. Now just click on the Eval button, and let it compute its results. You may also prefer to see the Match Winning Chances of the moves instead of the equity. This shows the chances of winning the match as opposed to the evaluation according to a single game. To do so, press the MWC button:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/53ce0fa6.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Here we see the results of the 2-ply analysis, displayed not only in percentiles, but in Match Winning Chances, as opposed to Game Winning Chances.</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Commenting moves"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Commenting_moves"></a>Commenting moves</h3></div></div></div><p>You can add or read text comments on moves or cube decisions. This is available through the Commentary pane, available through the View menu (<span class="guimenu">View</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Commentary</span>).</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m72075f4e.png" align="middle" /></div><p>These comments are saved with the game score and can also be exported into HTML, PDF, text files, or any of the other Export options in <a class="xref" href="#Exporting_games_positions" title="Exporting games/positions">Exporting games positions</a>.</p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Rollouts"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Rollouts"></a>Rollouts</h2></div></div></div><p>So what's a rollout? A rollout is when you have the program play against itself a set amount of times (number of trials) and then sum up all the results of wins, losses, gammons, etc. from those games to give a more precise evaluation of a move/position. The interest is that the program may easily be underestimating some features/dangers of a position, and not realize this by only looking a couple of plies ahead. By playing it out, things will happen, and the game will unfold, giving it more accurate information on the consequences of a move. </p><p>One can do a full rollout, meaning it will play the position out until the last checker is born off, or it can be a truncated rollout, playing to a certain depth in plies, enough to evaluate the consequences, or even a mixture of settings. </p><p>Rollouts can be done at any time either directly from the Analysis pane with the Rollout option, or from the Hint window. To use the rollout function you must first select the moves you want to rollout, otherwise the button will remain grayed out and inaccessible. You will want to set your preferred options the first time by clicking on the <img src="images/m57625db1.png" /> button to the right of the Rollout button. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/mb4b1284.png" align="middle" /></div><p>GNU offers a vast number of ways to set the rollouts, allowing you as many possibilities for efficiency as possible. Its 0-ply play is incredibly strong and practically instant, so it can help give meaningful results very quickly. GNU also plays according to score in its rollouts (using the match equity table of your choice naturally), which Snowie 4 does not for example. I will explain the main options, share the results of some of the testing that has been done, and share my preferences.</p><p>When one opens the rollout options window for the first time, it can look vastly intimidating and confusing. </p><p> + </pre></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Player_Records"></a>Player Records</h2></div></div></div><p>You can keep track of the results obtained by yourself and your opponents using the Player Records. There you can store the statistics of your matches and keep records of the average results obtained such as checker play, cube decisions, and luck. It will also break down the results according to the last 20 games played, the last 100, etc.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m7bf4f29.png" align="middle" /></div><p>To add results to an existing account, or simply create a new account in which to add the results (of course you must first have an analysed match open), go to the Analyse menu, and select Add to Player Records and Match statistics. If the account doesn't already exist, GNU will create it automatically and add the results. If you wish to remove an account, then click on the name in the Player Records, and press the Erase button.</p></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Reviewing_moves_and_mistakes"></a>Reviewing moves and mistakes</h2></div></div></div><p>Once you have seen the results of the report, you will probably want to go over the mistakes you made. To do this, you'll need to be sure both the Game Record and the Analysis panes are visible. If you don't see them, or are unsure, go to the View menu, and activate them. </p><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Game_Record"></a>Game Record</h3></div></div></div><p>The Game Record pane is located at the top right, and will list the moves, games, and errors:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/4b13a0e7.png" align="middle" /></div><p>It always shows the last move of the last game when you open or import a match. You can navigate backwards and forwards move-by-move with the green arrows, and game-by-game with the red arrows. If you use the buttons with the question marks on the green arrows, it will go from mistake-to-mistake. The side-by-side list with colored commentary (note that you must first analyse the match or move before) allows you to quickly overview who made more mistakes in a game, and identify what mistakes and how bad they were. Remember you can set the limits of what is considered a mistake by GNU in the Analysis options in the Settings menu.</p><p>Here is a summary of what the colors and codes mean. The early versions of GNU didn't have the color coding, so they used punctuation marks, standard in chess notation, to describe the moves.</p><p>!? indicates a dubious move</p><p>? indicates a bad move, and</p><p>?? indicates a blunder</p><p>Since every move has two decisions involved, a checker play and a cube decision, one can make two mistakes in a single move, and thus see something like:</p><p>63: 24/15!???</p><p>Though it may seem like GNU got overly enthusiastic about its comments, the fact is there are two separate comments above. The first punctuation (!?) is for the checker play, and the second (??) is for the cube, so here a dubious checker play was made, and a cube decision blunder was also made.</p><p>Note that you can ignore this if you like, and stick to the color coding, as described below. If all this seems a bit disorienting at first, with a bit of practice, it will become second nature.</p><p>Green text indicates a dubious checker play</p><p>Blue text indicates a bad checker play</p><p>Red text indicates a very bad checker play</p><p>Grey background indicates a dubious cube decision</p><p>Purple background indicates a bad cube decision</p><p>Yellow background indicates a very bad cube decision</p><p>Boldface indicates a very lucky move</p><p>Italics indicates a very unlucky move</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Hint_window__Analysis_pane"></a>Hint window & Analysis pane</h3></div></div></div><p>You can see the program's analysis either in the Hint window by pressing the <img src="images/m6e32590b.png" /> button on the toolbar, or in the Analysis pane after a game or move has been analysed (see <a class="xref" href="#Analysing_matches" title="Analysing matches">Analysing matches</a> above). You will see a window open showing the best to worst moves from top to bottom or an analysis of the cube decision. </p><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>GNU allows one to see the analysis in several forms, such as the GWC (Game winning chances) or MWC. In order to see it as shown below go to the Settings menu, select Options, then select the Display tab at the top. Set the last 3 choices as below:</p></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m6fc19da0.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Checker_play_analysis"></a>Checker play analysis</h4></div></div></div><p>A first suggestion is to go to the Settings menu, then Appearance, and in it, to the right, make sure the box for GWC as Percentage is checked. Here is what it shows for the dubious move shown above:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2759b1ca.png" align="middle" /></div><p>First of all, if you are new to backgammon software, and the above looks hopelessly complicated, relax, it isn't nearly that bad. Let's look at the 5th line in red, the move that was played, and figure out what it all means:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Rank – As it's ranked 5th we know that GNU thinks it is only the 5th best move.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Type – It says Cubeful which means that it is taking into account the possibility that someone may double. This means that occasionally you may see several moves with an equity of -1.000 (see Equity below), despite significantly different winning percentiles, because it thinks that if they are played then the opponent will double, and you should pass. The 2-ply is the depth GNU analysed the move.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Win - This number is the percentage the move has to win the game. Thus the move played gives the player a 29.7% chance to win (including gammons and backgammons). </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>W g - This number is the percentage of games that should win by at least a gammon (including backgammons). Thus you have a 0.7% of winning with a gammon or better.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>W bg – This number is the percentage of games that should win by a backgammon. Thus you have a 0.0% of winning with a backgammon.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Lose – This is the percentage of losses expected. Thus one has a 70.3% chance of losing the game (including gammons and backgammons). </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>L g - This number is the percentage of games that should lose by at least a gammon (including backgammons). Thus 8.1% of the games will lose by a gammon or worse.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>L bg - This number is the percentage of games that should end in backgammon losses. Thus 0.2% of the games will lose by a backgammon.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Equity – This is the overall evaluation of the position by the program, after considering the different win/loss percentiles, the cube position, and the match score. A 1.000 would mean that you are expected to win a point, a 0.000 would mean that it is roughly equal, and a -1.000 that you are expected to lose a point. The score shows an edge for the side that played as it says 0.137</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Diff. – This is the size of the error (the difference in equity) perceived in comparison to the top move. As we can see, the top move's equity reads 0.187 and the move played only 0.137, thus equating to a -0.050 error. The thresholds of the degrees of errors are determined in the Analysis settings. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Move – This is the move being evaluated. In the case of the red line, it is the move that was played.</p></li></ol></div><p>As you can see, it shows the best moves considered, with the move actually played in red, plus the various equity scores for gammons, etc. Most players will focus on the last three, which are the total equity of the move, the difference in equity between the move played and the program's top choice, and what move is being evaluated. However, since GNU can't explain why one move is better than another, looking at the win percentage, and the respective percentages of gammon wins and gammon losses can help.</p><p>That's all nice and well for the Hint window, however the Analysis pane, if activated, will appear below the Game Record a bit differently. If you don't see it at all, be sure it is activated in the View menu. Remember also that you must first have analysed moves or games (<span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analyse match</span>) for it to display anything.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/5308d35c.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The organization is similar to the Hint window described above, and the information is identical. The top line of each move shows the rank, the type (depth), the equity and the move played (in boldface). The line below shows the move's winning percentages, the gammon winning chances, and the backgammon percentages, followed by the respective percentages of the opponent. See above for a detailed description.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Cube_analysis"></a>Cube analysis</h4></div></div></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m1bd07579.png" align="middle" /></div><p>In the diagram above, you can see how its cube analysis looks like. First you will see that aside from the pure cubeless equity, it also says (Money: +0.357). The reason is that the cube analysis was from a match, where the score can completely change the value and correctness of a double or not, and GNU tells you what the equity would be if the decision were in a money game.</p><p>Below you can see the expected win/loss percentages, just as for checker play, and below that you can see the actual cube analysis. Here is what you are seeing:</p><p>1. Double, take +0.688 – This is the equity GNU estimates you will have if you double, and your opponent accepts. You will notice this is quite different from the cubeless equity at the top at +0.308. The reason is that this second equity of +0.688 takes into account the cube and power it gives. Since we know this is a match cube, the cube may have a very different value depending on how much it weighs on the match score.</p><p>2. Double, pass +1.000 +0.312 – The +1.000 is simply because if your opponent passes, you would win a single game (no gammon or backgammon) hence the +1.000 equity. Since this is considerably higher than your equity of +0.688 if he were to take, dropping the cube would be a +0.312 blunder (1000 – 688).</p><p>3. No double +0.646 -0.042 – This is what your equity would be if you didn't double. Since the equity is lower than the +0.688 you would have if you doubled and the double was accepted, not doubling would lose 0.042 (688 – 646), and would therefore be a mistake.</p><p>Proper cube action obviously represents what should be done on both sides, in other words you should double, since not doubling would be a 0.042 mistake as we saw, and your opponent should take, since dropping would be a 0.312 blunder.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="Other_analysis_functions"></a>Other analysis functions</h4></div></div></div><p>If you'd like to copy the analysis of a move(s) or cube decision to a document, highlight the moves that interest you, and press Copy. If you want to highlight more than one, keep the Ctrl key pressed while selecting the moves. Then paste it where you wish. Don't forget to change the font to Courier New size 9 or 10 if you wish to maintain the formatting.</p><p>If you'd like to see how the different moves it analysed appear on the board, press the Show button. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m1921b4.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Now just click on a move you want to see in the list of analysed moves and the board will display it. To see another move, just click on it. This allows you to quickly see and compare the moves it analysed. To exit Show mode to be able to analyse the moves or run rollouts, click on the Show button again.</p><p>You'll also note a button called the Temp. Map <img src="images/m707a2772.png" />. This is a powerful tool conceived and developed by Sho Sengoku. Please refer to the <a class="xref" href="#Temperature_Map" title="Temperature Map">Temperature Map</a> section for details.</p><p>You may also want to have GNU analyse a few select moves a bit deeper. To do this you can have it go a 3rd ply, a 4th ply, or even do a rollout. To do a 3-ply or 4-ply analysis, select the moves you want analysed, and then press the <img src="images/m22b92249.png" /> or <img src="images/3117171e.png" />. Let's have it do a 3-ply analysis of the three moves highlighted above. Just click on the number <span class="emphasis"><em>3</em></span> and it will do a 3-ply analysis. Be a little patient as 3 plies is considerably slower than 2 plies, but it shouldn't be too long. If you want to customize the evaluator, click on the button indicated with a small red circle <img src="images/m2a94f4ab.png" />, and change the parameters you want. Now just click on the Eval button, and let it compute its results. You may also prefer to see the Match Winning Chances of the moves instead of the equity. This shows the chances of winning the match as opposed to the evaluation according to a single game. To do so, press the MWC button:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/53ce0fa6.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Here we see the results of the 2-ply analysis, displayed not only in percentiles, but in Match Winning Chances, as opposed to Game Winning Chances.</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Commenting_moves"></a>Commenting moves</h3></div></div></div><p>You can add or read text comments on moves or cube decisions. This is available through the Commentary pane, available through the View menu (<span class="guimenu">View</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Commentary</span>).</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m72075f4e.png" align="middle" /></div><p>These comments are saved with the game score and can also be exported into HTML, PDF, text files, or any of the other Export options in <a class="xref" href="#Exporting_games_positions" title="Exporting games/positions">Exporting games positions</a>.</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Rollouts"></a>Rollouts</h2></div></div></div><p>So what's a rollout? A rollout is when you have the program play against itself a set amount of times (number of trials) and then sum up all the results of wins, losses, gammons, etc. from those games to give a more precise evaluation of a move/position. The interest is that the program may easily be underestimating some features/dangers of a position, and not realize this by only looking a couple of plies ahead. By playing it out, things will happen, and the game will unfold, giving it more accurate information on the consequences of a move. </p><p>One can do a full rollout, meaning it will play the position out until the last checker is born off, or it can be a truncated rollout, playing to a certain depth in plies, enough to evaluate the consequences, or even a mixture of settings. </p><p>Rollouts can be done at any time either directly from the Analysis pane with the Rollout option, or from the Hint window. To use the rollout function you must first select the moves you want to rollout, otherwise the button will remain grayed out and inaccessible. You will want to set your preferred options the first time by clicking on the <img src="images/m57625db1.png" /> button to the right of the Rollout button. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/mb4b1284.png" align="middle" /></div><p>GNU offers a vast number of ways to set the rollouts, allowing you as many possibilities for efficiency as possible. Its 0-ply play is incredibly strong and practically instant, so it can help give meaningful results very quickly. GNU also plays according to score in its rollouts (using the match equity table of your choice naturally), which Snowie 4 does not for example. I will explain the main options, share the results of some of the testing that has been done, and share my preferences.</p><p>When one opens the rollout options window for the first time, it can look vastly intimidating and confusing. </p><p> <img src="images/2dd86698.png" /> - </p><p>However, it really isn't, so let's run through it from top to bottom and see what GNU can do for you.</p><div class="sect2" title="Playing strength"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Playing_strength"></a>Playing strength</h3></div></div></div><p>To set the primary playing strength used in the rollouts, click on the tab First Play Both at the top:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m5781f59d.png" align="middle" /></div><p>This is where you configure the primary strength of play. If you want to set a different playing strength for the cube decisions, you must go to the General Settings tab and at the bottom deactivate the option Cube decisions use same settings as Checker play.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Trials"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Trials"></a>Trials</h3></div></div></div><p>The topmost part under the tab General Settings is where you set the number of trials.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m4796afa7.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The number of trials is simply the number of games you want GNU to play out (or roll out) as it collects the results. The more trials the better as this reduces the error margin of the results. After all, if it won a certain position 2 times in 3, it could be a fluke, but after hundreds or thousands of trials with variance reduction (see below) the results become far more trustworthy.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Truncated rollouts"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Truncated_rollouts"></a>Truncated rollouts</h3></div></div></div><p>Truncated rollouts are rollouts played to a certain number of moves as opposed to full rollouts. You may feel that the program doesn't really need to play the game to the last move to know whether a move leads to good positions or bad ones.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m19f9a2cc.png" align="middle" /></div><p>In the above figure the setting is 11 plies, so GNU will play out 11 moves, stop and evaluate the resulting position, and then start the next trial. This is far faster of course, and is particularly desirable if you want to analyze using a 2-ply playing strength which might be too slow for a full rollout.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Evaluation for later plies"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Evaluation_for_later_plies"></a>Evaluation for later plies</h3></div></div></div><p>One can set GNU to use a different playing strength after a specified number of plies in the Evaluation for later plies.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/3cb4011e.png" align="middle" /></div><p>For example, suppose you had a backgame situation to rollout. Although you wanted the game to be rolled out at 0-ply (1900-2000 Elo), you didn't trust the first plies to be the best. Enabling this as above, you could set the first 8 plies to be played at Supremo (2-ply) and the rest of the game at 0-ply, giving you a bit of both worlds. In fact this has been tested and shown to be very efficient for exactly that type of scenario.</p><p>So how does one set the playing strength of the first 5 plies (for example) and after? At the top, there are those mysterious tabs: </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/4e43baf8.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you click on the tab First Play Both, you can set the strength of the first plies to be played. Naturally, if you haven't activated the Evaluation for later plies option this will be the default rollout playing strength. Now, once you have set this, click on the Later Play Both, and you will be able to set the playing strength for the subsequent plies. You can use this option in both full rollouts and truncated rollouts. </p></div><div class="sect2" title="Stop at specific Standard Deviation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Stop_at_specific_Standard_Deviation"></a>Stop at specific Standard Deviation</h3></div></div></div><p>Obviously, a rollout with too few trials will not yield reliable results due to the large Standard Deviation, or in other words how much the result could be wrong by. The more trials the smaller the possible error, however how many trials are necessary? Unfortunately, this can vary a lot according to the position, so to get a Standard Deviation of 0.020 (meaning the equity given could be actually 0.020 more or 0.020 less) one position might need 400 trials, and another might need 1400. This option is designed to address this problem.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m23e0471c.png" align="middle" /></div><p>In the figure above, the rollout was set to stop when the standard deviation of the equity is less than 0.01 and a minimum of 144 games were requested. </p></div><div class="sect2" title="Stop at specific Joint Standard Deviation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Stop_at_specific_Joint_Standard_Deviation"></a>Stop at specific Joint Standard Deviation</h3></div></div></div><p><span class="quote">“<span class="quote">When comparing the results of two plays, each of which has an associated random uncertainty (standard deviation), a 'joint standard deviation' needs to be calculated. If s1 and s2 are the respective uncertainties, the the joint standard deviation is given by sj = sqrt(s1*s1 + s2*s2). If s1 and s2 are close (which is almost always the case in backgammon rollouts where the same number of trials were used for each play), this simplifies to s*sqrt(2) = 1.4*s.</span>”</span> (Chuck Bower, <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gammonline.com/members/Jan01/articles/uncert.htm" target="_top">Understanding Uncertainty</a>, 2001)</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m30dc13f6.png" align="middle" /></div><p>This option allows you to set a rollout to stop when a specific j.s.d. has been reached to compare two moves. You can have it stop when there is no longer any doubt which move is better, or you can have it continue until a certain degree of precision has been reached (you not only want to know which move is best, but by how much), while requiring a minimum number of trials before stopping. </p></div><div class="sect2" title="Cubeful"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Cubeful"></a>Cubeful</h3></div></div></div><p>This option is designed to activate or not cubeful rollouts. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/be5c848.png" align="middle" /></div><p>A cubeful rollout means that it is using the cube in the rollout and, just as in a normal game, might stop the rollout short due to a doubled cube that is passed.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Bearoff Truncation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Bearoff_Truncation"></a>Bearoff Truncation</h3></div></div></div><p>Since GNU comes with bearoff databases allowing not only perfect play but perfect evaluations of a position as well, it makes since to have the program stop a rollout when it reaches one of these databases.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/723e49fc.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Here one can activate or de-activate this option, though it is on by default.</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> + </p><p>However, it really isn't, so let's run through it from top to bottom and see what GNU can do for you.</p><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Playing_strength"></a>Playing strength</h3></div></div></div><p>To set the primary playing strength used in the rollouts, click on the tab First Play Both at the top:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m5781f59d.png" align="middle" /></div><p>This is where you configure the primary strength of play. If you want to set a different playing strength for the cube decisions, you must go to the General Settings tab and at the bottom deactivate the option Cube decisions use same settings as Checker play.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Trials"></a>Trials</h3></div></div></div><p>The topmost part under the tab General Settings is where you set the number of trials.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m4796afa7.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The number of trials is simply the number of games you want GNU to play out (or roll out) as it collects the results. The more trials the better as this reduces the error margin of the results. After all, if it won a certain position 2 times in 3, it could be a fluke, but after hundreds or thousands of trials with variance reduction (see below) the results become far more trustworthy.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Truncated_rollouts"></a>Truncated rollouts</h3></div></div></div><p>Truncated rollouts are rollouts played to a certain number of moves as opposed to full rollouts. You may feel that the program doesn't really need to play the game to the last move to know whether a move leads to good positions or bad ones.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m19f9a2cc.png" align="middle" /></div><p>In the above figure the setting is 11 plies, so GNU will play out 11 moves, stop and evaluate the resulting position, and then start the next trial. This is far faster of course, and is particularly desirable if you want to analyse using a 2-ply playing strength which might be too slow for a full rollout.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Evaluation_for_later_plies"></a>Evaluation for later plies</h3></div></div></div><p>One can set GNU to use a different playing strength after a specified number of plies in the Evaluation for later plies.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/3cb4011e.png" align="middle" /></div><p>For example, suppose you had a backgame situation to rollout. Although you wanted the game to be rolled out at 0-ply (1900-2000 Elo), you didn't trust the first plies to be the best. Enabling this as above, you could set the first 8 plies to be played at Supremo (2-ply) and the rest of the game at 0-ply, giving you a bit of both worlds. In fact this has been tested and shown to be very efficient for exactly that type of scenario.</p><p>So how does one set the playing strength of the first 5 plies (for example) and after? At the top, there are those mysterious tabs: </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/4e43baf8.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you click on the tab First Play Both, you can set the strength of the first plies to be played. Naturally, if you haven't activated the Evaluation for later plies option this will be the default rollout playing strength. Now, once you have set this, click on the Later Play Both, and you will be able to set the playing strength for the subsequent plies. You can use this option in both full rollouts and truncated rollouts. </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Stop_at_specific_Standard_Deviation"></a>Stop at specific Standard Deviation</h3></div></div></div><p>Obviously, a rollout with too few trials will not yield reliable results due to the large Standard Deviation, or in other words how much the result could be wrong by. The more trials the smaller the possible error, however how many trials are necessary? Unfortunately, this can vary a lot according to the position, so to get a Standard Deviation of 0.020 (meaning the equity given could be actually 0.020 more or 0.020 less) one position might need 400 trials, and another might need 1400. This option is designed to address this problem.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m23e0471c.png" align="middle" /></div><p>In the figure above, the rollout was set to stop when the standard deviation of the equity is less than 0.01 and a minimum of 144 games were requested. </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Stop_at_specific_Joint_Standard_Deviation"></a>Stop at specific Joint Standard Deviation</h3></div></div></div><p><span class="quote">“<span class="quote">When comparing the results of two plays, each of which has an associated random uncertainty (standard deviation), a 'joint standard deviation' needs to be calculated. If s1 and s2 are the respective uncertainties, the the joint standard deviation is given by sj = sqrt(s1*s1 + s2*s2). If s1 and s2 are close (which is almost always the case in backgammon rollouts where the same number of trials were used for each play), this simplifies to s*sqrt(2) = 1.4*s.</span>”</span> (Chuck Bower, <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gammonline.com/members/Jan01/articles/uncert.htm" target="_top">Understanding Uncertainty</a>, 2001)</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m30dc13f6.png" align="middle" /></div><p>This option allows you to set a rollout to stop when a specific j.s.d. has been reached to compare two moves. You can have it stop when there is no longer any doubt which move is better, or you can have it continue until a certain degree of precision has been reached (you not only want to know which move is best, but by how much), while requiring a minimum number of trials before stopping. </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Cubeful"></a>Cubeful</h3></div></div></div><p>This option is designed to activate or not cubeful rollouts. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/be5c848.png" align="middle" /></div><p>A cubeful rollout means that it is using the cube in the rollout and, just as in a normal game, might stop the rollout short due to a doubled cube that is passed.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Bearoff_Truncation"></a>Bearoff Truncation</h3></div></div></div><p>Since GNU comes with bearoff databases allowing not only perfect play but perfect evaluations of a position as well, it makes since to have the program stop a rollout when it reaches one of these databases.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/723e49fc.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Here one can activate or de-activate this option, though it is on by default.</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> <p>Variance Reduction</p> <p>Whenever running a rollout, you will always want the Variance Reduction activated as it greatly increases the reliability of the results. The first time this ingenious <a class="ulink" href="http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~drhoover/SIMULATIONR.PDF" target="_top">technique</a> was introduced to backgammon rollouts was by Fredrik Dahl, the author of Jellyfish. In a nutshell, it factors in luck when evaluating results, so that the program doesn't need 10,000 games to average out the luck of the dice and that way ensure luck wasn't a factor in the results obtained. With it, 100 rolled out games with Variance Reduction can be the equivalent of 5,000 games with no Variance Reduction.</p> - </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Quasi-Random dice"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Quasi-Random_dice"></a>Quasi-Random dice</h3></div></div></div><p>Normally, GNU will roll the dice out completely randomly, but this may not be desirable in the rollouts. The reason is that luck may cause a number of flukes to happen, especially in the first roll. What if in your trials, the first roll it played never included some numbers which might lead to a slight change in its evaluation? The variance reduction will compensate for this, but so does the option to use quasi-random dice.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/4332f3e4.png" align="middle" /></div><p>This option deliberately alternates the first roll for every trial so that every possible first roll will have been played after 36 trials, starting with 1 and 1, then 1 and 2, all the way to 6 and 6. The idea is to help negate the luck in the rollouts a bit more. However, this also means that if used, one must use a number of trials that is a multiple of 36. That is why 1296 trials (or 2592 or 3888) is a good number to run rollouts as it is 36 x 36.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Rollout as initial position"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Rollout_as_initial_position"></a>Rollout as initial position</h3></div></div></div><p>If you plan to do a rollout on one of the opening moves you will want to activate the option Rollout as initial position.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/74a66417.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The reason is that in the opening move one is not allowed to roll a double. This guarantees this will be respected if you roll from the opening position.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Seed"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Seed"></a>Seed</h3></div></div></div><p>The seed is a random number that you can choose and that is linked to the random dice generator. It doesn't affect the randomness by any means, and its sole purpose is to allow you or others to exactly reproduce rollout results. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m518778bb.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you see a posted rollout result with the played settings (strength and number of trials), the type of random dice generator chosen, and the seed, you should be able to exactly reproduce the results by using the same settings and the same seed.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Same cube and checker settings"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Same_cube_and_checker_settings_"></a>Same cube and checker settings </h3></div></div></div><p>You may want to use different settings for the cube decisions than the checker play. If so, uncheck the option Cube decisions use same settings as Checker play.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/26e34ea5.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Same settings for both players"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Same_settings_for_both_players"></a>Same settings for both players</h3></div></div></div><p>Although the obvious choice (and the default one) is to have both players use the same settings, you can also choose not to.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/1805dc7d.png" align="middle" /></div><p>By deactivating the Use same settings for both players option, you can configure different checker and cube play settings for each side. Thus one side could be playing at Expert level, and the other at Supremo. To set the different playing strengths, you'll now make use of two other tabs at the top:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2c28ffc2.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Once you have opted for individual settings for each side, you must set them. Without this option, the tabs First Play Both and Later Play Both establish the playing strength for both sides. With it, they only determine the playing strength of the first player. You must go to First Play (1) to set the level to be used for the other player. If you have activated <a class="xref" href="#Evaluation_for_later_plies" title="Evaluation for later plies">Evaluation for later plies</a> you must also set the Later Play (1).</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Final truncated evaluation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Final_truncated_evaluation"></a>Final truncated evaluation</h3></div></div></div><p>If you are using a truncated rollout, you may be concerned about the final and decisive evaluation. For example, you might be content to let it play 17 plies at 0-ply to evaluate the resulting position, but want a little more precision on the evaluation of the final position. You can change this by deactivating the Use player0 setting for truncation point.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m3eb29fd9.png" align="middle" /></div><p>When deactivated, you can set a different playing level for that final evaluation. It goes without saying that this is pointless for a full rollout. To set the level, you'll need to go to the top to the Truncation Point tab.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2698978a.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2" title="My suggested settings"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="My_suggested_settings"></a>My suggested settings</h3></div></div></div><p>A lot of testing has been done by a number of people seeking to find the most reliable settings under different circumstances, as well as spotting the unreliable ones. I'd like to especially thank Michael Depreli, Ian Shaw, Ian Dunstan and Neil Kazaross for their painstaking research and the huge amount of computer time spent gathering and processing the data. The results helped answer a number of questions that reflect in my choice settings.</p><p>The first thing to note is that the 0-ply checker play is indeed extremely strong (as any victim of GGRaccoon can attest to) and due to its speed is usually ideal for full rollouts. It is only less than ideal for backgame situations, prime vs. prime situations, and positions where timing is an important consideration. So for pretty much any other situation, it can be used confidently. There has been significant questioning of the odd-ply play as it has often been seen that 1-ply would produce erratic results. Tests have shown that this is true of cube decision, but 1-ply checker play is a bit stronger than 0-ply as one would expect.</p><p>The primary setting is what I use the most and covers 95% of my rollouts, giving excellent results within a few minutes.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>My primary setting: </p></li></ol></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="a"><li class="listitem"><p>Set the number of games to either 648 games or 1296 using the arrows on the right. The reason for these numbers is that there are 36 possible combinations of the dice, and 1296 is 36 times 36.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Uncheck Truncate Rollouts, meaning it is a full rollout.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Set the level to Expert</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Leave the other defaults as are</p></li></ol></div></li></ol></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>My secondary setting is when I feel the cube decisions at 0-ply may not be reliable:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="a"><li class="listitem"><p>Set the number of games to either 648 games or 1296 using the arrows on the right. The reason for these numbers is that there are 36 possible combinations of the dice, and 1296 is 36 times 36.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Uncheck Truncate Rollouts, meaning it is a full rollout.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Uncheck Cube decisions use same settings as Checker play</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Set the checker play at Expert, </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Set the Cube decisions to World Class</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Leave the other defaults as are</p></li></ol></div></li></ol></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>My third setting is when the first moves may be difficult (backgame, etc.)</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="a"><li class="listitem"><p>Set the number of games to either 648 games or 1296 using the arrows on the right. The reason for these numbers is that there are 36 possible combinations of the dice, and 1296 is 36 times 36.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Activate Enable separate evaluations and set Change eval after ply to a number between 8 and 12.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Uncheck Truncate Rollouts, meaning it is a full rollout.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Under the tab First Play Both set the checker play at World Class</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Under the tab Later Play Both set the checker play to Expert.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Set the Cube decisions to World Class</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Leave the other defaults as are</p></li></ol></div></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Stopping and continuing rollouts"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Stopping_and_continuing_rollouts"></a>Stopping and continuing rollouts</h3></div></div></div><p>If you are running a rollout but must stop it before reaching a satisfactory answer, you can stop the rollout and then continue it later. After stopping the rollout, save it. When you open it and go back to the move, if it is a checker play, select the moves you had been analyzing (or only the ones you want to continue) and just press the Rollout button. There is no need to reset the settings, as GNU will remember the exact same settings it had been using when it first began the rollout.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Copy and Paste results"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Copy_and_Paste_results"></a>Copy and Paste results</h3></div></div></div><p>Once you have set your choices, press Ok, and then the Rollout button. When you are done, you may wish to copy the results to a document or e-mail for example. To do so, just select the moves that interest you, keeping the Ctrl key pressed to select more than one, and then press the Copy button as shown.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m1e2a8a3a.png" align="middle" /></div><p>To see the results, just paste them on the document (Ctrl-V or Shift-Ins for Windows users). </p><div class="informalexample"><pre class="screen"> + </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Quasi-Random_dice"></a>Quasi-Random dice</h3></div></div></div><p>Normally, GNU will roll the dice out completely randomly, but this may not be desirable in the rollouts. The reason is that luck may cause a number of flukes to happen, especially in the first roll. What if in your trials, the first roll it played never included some numbers which might lead to a slight change in its evaluation? The variance reduction will compensate for this, but so does the option to use quasi-random dice.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/4332f3e4.png" align="middle" /></div><p>This option deliberately alternates the first roll for every trial so that every possible first roll will have been played after 36 trials, starting with 1 and 1, then 1 and 2, all the way to 6 and 6. The idea is to help negate the luck in the rollouts a bit more. However, this also means that if used, one must use a number of trials that is a multiple of 36. That is why 1296 trials (or 2592 or 3888) is a good number to run rollouts as it is 36 x 36.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Rollout_as_initial_position"></a>Rollout as initial position</h3></div></div></div><p>If you plan to do a rollout on one of the opening moves you will want to activate the option Rollout as initial position.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/74a66417.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The reason is that in the opening move one is not allowed to roll a double. This guarantees this will be respected if you roll from the opening position.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Seed"></a>Seed</h3></div></div></div><p>The seed is a random number that you can choose and that is linked to the random dice generator. It doesn't affect the randomness by any means, and its sole purpose is to allow you or others to exactly reproduce rollout results. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m518778bb.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you see a posted rollout result with the played settings (strength and number of trials), the type of random dice generator chosen, and the seed, you should be able to exactly reproduce the results by using the same settings and the same seed.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Same_cube_and_checker_settings_"></a>Same cube and checker settings </h3></div></div></div><p>You may want to use different settings for the cube decisions than the checker play. If so, uncheck the option Cube decisions use same settings as Checker play.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/26e34ea5.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Same_settings_for_both_players"></a>Same settings for both players</h3></div></div></div><p>Although the obvious choice (and the default one) is to have both players use the same settings, you can also choose not to.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/1805dc7d.png" align="middle" /></div><p>By deactivating the Use same settings for both players option, you can configure different checker and cube play settings for each side. Thus one side could be playing at Expert level, and the other at Supremo. To set the different playing strengths, you'll now make use of two other tabs at the top:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2c28ffc2.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Once you have opted for individual settings for each side, you must set them. Without this option, the tabs First Play Both and Later Play Both establish the playing strength for both sides. With it, they only determine the playing strength of the first player. You must go to First Play (1) to set the level to be used for the other player. If you have activated <a class="xref" href="#Evaluation_for_later_plies" title="Evaluation for later plies">Evaluation for later plies</a> you must also set the Later Play (1).</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Final_truncated_evaluation"></a>Final truncated evaluation</h3></div></div></div><p>If you are using a truncated rollout, you may be concerned about the final and decisive evaluation. For example, you might be content to let it play 17 plies at 0-ply to evaluate the resulting position, but want a little more precision on the evaluation of the final position. You can change this by deactivating the Use player0 setting for truncation point.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m3eb29fd9.png" align="middle" /></div><p>When deactivated, you can set a different playing level for that final evaluation. It goes without saying that this is pointless for a full rollout. To set the level, you'll need to go to the top to the Truncation Point tab.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2698978a.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="My_suggested_settings"></a>My suggested settings</h3></div></div></div><p>A lot of testing has been done by a number of people seeking to find the most reliable settings under different circumstances, as well as spotting the unreliable ones. I'd like to especially thank Michael Depreli, Ian Shaw, Ian Dunstan and Neil Kazaross for their painstaking research and the huge amount of computer time spent gathering and processing the data. The results helped answer a number of questions that reflect in my choice settings.</p><p>The first thing to note is that the 0-ply checker play is indeed extremely strong (as any victim of GGRaccoon can attest to) and due to its speed is usually ideal for full rollouts. It is only less than ideal for backgame situations, prime vs. prime situations, and positions where timing is an important consideration. So for pretty much any other situation, it can be used confidently. There has been significant questioning of the odd-ply play as it has often been seen that 1-ply would produce erratic results. Tests have shown that this is true of cube decision, but 1-ply checker play is a bit stronger than 0-ply as one would expect.</p><p>The primary setting is what I use the most and covers 95% of my rollouts, giving excellent results within a few minutes.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>My primary setting: </p></li></ol></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="a"><li class="listitem"><p>Set the number of games to either 648 games or 1296 using the arrows on the right. The reason for these numbers is that there are 36 possible combinations of the dice, and 1296 is 36 times 36.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Uncheck Truncate Rollouts, meaning it is a full rollout.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Set the level to Expert</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Leave the other defaults as are</p></li></ol></div></li></ol></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>My secondary setting is when I feel the cube decisions at 0-ply may not be reliable:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="a"><li class="listitem"><p>Set the number of games to either 648 games or 1296 using the arrows on the right. The reason for these numbers is that there are 36 possible combinations of the dice, and 1296 is 36 times 36.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Uncheck Truncate Rollouts, meaning it is a full rollout.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Uncheck Cube decisions use same settings as Checker play</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Set the checker play at Expert, </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Set the Cube decisions to World Class</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Leave the other defaults as are</p></li></ol></div></li></ol></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>My third setting is when the first moves may be difficult (backgame, etc.)</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="a"><li class="listitem"><p>Set the number of games to either 648 games or 1296 using the arrows on the right. The reason for these numbers is that there are 36 possible combinations of the dice, and 1296 is 36 times 36.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Activate Enable separate evaluations and set Change eval after ply to a number between 8 and 12.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Uncheck Truncate Rollouts, meaning it is a full rollout.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Under the tab First Play Both set the checker play at World Class</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Under the tab Later Play Both set the checker play to Expert.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Set the Cube decisions to World Class</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Leave the other defaults as are</p></li></ol></div></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Stopping_and_continuing_rollouts"></a>Stopping and continuing rollouts</h3></div></div></div><p>If you are running a rollout but must stop it before reaching a satisfactory answer, you can stop the rollout and then continue it later. After stopping the rollout, save it. When you open it and go back to the move, if it is a checker play, select the moves you had been analysing (or only the ones you want to continue) and just press the Rollout button. There is no need to reset the settings, as GNU will remember the exact same settings it had been using when it first began the rollout.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Copy_and_Paste_results"></a>Copy and Paste results</h3></div></div></div><p>Once you have set your choices, press Ok, and then the Rollout button. When you are done, you may wish to copy the results to a document or e-mail for example. To do so, just select the moves that interest you, keeping the Ctrl key pressed to select more than one, and then press the Copy button as shown.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m1e2a8a3a.png" align="middle" /></div><p>To see the results, just paste them on the document (Ctrl-V or Shift-Ins for Windows users). </p><div class="informalexample"><pre class="screen"> 1. Rollout 10/9 7/4 Eq.: -0.2669 35.74% 10.04% 0.38% - 64.26% 21.19% 0.74% CL -0.4004 CF -0.2669 [ 0.13% 0.13% 0.03% - 0.13% 0.17% 0.05% CL 0.0034 CF 0.0049] @@ -100,7 +99,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref keep the first 0 0-ply moves and up to 8 more moves within equity 0.16 Skip pruning for 1-ply moves. Cube: 2-ply cubeful prune [world class] - </pre></div><p>If you are using Word or Wordpad, it is suggested you set the pasted text to the font Courier New, and the size to 9 or 10, else the formatting will be lost, and it may be difficult to read.</p><p>Once more: Remember to save your settings before exiting the program or you will need to reconfigure your settings the next time you use the program.</p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Setting up a position"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Setting_up_a_position"></a>Setting up a position</h2></div></div></div><p>Naturally, other than matches and games, you might just want to set up a position from a book or other source, and ask the program's expert advice. First, you must start a new game or match, and then just press the Edit button, located at the top in the toolbar.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/20bc52ca.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="sect2" title="Names and score"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Names_and_score"></a>Names and score</h3></div></div></div><p>At the bottom, you will see you have the option of setting the scores or the names of the players.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Side, cube, and dice"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Side__cube__and_dice"></a>Side, cube, and dice</h3></div></div></div><p>If you want to change the dice on the board, click on the side of the board where you would normally click to roll the dice. If you click on the left-side of the board it will propose the dice for the top player, and if you click on the right-side of the board it will present the dice for the bottom player. </p><p>You can set whose turn it is to play by clicking on the small checker next to the player's name at the bottom. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2b86c3ea.png" align="middle" /></div><p>You can also set the turn of the player to move in the Game menu and by selecting Set turn at the bottom.</p><p>To set the cube position and value click on the cube or enter the Game menu and select Set cube. A small window will appear with cubes set in all directions. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m76e2d010.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The cubes that are upside down are for the top player, the ones rightside up are for the bottom player, and if you wish to set the cube in the center, choose the ones facing sideward. If you want the cube at its initial value in the center, choose the 64 cube facing sideward.</p><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>If you want to setup the same position another GNU user posted, you don't need to set it all up manually. You can simply copy the Position ID and Match ID and instantly get the position, cube, and score. Suppose you saw this:</p></div><div class="informalexample"><pre class="screen"> + </pre></div><p>If you are using Word or Wordpad, it is suggested you set the pasted text to the font Courier New, and the size to 9 or 10, else the formatting will be lost, and it may be difficult to read.</p><p>Once more: Remember to save your settings before exiting the program or you will need to reconfigure your settings the next time you use the program.</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Setting_up_a_position"></a>Setting up a position</h2></div></div></div><p>Naturally, other than matches and games, you might just want to set up a position from a book or other source, and ask the program's expert advice. First, you must start a new game or match, and then just press the Edit button, located at the top in the toolbar.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/20bc52ca.png" align="middle" /></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Names_and_score"></a>Names and score</h3></div></div></div><p>At the bottom, you will see you have the option of setting the scores or the names of the players.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Side__cube__and_dice"></a>Side, cube, and dice</h3></div></div></div><p>If you want to change the dice on the board, click on the side of the board where you would normally click to roll the dice. If you click on the left-side of the board it will propose the dice for the top player, and if you click on the right-side of the board it will present the dice for the bottom player. </p><p>You can set whose turn it is to play by clicking on the small checker next to the player's name at the bottom. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m2b86c3ea.png" align="middle" /></div><p>You can also set the turn of the player to move in the Game menu and by selecting Set turn at the bottom.</p><p>To set the cube position and value click on the cube or enter the Game menu and select Set cube. A small window will appear with cubes set in all directions. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m76e2d010.png" align="middle" /></div><p>The cubes that are upside down are for the top player, the ones rightside up are for the bottom player, and if you wish to set the cube in the center, choose the ones facing sideward. If you want the cube at its initial value in the center, choose the 64 cube facing sideward.</p><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>If you want to setup the same position another GNU user posted, you don't need to set it all up manually. You can simply copy the Position ID and Match ID and instantly get the position, cube, and score. Suppose you saw this:</p></div><div class="informalexample"><pre class="screen"> GNU Backgammon Position ID: sGfwGQDg28EBBg Match ID : cAlvATAAIAAA +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+ O: Kit Woolsey @@ -116,7 +115,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref | O O X X | | X | Rolled 63 | O O X X | | X | 4 points +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+ X: Gammonline Readers - </pre></div><p>Just copy the code after the Position ID into your the program's space (highlight it and press Ctrl-C) for the Position ID</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/66ed48bd.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Now do the same for the Match ID, and that's all there is to it.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Checker setup"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Checker_setup"></a>Checker setup</h3></div></div></div><p>Moving and setting up the checkers is quite easy and Snowie users will feel at home as the method is identical. To remove or add white checkers to a point for example, use the right mouse button and click on the point. You determine the number of checkers to be added or removed by the height of the point you press. For example, in the following diagram, </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/6a6ae1b7.png" align="middle" /></div><p>if you have 5 white checkers on the 19-point and only want to have 3, click with the right mouse button on the 3rd checker where the yellow arrow indicates and the top two will be removed. Adding checkers is the same, so if you wanted to add a red checker to the 6-point you would place the cursor where the green arrow indicates and left-click. If you want to quickly get the starting position, you can click on the area indicated by the blue ellipses on the left, and if you want to quickly clear the board of all checkers, click instead on the right side on the area indicated by the pink ellipses. Try it and experiment a little. It's much easier to do than to explain.</p><p>Once the position is set up, press the Edit button again to exit Edit mode. Now just go to the Analyze menu and select Hint (suggested even for rollouts). Attention, this isn't a suggestion, you must exit the Edit mode before asking for GNU to evaluate the position otherwise you will get odd results.</p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Appearance"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Appearance"></a>Appearance</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Skins"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Skins"></a>Skins</h3></div></div></div><p>You can change the overall appearance of the menus through a number of skins included with the installation, however this cannot be done from within the program and must done manually. The procedure is fairly painless if you aren't afraid of moving a couple of files in the Windows Explorer. </p><p>Open Windows Explorer, and enter the \Program Files\gnubg directory. In it there is a directory called \Themes, where the skins are located, and in that, you will see a number of directories with the names of the skins they contain. Enter the directory you want and copy the files in it to the main \gnubg directory. It will ask you if you want to overwrite the files in it. Say yes, and start GNU to see the changes. It is important to copy and not move the files, so if you're not Windows savvy, this means holding the Ctrl key on the keyboard down while dragging the files. Keep the Ctrl key pressed when you let go of the mouse button.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Board designs – 2D and 3D"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Board_designs___2D_and_3D"></a>Board designs – 2D and 3D</h3></div></div></div><p>The appearance of the boards can also be changed making use of a number of presets, or you can design your own. To make changes, go to the Settings menu and select Appearance. A window will appear, displaying a number of tabs at the top. Select Designs and you will see a list of the preset board designs, as well as thumbnails of what they look like. To choose one, just click on the name of the preset and press Ok. That's all there is to it.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/6e75aa33.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you'd like to enjoy a 3D board, go to the General tab, and select 3D board:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/4aad0142.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Here and in the Lighting tab you can also set and control as much of the appearance as possible, allowing you also a great deal of creative possibilities. </p><div class="tip" title="Tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>The 3D performance can suffer a little if you don't have a good video card, so if you find this to be your case, and would like to enjoy the 3D board, select Quick drawing:</p></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m20a4701e.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Full Screen Board"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Full_Screen_Board"></a>Full Screen Board</h3></div></div></div><p>You can also enjoy a full screen game, without panels, toolbars, or any other distractions, by going to the View menu, and selecting Full screen. If you have a large screen it can be quite an experience, and it can also be a nice way to play against a friend if you have no board nearby. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"><tr><td align="center"><img src="images/5ada89e8.png" align="middle" width="100%" /></td></tr></table></div><p>To exit the Full Screen mode, just press the Esc key.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Creating Original Designs"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Creating_Original_Designs"></a>Creating Original Designs</h3></div></div></div><p>You can also make your own designs and save them. Using the tabs at the top, you can change the appearance of the board and if you really like your new design, go back to the Designs tab and save it by pressing Add current design and then Save designs. Send the GNU team your best ones, pressing the Export design button, and they may include them in the next release. <img src="images/m60d5424b.png" /> </p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Conclusion"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Conclusion"></a>Conclusion</h2></div></div></div><p>By now it should be clear that while a number of backgammon players have complained about the steep prices of top commercial software excluding them from the tools and type of progress available to more fortunate players, that complaint is now definitely without foundation. </p><p>It's true that it is ever a work in progress and has its rough edges, but with time they will undoubtedly be ironed out for the most part. It is also an engine that is stronger than its older top-of-the-line siblings in GamesGrid, and at its price (free), one would have to be crazy not to have it, even if one does own the legendary Snowie. After all, two heads are better than one. </p><p>I would like to effusively thank the authors of GNU Backgammon and its numerous contributors, and would also like to suggest that anyone enjoying their efforts make a contribution to the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fsf.org/" target="_top">Free Software Foundation</a> (FSF), the principal organizational sponsor of the GNU Project, as a token of appreciation. The FSF survives mostly off the contributions, however small, of private donations, and without it, those loud complaints mentioned above would be entirely justified. </p></div><div class="sect1" title="A Word about Cheating"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="A_Word_about__Cheating_"></a>A Word about <span class="emphasis"><em>Cheating</em></span></h2></div></div></div><p>By far, the most common complaint seen about all backgammon software, weak or strong, is that it must be cheating to get so lucky. Most of these complaints stem from a lack of understanding of probabilities, and how skillful play will affect luck or the possibility of lucky rolls. </p><p>To begin with, let it be stated that there is no bias of any kind, and the source code of GNU is open to any doubting it. If you still cannot believe it, feel free to use your own dice by entering the Settings menu and selecting Options, and then in the right side Manual dice. If you are rigorously honest about your results, you will find no difference in the long run.</p><p>Probabilities are what rule supreme in backgammon. As there is indeed an uncontrollable luck factor, one cannot guarantee a victory or loss no matter how stacked up the chances are. So, good backgammon strategy is designed to maximize the good rolls for the playing side, and minimize the good rolls for the other side. In other words, after the best play, there will be fewer good rolls for the other side. If the other side doesn't realize what is happening, then it will seem like a never-ending streak of bad luck. It's not; it's the consequence of good playing. GNU is among the very best, so use it and learn with it. You can set it at a much weaker setting, and watch how its luck dries up.</p><p>The mathematics behind probabilities are also usually very poorly understood. Take for example the situation below. If your opponent had a checker on the bar, what is his chance of entering that single point?</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m634daa5.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you said 11 chances in 36 or a little over 30%, good for you, but if you said 1 in 6 then you need a little brushing up. 1 in 6 would be correct if your opponent were only using one die, but with two, the chances add up to 11 in 36. So how come you never enter and GNU does? It may seem like that at times, but it's really not the case. It is natural to focus more on what causes us anguish making reality look quite distorted, but maybe you were very unlucky. Stories of hard luck abound. In a live game, I once played my opening move, and then lost to a backgammon without ever playing another move. My opponent hit me, and I danced for the rest of the game. I wasn't even able to avoid a backgammon. A top professional once told me of an instance where he was giving a gammon, got hit, and lost after dancing 7 straight times against a 3-point board. Does it seem to get more doubles? What about those doubles you rolled while on the bar? They don't count, you say? Sorry, but lady luck makes no case of guaranteeing the double will arrive at the right time. Good strategy will help you be able to use it when it does arrive.</p></div><div xml:lang="en" class="appendix" title="A. GNU Free Documentation License" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a id="legal"></a>A. GNU Free Documentation License</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.3, 3 November 2008</p><p> + </pre></div><p>Just copy the code after the Position ID into your the program's space (highlight it and press Ctrl-C) for the Position ID</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/66ed48bd.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Now do the same for the Match ID, and that's all there is to it.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Checker_setup"></a>Checker setup</h3></div></div></div><p>Moving and setting up the checkers is quite easy and Snowie users will feel at home as the method is identical. To remove or add white checkers to a point for example, use the right mouse button and click on the point. You determine the number of checkers to be added or removed by the height of the point you press. For example, in the following diagram, </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/6a6ae1b7.png" align="middle" /></div><p>if you have 5 white checkers on the 19-point and only want to have 3, click with the right mouse button on the 3rd checker where the yellow arrow indicates and the top two will be removed. Adding checkers is the same, so if you wanted to add a red checker to the 6-point you would place the cursor where the green arrow indicates and left-click. If you want to quickly get the starting position, you can click on the area indicated by the blue ellipses on the left, and if you want to quickly clear the board of all checkers, click instead on the right side on the area indicated by the pink ellipses. Try it and experiment a little. It's much easier to do than to explain.</p><p>Once the position is set up, press the Edit button again to exit Edit mode. Now just go to the Analyse menu and select Hint (suggested even for rollouts). Attention, this isn't a suggestion, you must exit the Edit mode before asking for GNU to evaluate the position otherwise you will get odd results.</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Appearance"></a>Appearance</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Skins"></a>Skins</h3></div></div></div><p>You can change the overall appearance of the menus through a number of skins included with the installation, however this cannot be done from within the program and must done manually. The procedure is fairly painless if you aren't afraid of moving a couple of files in the Windows Explorer. </p><p>Open Windows Explorer, and enter the \Program Files\gnubg directory. In it there is a directory called \Themes, where the skins are located, and in that, you will see a number of directories with the names of the skins they contain. Enter the directory you want and copy the files in it to the main \gnubg directory. It will ask you if you want to overwrite the files in it. Say yes, and start GNU to see the changes. It is important to copy and not move the files, so if you're not Windows savvy, this means holding the Ctrl key on the keyboard down while dragging the files. Keep the Ctrl key pressed when you let go of the mouse button.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Board_designs___2D_and_3D"></a>Board designs – 2D and 3D</h3></div></div></div><p>The appearance of the boards can also be changed making use of a number of presets, or you can design your own. To make changes, go to the Settings menu and select Appearance. A window will appear, displaying a number of tabs at the top. Select Designs and you will see a list of the preset board designs, as well as thumbnails of what they look like. To choose one, just click on the name of the preset and press Ok. That's all there is to it.</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/6e75aa33.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you'd like to enjoy a 3D board, go to the General tab, and select 3D board:</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/4aad0142.png" align="middle" /></div><p>Here and in the Lighting tab you can also set and control as much of the appearance as possible, allowing you also a great deal of creative possibilities. </p><div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Tip</h3><p>The 3D performance can suffer a little if you don't have a good video card, so if you find this to be your case, and would like to enjoy the 3D board, select Quick drawing:</p></div><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m20a4701e.png" align="middle" /></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Full_Screen_Board"></a>Full Screen Board</h3></div></div></div><p>You can also enjoy a full screen game, without panels, toolbars, or any other distractions, by going to the View menu, and selecting Full screen. If you have a large screen it can be quite an experience, and it can also be a nice way to play against a friend if you have no board nearby. </p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="100%"><tr><td align="center"><img src="images/5ada89e8.png" align="middle" width="100%" /></td></tr></table></div><p>To exit the Full Screen mode, just press the Esc key.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="Creating_Original_Designs"></a>Creating Original Designs</h3></div></div></div><p>You can also make your own designs and save them. Using the tabs at the top, you can change the appearance of the board and if you really like your new design, go back to the Designs tab and save it by pressing Add current design and then Save designs. Send the GNU team your best ones, pressing the Export design button, and they may include them in the next release. <img src="images/m60d5424b.png" /> </p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="Conclusion"></a>Conclusion</h2></div></div></div><p>By now it should be clear that while a number of backgammon players have complained about the steep prices of top commercial software excluding them from the tools and type of progress available to more fortunate players, that complaint is now definitely without foundation. </p><p>It's true that it is ever a work in progress and has its rough edges, but with time they will undoubtedly be ironed out for the most part. It is also an engine that is stronger than its older top-of-the-line siblings in GamesGrid, and at its price (free), one would have to be crazy not to have it, even if one does own the legendary Snowie. After all, two heads are better than one. </p><p>I would like to effusively thank the authors of GNU Backgammon and its numerous contributors, and would also like to suggest that anyone enjoying their efforts make a contribution to the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fsf.org/" target="_top">Free Software Foundation</a> (FSF), the principal organizational sponsor of the GNU Project, as a token of appreciation. The FSF survives mostly off the contributions, however small, of private donations, and without it, those loud complaints mentioned above would be entirely justified. </p></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="A_Word_about__Cheating_"></a>A Word about <span class="emphasis"><em>Cheating</em></span></h2></div></div></div><p>By far, the most common complaint seen about all backgammon software, weak or strong, is that it must be cheating to get so lucky. Most of these complaints stem from a lack of understanding of probabilities, and how skillful play will affect luck or the possibility of lucky rolls. </p><p>To begin with, let it be stated that there is no bias of any kind, and the source code of GNU is open to any doubting it. If you still cannot believe it, feel free to use your own dice by entering the Settings menu and selecting Options, and then in the right side Manual dice. If you are rigorously honest about your results, you will find no difference in the long run.</p><p>Probabilities are what rule supreme in backgammon. As there is indeed an uncontrollable luck factor, one cannot guarantee a victory or loss no matter how stacked up the chances are. So, good backgammon strategy is designed to maximize the good rolls for the playing side, and minimize the good rolls for the other side. In other words, after the best play, there will be fewer good rolls for the other side. If the other side doesn't realize what is happening, then it will seem like a never-ending streak of bad luck. It's not; it's the consequence of good playing. GNU is among the very best, so use it and learn with it. You can set it at a much weaker setting, and watch how its luck dries up.</p><p>The mathematics behind probabilities are also usually very poorly understood. Take for example the situation below. If your opponent had a checker on the bar, what is his chance of entering that single point?</p><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><img src="images/m634daa5.png" align="middle" /></div><p>If you said 11 chances in 36 or a little over 30%, good for you, but if you said 1 in 6 then you need a little brushing up. 1 in 6 would be correct if your opponent were only using one die, but with two, the chances add up to 11 in 36. So how come you never enter and GNU does? It may seem like that at times, but it's really not the case. It is natural to focus more on what causes us anguish making reality look quite distorted, but maybe you were very unlucky. Stories of hard luck abound. In a live game, I once played my opening move, and then lost to a backgammon without ever playing another move. My opponent hit me, and I danced for the rest of the game. I wasn't even able to avoid a backgammon. A top professional once told me of an instance where he was giving a gammon, got hit, and lost after dancing 7 straight times against a 3-point board. Does it seem to get more doubles? What about those doubles you rolled while on the bar? They don't count, you say? Sorry, but lady luck makes no case of guaranteeing the double will arrive at the right time. Good strategy will help you be able to use it when it does arrive.</p></div><div xml:lang="en" class="appendix" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a id="legal"></a>A. GNU Free Documentation License</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.3, 3 November 2008</p><p> Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fsf.org/" target="_top">Free Software Foundation, Inc.</a> </p><p> @@ -558,4 +557,4 @@ being LIST, and with the Back-Cover Texts being LIST.</pre><p> recommend releasing these examples in parallel under your choice of free software license, such as the GNU General Public License, to permit their use in free software. - </p></div></div></body></html> + </p></div></div></body></html>
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/doc/gnubg/allabout.pdf b/doc/gnubg/allabout.pdf Binary files differindex 409c18d..eb701b6 100644 --- a/doc/gnubg/allabout.pdf +++ b/doc/gnubg/allabout.pdf diff --git a/doc/gnubg/gnubg.6 b/doc/gnubg/gnubg.6 index 13f4a31..59f9fca 100644 --- a/doc/gnubg/gnubg.6 +++ b/doc/gnubg/gnubg.6 @@ -5,15 +5,15 @@ \\$2 \(la\\$1\(ra\\$3 .. .if \n(.g .mso www.tmac -.TH gnubg 6 "4 August 2014" "" "" +.TH gnubg 6 "20 April 2015" "" "" .SH NAME gnubg \- GNU Backgammon program .SH SYNOPSIS gnubg -bcdlpqrStvw [file.sgf] .SH DESCRIPTIONS GNU Backgammon \fBgnubg \fR(6) -plays and analyzes backgammon games and matches. It is able to play and -analyze both money games and tournament matches, evaluate and roll out +plays and analyses backgammon games and matches. It is able to play and +analyse both money games and tournament matches, evaluate and roll out positions, and more. .SH OPTIONS \*(T<\fB\-b, \-\-no\-bearoff\fR\*(T> Do not use bearoff database diff --git a/doc/gnubg/gnubg.html b/doc/gnubg/gnubg.html index b57232a..8c36783 100644 --- a/doc/gnubg/gnubg.html +++ b/doc/gnubg/gnubg.html @@ -1,36 +1,35 @@ <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO8859-1" standalone="no"?> -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO8859-1" /><title>GNU Backgammon Manual V1.00.0</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.76.1" /><meta name="description" content="The GNU Backgammon manual" /><link rel="home" href="#gnubg" title="GNU Backgammon Manual V1.00.0" /><link rel="next" href="#gnubg-intro" title="Introduction" /></head><body><div xml:lang="en" class="article" title="GNU Backgammon Manual V1.00.0" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a id="gnubg"></a><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> Manual +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO8859-1" /><title>GNU Backgammon Manual V1.00.0</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.79.1" /><meta name="description" content="The GNU Backgammon manual" /><link rel="home" href="#gnubg" title="GNU Backgammon Manual V1.00.0" /><link rel="next" href="#gnubg-intro" title="Introduction" /></head><body><div xml:lang="en" class="article" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a id="gnubg"></a><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> Manual V1.00.0</h2></div><div><div class="authorgroup"><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Christian</span> <span class="surname">Anthon</span></h3><div class="affiliation"><span class="orgname">GNU Backgammon Project<br /></span><div class="address"><p><br /> <code class="email"><<a class="email" href="mailto:christian.anthon@gmail.com">christian.anthon@gmail.com</a>></code><br /> - </p></div></div></div></div></div><div><p class="releaseinfo">This manual describes version 1.00.0 of GNU Backgammon. </p></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Achim Mueller, Gary Wong</p></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2007 Christian Anthon</p></div><div><div class="legalnotice" title="Feedback"><a id="idp132944"></a><p> Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the + </p></div></div></div></div></div><div><p class="releaseinfo">This manual describes version 1.00.0 of GNU Backgammon. </p></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Achim Mueller, Gary Wong</p></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2007 Christian Anthon</p></div><div><div class="legalnotice"><a id="idm904230636"></a><p> Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref" href="#legal" title="A. GNU Free Documentation License">Appendix A, <em>GNU Free Documentation License</em></a>. </p><p class="legalnotice-title"><strong>Feedback</strong></p><p>To report a bug or make a suggestion regarding the <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> application or this manual, send your suggestions to <code class="email"><<a class="email" href="mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org">bug-gnubg@gnu.org</a>></code> or make a <a class="ulink" href="https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=gnubg" target="_top">bug - report</a>.</p></div></div><div><div class="revhistory"><table border="1" width="100%" summary="Revision history"><tr><th align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><strong>Revision History</strong></th></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision GNU Backgammon Manual (docbook version)</td><td align="left">February 2007</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2"> + report</a>.</p></div></div><div><div class="revhistory"><table style="border-style:solid; width:100%;" summary="Revision History"><tr><th align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><strong>Revision History</strong></th></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision GNU Backgammon Manual (docbook version)</td><td align="left">February 2007</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2"> <p class="publisher">GNU Backgammon Project</p> </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision GNU Backgammon Manual (wiki version)</td><td align="left">January 2007</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2"> <p class="publisher">GNU Backgammon Project</p> </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision GNU Backgammon Manual (texinfo version)</td><td align="left">November 2003</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2"> <p class="publisher">GNU Backgammon Project</p> - </td></tr></table></div></div><div><div class="abstract" title="Abstract"><p class="title"><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>The GNU Backgammon manual</p></div></div></div><hr /></div><div class="toc"><p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p><dl><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-intro">Introduction</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-intro_gpl">GPL copying/warranty info</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-rules">Rules of the game</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_setup">Setup</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_object">Object of the Game</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_movement">Movement of the Checkers</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_hitting">Hitting and Entering</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_bearingoff">Bearing Off</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_doubling">Doubling</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_gammons">Gammons and Backgammons</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_optional">Optional Rules</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_match">Rules for Match Play</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-starting">Starting GNU Backgammon</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-starting_unix">Linux and Unix</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-starting_ms">Microsoft Windows</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-starting_mac">Mac OS X</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-starting_options">Command line options</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-playing">Playing a game</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-playing_new">Starting a new match or session</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-playing_roll">Rolling the dice</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-playing_move">Moving the checkers</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-playing_double">Using the doubling cube</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-playing_resign">Resigning</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-hint">Getting hints and Tutor Mode</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-hint_manual">Getting hints manually</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-hint_tutor">Tutor mode</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-edit">Setting up a position</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_entering">Entering Edit mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_edit">Editing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_clear">Clearing the board</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_quick">Quick edit</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_drag">Editing by drag and drop</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_turn">Setting the player on turn</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_dice">Setting the dice</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_cube">Setting the cube</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_score">Setting the score</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_exit">Exiting Edit mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_analyze">Analyzing the position</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-matches">Working with matches</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-matches_ras">Retrieving and storing backgammon files</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-matches_entering">Entering live tournament matches</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-matches_analysing">Analyzing matches</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-matches_review">Reviewing matches</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-rollouts">Rollouts</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rollouts_intro">Introduction to rollouts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rollouts_gnubg">Rollouts in <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-custom">Customizing <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-custom_eval">Evaluation settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-custom_appearance">Appearance</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-technotes">Technical Notes</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_databases">Obtaining bearoff databases</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_met">Match Equity Tables</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_python">Python scripting</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_equities">Equities explained</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_postionid">A technical description of the Position ID</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_matchid">A technical description of the Match ID</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_css">Description of the CSS style sheet</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-faq">Frequently Asked Questions</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_general">General questions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_install">How to install</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_start">Running <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_play">Playing backgammon</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_settings">Settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_analysing">Analyzing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_abbr">Abbreviations</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#legal">A. GNU Free Documentation License</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="sect1" title="Introduction"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-intro"></a>Introduction</h2></div><div><div class="abstract" title="Abstract"><p class="title"><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>Introduction to GNU Backgammon</p></div></div></div></div><p>This manual describes how to use <span class="application">GNU - Backgammon</span> to play and analyze backgammon games and + </td></tr></table></div></div><div><div class="abstract"><p class="title"><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>The GNU Backgammon manual</p></div></div></div><hr /></div><div class="toc"><p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-intro">Introduction</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-intro_gpl">GPL copying/warranty info</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-rules">Rules of the game</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_setup">Setup</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_object">Object of the Game</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_movement">Movement of the Checkers</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_hitting">Hitting and Entering</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_bearingoff">Bearing Off</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_doubling">Doubling</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_gammons">Gammons and Backgammons</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_optional">Optional Rules</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rules_match">Rules for Match Play</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-starting">Starting GNU Backgammon</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-starting_unix">Linux and Unix</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-starting_ms">Microsoft Windows</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-starting_mac">Mac OS X</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-starting_options">Command line options</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-playing">Playing a game</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-playing_new">Starting a new match or session</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-playing_roll">Rolling the dice</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-playing_move">Moving the checkers</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-playing_double">Using the doubling cube</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-playing_resign">Resigning</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-hint">Getting hints and Tutor Mode</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-hint_manual">Getting hints manually</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-hint_tutor">Tutor mode</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-edit">Setting up a position</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_entering">Entering Edit mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_edit">Editing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_clear">Clearing the board</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_quick">Quick edit</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_drag">Editing by drag and drop</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_turn">Setting the player on turn</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_dice">Setting the dice</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_cube">Setting the cube</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_score">Setting the score</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_exit">Exiting Edit mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-edit_analyse">Analysing the position</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-matches">Working with matches</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-matches_ras">Retrieving and storing backgammon files</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-matches_entering">Entering live tournament matches</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-matches_analysing">Analysing matches</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-matches_review">Reviewing matches</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-rollouts">Rollouts</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rollouts_intro">Introduction to rollouts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-rollouts_gnubg">Rollouts in <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-custom">Customizing <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-custom_eval">Evaluation settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-custom_appearance">Appearance</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-technotes">Technical Notes</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_databases">Obtaining bearoff databases</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_met">Match Equity Tables</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_python">Python scripting</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_equities">Equities explained</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_postionid">A technical description of the Position ID</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_matchid">A technical description of the Match ID</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-tech_css">Description of the CSS style sheet</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="#gnubg-faq">Frequently Asked Questions</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_general">General questions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_install">How to install</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_start">Running <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_play">Playing backgammon</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_settings">Settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_analysing">Analysing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="#gnubg-faq_abbr">Abbreviations</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#legal">A. GNU Free Documentation License</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-intro"></a>Introduction</h2></div><div><div class="abstract"><p class="title"><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>Introduction to GNU Backgammon</p></div></div></div></div><p>This manual describes how to use <span class="application">GNU + Backgammon</span> to play and analyse backgammon games and matches. It corresponds to version 1.00.0 (updated in August, 2013).</p><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> (gnubg) - plays and analyzes both money game sessions and tournament matches. It + plays and analyses both money game sessions and tournament matches. It evaluates and rolls out positions, and much more. Driven by a command-line interface, it displays an ASCII rendering of a board on text-only terminals, but also allows the user to play games and manipulate positions with a graphical GTK+interface. <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is extensible on platforms which support Python. - </p><div class="screenshot"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"><tr><td><img src="images/gtkinterface.png" width="100%" /></td></tr></table></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is a world + </p><div class="screenshot"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="100%"><tr><td><img src="images/gtkinterface.png" width="100%" /></td></tr></table></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is a world class opponent and rates at around 2100 on FIBS, the First Internet Backgammon Server - at its best, it is in the top 5 of over 6000 rated players there). <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> can be played on numerous other on-line backgammon servers.</p><p>The following features can be found in the current release of - <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>A command line interface (with full command editing features if + <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>A command line interface (with full command editing features if GNU readline is available) that lets you play matches and sessions against GNU Backgammon with a rough ASCII representation of the board on text terminals.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Support for a GTK+ graphical user interface with both 2D and 3D @@ -41,7 +40,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref 2-sided database kept in memory. Larger 1-sided and 2-sided databases may be stored on disk.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Automated rollouts of positions, with lookahead and variance reduction where appropriate. Rollouts may be extended.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Automatic and manual annotation (analysis and commentary) of games - and matches.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Record keeping of player statistics in games and matches using relational databases (SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL are supported).</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Loading and saving analyzed games and matches as .sgf files (Smart + and matches.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Record keeping of player statistics in games and matches using relational databases (SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL are supported).</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Loading and saving analysed games and matches as .sgf files (Smart Game Format).</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Importing of positions, games, and matches from a number of standard file formats, including: native GNU Backgammon file (.sgf), GamesGrid Save Game (.sgg), @@ -55,15 +54,15 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref (.png), Postscript (.ps), Snowie Text (.txt), and Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg).</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Python Scripting ability.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Native language support; 13 languages are complete or in progress: (cs_CZ, da_DK, en_GB, en_US, es_ES, fr_FR, de_DE, is_IS, it_IT, - ja_JP, ro_RO, ru_RU and tr_TR)</p></li></ul></div><div class="sect2" title="GPL copying/warranty info"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-intro_gpl"></a>GPL copying/warranty info</h3></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is + ja_JP, ro_RO, ru_RU and tr_TR)</p></li></ul></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-intro_gpl"></a>GPL copying/warranty info</h3></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is developed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and it is part of the GNU project. For more information about the GNU project please visit their website: <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnu.org/" target="_top">http://www.gnu.org/</a> For more information about free software in general please visit The Free - Software Foundation at: <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fsf.org/" target="_top">http://www.fsf.org/</a>.</p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Rules of the game"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-rules"></a>Rules of the game</h2></div></div></div><p>This section describes how to play a game, a match, or a session of + Software Foundation at: <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fsf.org/" target="_top">http://www.fsf.org/</a>.</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-rules"></a>Rules of the game</h2></div></div></div><p>This section describes how to play a game, a match, or a session of money games against <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> or a human opponent. It is taken directly from the rules section of <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/" target="_top">Backgammon Galore - </a>, courtesy of Tom Keith.</p><div class="sect2" title="Setup"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_setup"></a>Setup</h3></div></div></div><p>Backgammon is a game for two players, played on a board consisting + </a>, courtesy of Tom Keith.</p><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_setup"></a>Setup</h3></div></div></div><p>Backgammon is a game for two players, played on a board consisting of twenty-four narrow triangles called points. The triangles alternate in color and are grouped into four quadrants of six triangles each. The quadrants are referred to as a player's home board and outer board, and @@ -77,10 +76,10 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref twenty-four point, five on each player's thirteen point, three on each player's eight point, and five on each player's six point.</p><p>Both players have their own pair of dice and a dice cup used for shaking. A doubling cube, with the numerals 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 on - its faces, is used to keep track of the current stake of the game.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Object of the Game"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_object"></a>Object of the Game</h3></div></div></div><p>The object of the game is for a player to move all of his checkers + its faces, is used to keep track of the current stake of the game.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_object"></a>Object of the Game</h3></div></div></div><p>The object of the game is for a player to move all of his checkers into his own home board and then bear them off. The first player to bear off all of his checkers wins the game.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_direction"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 2. Direction of movement of White's checkers. Red's checkers move in - the opposite direction.</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/rulfig2.png" alt="Direction of movement of White's checkers. Red's checkers move in the opposite direction." /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /></div><div class="sect2" title="Movement of the Checkers"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_movement"></a>Movement of the Checkers</h3></div></div></div><p>To start the game, each player throws a single die. This determines + the opposite direction.</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/rulfig2.png" alt="Direction of movement of White's checkers. Red's checkers move in the opposite direction." /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_movement"></a>Movement of the Checkers</h3></div></div></div><p>To start the game, each player throws a single die. This determines both the player to go first and the numbers to be played. If equal numbers come up, then both players roll again until they roll different numbers. The player throwing the higher number now moves his checkers @@ -102,7 +101,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref be played but not both, the player must play the larger one. When neither number can be used, the player loses his turn. In the case of doubles, when all four numbers cannot be played, the player must - play as many numbers as he can. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Hitting and Entering"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_hitting"></a>Hitting and Entering</h3></div></div></div><p>A point occupied by a single checker of either color is called a + play as many numbers as he can. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_hitting"></a>Hitting and Entering</h3></div></div></div><p>A point occupied by a single checker of either color is called a blot. If an opposing checker lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar.</p><p>Any time a player has one or more checkers on the bar, his first obligation is to enter those checker(s) into the opposing home board. A @@ -116,7 +115,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref able to enter some but not all of his checkers, he must enter as many as he can and then forfeit the remainder of his turn.</p><p>After the last of a player's checkers has been entered, any unused numbers on the dice must be played, by moving either the checker that - was entered or a different checker.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Bearing Off"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_bearingoff"></a>Bearing Off</h3></div></div></div><p>Once a player has moved all of his fifteen checkers into his home + was entered or a different checker.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_bearingoff"></a>Bearing Off</h3></div></div></div><p>Once a player has moved all of his fifteen checkers into his home board, he may commence bearing off. A player bears off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides, and then removing that checker from the board. Thus, rolling a @@ -129,7 +128,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref order to bear off. If a checker is hit during the bear-off process, the player must bring that checker back to his home board before continuing to bear off. The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins the - game.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Doubling"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_doubling"></a>Doubling</h3></div></div></div><p>Backgammon is played for an agreed stake per point. Each game starts + game.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_doubling"></a>Doubling</h3></div></div></div><p>Backgammon is played for an agreed stake per point. Each game starts at one point. During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a sufficient advantage may propose doubling the stakes. He may do this only at the start of his own turn and before he has rolled the dice.</p><p>A player who is offered a double may refuse, in which case he @@ -140,7 +139,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref player refuses a redouble, he must pay the number of points that were at stake prior to the redouble. Otherwise, he becomes the new owner of the cube and the game continues at twice the previous stakes. There is no - limit to the number of redoubles in a game.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Gammons and Backgammons"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_gammons"></a>Gammons and Backgammons</h3></div></div></div><p>At the end of the game, if the losing player has borne off at least + limit to the number of redoubles in a game.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_gammons"></a>Gammons and Backgammons</h3></div></div></div><p>At the end of the game, if the losing player has borne off at least one checker, he loses only the value showing on the doubling cube (one point, if there have been no doubles). However, if the loser has <span class="emphasis"><em>not</em></span> borne off any of his checkers, he is gammoned @@ -148,7 +147,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref worse, if the loser has not borne off any of his checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board, he is backgammoned and loses <span class="emphasis"><em>three times</em></span> the value of the double - cube.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Optional Rules"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_optional"></a>Optional Rules</h3></div></div></div><p>The following optional rules are in widespread use.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Automatic doubles. If identical numbers are thrown on the first + cube.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_optional"></a>Optional Rules</h3></div></div></div><p>The following optional rules are in widespread use.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Automatic doubles. If identical numbers are thrown on the first roll, the stakes are doubled. The doubling cube is turned to 2 and remains in the middle. Players usually agree to limit the number of automatic doubles to one per game.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Beavers. When a player is doubled, he may immediately redouble @@ -157,7 +156,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref double. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>The Jacoby Rule. Gammons and backgammons count only as a single game if neither player has offered a double during the course of the game. This rule speeds up play by eliminating situations where a - player avoids doubling so he can play on for a gammon. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Rules for Match Play"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_match"></a>Rules for Match Play</h3></div></div></div><p>When backgammon tournaments are held to determine an overall winner, + player avoids doubling so he can play on for a gammon. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rules_match"></a>Rules for Match Play</h3></div></div></div><p>When backgammon tournaments are held to determine an overall winner, the usual style of competition is match play. Competitors are paired off, and each pair plays a series of games to decide which player progresses to the next round of the tournament. This series of games is @@ -171,19 +170,19 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref game. This one game with no doubling is called the Crawford game. If the Crawford game is won by the trailing player then the doubling cube becomes available in all subsequent games (and it's most often in the best - interests of the trailing player to double immediately in these games).</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Match to 5</td><td>White</td><td>Black</td><td>Doubling</td></tr><tr><td>White wins 2</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Allowed</td></tr><tr><td>Black wins 1 </td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>Allowed</td></tr><tr><td>White wins 2 </td><td>4</td><td>1</td><td>Allowed</td></tr><tr><td>Black wins 1 </td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>Crawford Game</td></tr><tr><td>Black wins 2 </td><td>4</td><td>4</td><td>Allowed</td></tr><tr><td>White wins 2 </td><td>6</td><td>4</td><td>Allowed</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>In this example, White and Black are playing a 5-point match. After + interests of the trailing player to double immediately in these games).</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Match to 5</td><td>White</td><td>Black</td><td>Doubling</td></tr><tr><td>White wins 2</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>Allowed</td></tr><tr><td>Black wins 1 </td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>Allowed</td></tr><tr><td>White wins 2 </td><td>4</td><td>1</td><td>Allowed</td></tr><tr><td>Black wins 1 </td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>Crawford Game</td></tr><tr><td>Black wins 2 </td><td>4</td><td>4</td><td>Allowed</td></tr><tr><td>White wins 2 </td><td>6</td><td>4</td><td>Allowed</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>In this example, White and Black are playing a 5-point match. After three games White has 4 points, which is just one point short of what he needs. That triggers the Crawford rule which says there can be no doubling in next game, Game 4.</p><p>There is no bonus for winning more than the required number of points in match play. The sole goal is to win the match, and the size of the victory doesn't matter.</p><p>Automatic doubles, beavers, and the Jacoby rule are not used in - match play.</p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Starting GNU Backgammon"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-starting"></a>Starting GNU Backgammon</h2></div><div><div class="abstract" title="Abstract"><p class="title"><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>Starting GNU Backgammon. Command line options.</p></div></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Linux and Unix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-starting_unix"></a>Linux and Unix</h3></div></div></div><p>If <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is + match play.</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-starting"></a>Starting GNU Backgammon</h2></div><div><div class="abstract"><p class="title"><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>Starting GNU Backgammon. Command line options.</p></div></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-starting_unix"></a>Linux and Unix</h3></div></div></div><p>If <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is properly installed on your system, you can start it by simply typing gnubg at the command prompt. If you want to start the GNU Backgammon command line interface, you can type gnubg --tty or gnubg -t. With this option, <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> starts without the graphic user interface. There is also other options which - can be added at the start-up.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Microsoft Windows"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-starting_ms"></a>Microsoft Windows</h3></div></div></div><p>The builds of <span class="application">GNU + can be added at the start-up.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-starting_ms"></a>Microsoft Windows</h3></div></div></div><p>The builds of <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> which may be downloaded from the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnubg.org" target="_top">main <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> page</a> comes with an installation system. The installation system will create a launch menu item in your @@ -191,7 +190,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref command line interface. This is supplied as a separate executable file on Microsoft Windows. You can start this version of <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> by choosing <span class="guimenu">Start</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Programs</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">GNU Backgammon</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">GNU Backgammon Command Line Interface.</span> - </p></div><div class="sect2" title="Mac OS X"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-starting_mac"></a>Mac OS X</h3></div></div></div><p>Once you have installed both an X11R6 server and <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> for Mac OS X, you can run + </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-starting_mac"></a>Mac OS X</h3></div></div></div><p>Once you have installed both an X11R6 server and <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> for Mac OS X, you can run <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> for Mac OS X by:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Start your X11R6 server; </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Once your X11R6 server is running, in one of its Terminal windows (by default, Apple's X11 opens one such window at start-up, @@ -205,7 +204,7 @@ the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.<a class="xref folder, type <span class="command"><strong>cd /Applications/gnubg</strong></span> to get into <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> for Mac OS X's folder, and type <span class="command"><strong>./gnubg</strong></span> to run - it; </p></li></ol></div></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Command line options"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-starting_options"></a>Command line options</h3></div></div></div><p> The following options control the startup of <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>. Most options are + it; </p></li></ol></div></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-starting_options"></a>Command line options</h3></div></div></div><p> The following options control the startup of <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>. Most options are available in all versions of <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>, but notably, the -w and -t options don't work under MS windows where separate command line and GUI applications exist @@ -235,7 +234,7 @@ Application Options: -O, --docdir Specify location of program documentation -s, --prefsdir Specify location of user's preferences directory --display=DISPLAY X display to use - </pre></div></div><br class="example-break" /></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Playing a game"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-playing"></a>Playing a game</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Starting a new match or session"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_new"></a>Starting a new match or session</h3></div></div></div><p>To start a new game, match or session choose <span class="guimenu">File</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">New</span>, or use the <span class="guibutton">New</span> button in the + </pre></div></div><br class="example-break" /></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-playing"></a>Playing a game</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_new"></a>Starting a new match or session</h3></div></div></div><p>To start a new game, match or session choose <span class="guimenu">File</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">New</span>, or use the <span class="guibutton">New</span> button in the toolbar. This will open a dialog box, where you can select the main options for the new backgammon game you are about to begin. </p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_newdialog"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 6. The dialog for starting a new match.</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/newbox.png" alt="The dialog for starting a new match." /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>The shortcut buttons are the quickest way to start the game or match. If you click on the button with the $ sign, you will start a new @@ -249,20 +248,20 @@ Application Options: but you may use manual dice if you check this option. Then <span class="application"> GNU Backgammon</span> will prompt for the dice roll before each roll.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> comes with a tutor - mode. If this mode is active, GNU Backgammon analyzes each move you + mode. If this mode is active, GNU Backgammon analyses each move you do, and warn you each time you make a mistake. More about tutor mode later.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>By clicking on the Modify player settings... button, you will see the whole player setting dialog. Here you define the playing strength of <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>. This dialog - will be explained later.</p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Rolling the dice"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_roll"></a>Rolling the dice</h3></div></div></div><p>The simplest way to roll the dice is to click in the right board + will be explained later.</p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_roll"></a>Rolling the dice</h3></div></div></div><p>The simplest way to roll the dice is to click in the right board area between the board points. You can also roll the dice from the menu <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Roll</span> or with the keyboard shortcut <span class="keycap"><strong>Ctrl</strong></span>+<span class="keycap"><strong>R</strong></span>.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_roll"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 7. Click in the red rectangle to roll the dice.</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/rolldice.png" alt="Click in the red rectangle to roll the dice." /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>When you have moved your checkers to make the desired move, you - complete your turn by clicking on the dice.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Moving the checkers"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_move"></a>Moving the checkers</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Moving by drag and drop"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_move_drag"></a>Moving by drag and drop</h4></div></div></div><p>One way to move the checkers is to click on a checker you want to + complete your turn by clicking on the dice.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_move"></a>Moving the checkers</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_move_drag"></a>Moving by drag and drop</h4></div></div></div><p>One way to move the checkers is to click on a checker you want to move and then drag it, while holding the mouse button down, to the desired designation point. If you have the option Show target help when dragging checkers enabled, you will see the a green guiding at any legal target point for the checker you are dragging. You can find this option by choosing <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Options...</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Display</span> - </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Moving checkers by clicking"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_move_click"></a>Moving checkers by clicking</h4></div></div></div><p>Move the mouse cursor over the checker you want to move. If you + </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_move_click"></a>Moving checkers by clicking</h4></div></div></div><p>Move the mouse cursor over the checker you want to move. If you now click the <span class="emphasis"><em>left</em></span> mouse button, the checker will move the pips of the <span class="emphasis"><em>left</em></span> die. If you have already moved one checker, clicking on a new checker will move it @@ -272,10 +271,10 @@ Application Options: Some users prefer showing the higher die to the left. You can make <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> show the highest die to the left if you choose <span class="guimenu"> Settings </span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Options... </span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Dice </span> and check the check box labeled Show higher die on - left.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Undo a move"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_move_undo"></a>Undo a move</h4></div></div></div><p>Before you complete your move by clicking the dice, it's possible + left.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_move_undo"></a>Undo a move</h4></div></div></div><p>Before you complete your move by clicking the dice, it's possible to undo your moves and return to the position before any checkers have been moved. You can either click the Undo button in the toolbar, or - you can choose <span class="guimenu"> Edit </span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Undo </span> from the menu or the keyboard shortcut <span class="keycap"><strong>Ctrl</strong></span>+<span class="keycap"><strong>Z</strong></span>.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Some shortcuts"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_move_shortcut"></a>Some shortcuts</h4></div></div></div><p>There are some shortcuts for moving the checkers. You can + you can choose <span class="guimenu"> Edit </span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Undo </span> from the menu or the keyboard shortcut <span class="keycap"><strong>Ctrl</strong></span>+<span class="keycap"><strong>Z</strong></span>.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_move_shortcut"></a>Some shortcuts</h4></div></div></div><p>There are some shortcuts for moving the checkers. You can <span class="emphasis"><em>make a new point</em></span> by right clicking on the empty point that you want to make. As an example, if you roll 31 as the opening roll, and you want to play 8/5 6/5, you simply place the mouse @@ -284,19 +283,19 @@ Application Options: clicking in the bearoff tray, <span class="emphasis"><em>two checkers will be born off</em></span> if such a move is legal.</p><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> can auto play forced moves for you. This feature can be enabled by choosing <span class="guimenu"> Settings </span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Options... </span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Game </span>, and then check the box Play forced moves - automatically.</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Using the doubling cube"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_double"></a>Using the doubling cube</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Offering a double"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_double_offer"></a>Offering a double</h4></div></div></div><p>You offer a double to your opponent by clicking on the cube. This - will offer the cube immediately. You can also click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Double</span> from the menu or the keyboard shortcut <span class="keycap"><strong>Ctrl</strong></span>+<span class="keycap"><strong>D</strong></span>.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Accepting or declining a cube"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_double_tp"></a>Accepting or declining a cube</h4></div></div></div><p>You accept a double made by your opponent by clicking on the + automatically.</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_double"></a>Using the doubling cube</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_double_offer"></a>Offering a double</h4></div></div></div><p>You offer a double to your opponent by clicking on the cube. This + will offer the cube immediately. You can also click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Double</span> from the menu or the keyboard shortcut <span class="keycap"><strong>Ctrl</strong></span>+<span class="keycap"><strong>D</strong></span>.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_double_tp"></a>Accepting or declining a cube</h4></div></div></div><p>You accept a double made by your opponent by clicking on the offered doubling cube at the board. If you want to decline the double, you can right click on the cube.</p><p>There are also three buttons in the toolbar for handling cube offers. These buttons are marked Accept, Decline and Beaver. The beaver button is only activated in money game sessions where beavers are allowed.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_double"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 8. The toolbar double buttons.</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/cubebuttons.png" alt="[[cubebuttons.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>There are also menu options from the drop down menu for all the - cube actions. Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Take</span> from the menu, to accept an offered double(<span class="keycap"><strong>Ctrl</strong></span>+<span class="keycap"><strong>T</strong></span>). Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Drop</span>, from the menu, to to decline an offered double(<span class="keycap"><strong>Ctrl</strong></span>+<span class="keycap"><strong>P</strong></span>). Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Beaver</span>, from the menu, to beaver an offered double. </p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Resigning"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_resign"></a>Resigning</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Offering a resignation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_resign_offer"></a>Offering a resignation</h4></div></div></div><p>It's also possible to resign during a game. To resign during play + cube actions. Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Take</span> from the menu, to accept an offered double(<span class="keycap"><strong>Ctrl</strong></span>+<span class="keycap"><strong>T</strong></span>). Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Drop</span>, from the menu, to to decline an offered double(<span class="keycap"><strong>Ctrl</strong></span>+<span class="keycap"><strong>P</strong></span>). Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Beaver</span>, from the menu, to beaver an offered double. </p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_resign"></a>Resigning</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_resign_offer"></a>Offering a resignation</h4></div></div></div><p>It's also possible to resign during a game. To resign during play press the Resign button in the toolbar. This is the button with the image of a white flag. When this button is pressed, a dialog box will appear where you can select if you want to resign a single game, gammon or backgammon. The resignation dialog may also be reached from - the menu system. Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Resign</span> to offer your resignation.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Accepting or declining a resignation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_resign_accept"></a>Accepting or declining a resignation</h4></div></div></div><p>When a resignation is offered a white square will appear on the + the menu system. Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Resign</span> to offer your resignation.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-playing_resign_accept"></a>Accepting or declining a resignation</h4></div></div></div><p>When a resignation is offered a white square will appear on the board area. The square has a number 1, 2 or 3. A square with a <span class="emphasis"><em>1</em></span>, means that a single game resignation is offered, a <span class="emphasis"><em>2</em></span> that a gammon resignation is @@ -306,9 +305,9 @@ Application Options: want to decline the resignation, you right click instead. You can also use the same toolbar buttons as for accepting or declining a double. There is also a menu option for accepting and declining resignations. - Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Agree to resignation</span> from the menu, to accept an offered resignation. Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Decline resignation</span> from the menu, to decline an offered resignation.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Getting hints and Tutor Mode"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-hint"></a>Getting hints and Tutor Mode</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Getting hints manually"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-hint_manual"></a>Getting hints manually</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Getting checker play hints while playing"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-hint_tutor_checker"></a>Getting checker play hints while playing</h4></div></div></div><p>If you want to get a hint of the best move or the best cube action + Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Agree to resignation</span> from the menu, to accept an offered resignation. Click <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Decline resignation</span> from the menu, to decline an offered resignation.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-hint"></a>Getting hints and Tutor Mode</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-hint_manual"></a>Getting hints manually</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-hint_tutor_checker"></a>Getting checker play hints while playing</h4></div></div></div><p>If you want to get a hint of the best move or the best cube action press the Hint button in the tool bar or the menu option - <span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Hint</span>. + <span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Hint</span>. This will open a hint window.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_hint"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 9. The hint window</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/hintwindow.png" alt="[[hintwindow.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>This Hint window shows a list of all possible moves for the position and dice roll. The different moves are sorted by how <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> ranks each move; there is one move on each @@ -332,7 +331,7 @@ Application Options: different winning percentiles. This is because it thinks that if any of these moves are played then the opponent will double and you should pass. The n-ply is the depth to which <span class="application">GNU - Backgammon</span> analyzed the move. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p><span class="emphasis"><em>Win</em></span> is the fractions of games that + Backgammon</span> analysed the move. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p><span class="emphasis"><em>Win</em></span> is the fractions of games that <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> thinks will be won by a single game, gammon or backgammon. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p><span class="emphasis"><em>Wg</em></span> is the fractions of games that <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> thinks will be won by a @@ -353,7 +352,7 @@ Application Options: point. When the evaluation is cubeful this number is not computable by the win/loss brake down of the previous columns. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p><span class="emphasis"><em>Diff.</em></span> is the difference in equity, perceived in comparison to the top ranked move. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p><span class="emphasis"><em>Move</em></span> is the move being evaluated. In the - case of a red line, it is the move that was played. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Getting cube decision hints while playing"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-hint_manual_cube"></a>Getting cube decision hints while playing</h4></div></div></div><p>If you're thinking about a cube decision before rolling you can + case of a red line, it is the move that was played. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-hint_manual_cube"></a>Getting cube decision hints while playing</h4></div></div></div><p>If you're thinking about a cube decision before rolling you can press the same Hint button in the toolbar, as you pressed when you wanted checker play hint. The hint window will again appear, but this time it will look a bit different and it will show a hint of the correct @@ -378,7 +377,7 @@ Application Options: potential. It is the necessary percentage chance you think you can bluff your opponent into passing the cube to make the double theoretically correct. This number is only available when the position is considered - No double, take or Too good to double, pass.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="The hint tool buttons"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-hint_button"></a>The hint tool buttons</h4></div></div></div><p>As you may see in both figures above, there is a set of buttons + No double, take or Too good to double, pass.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-hint_button"></a>The hint tool buttons</h4></div></div></div><p>As you may see in both figures above, there is a set of buttons below the move list or cube analysis. Here follows a short description of what each of the buttons does:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p><span class="emphasis"><em>Eval</em></span> will evaluate the selected moves, or the cube decision with the current evaluation setting. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p><span class="emphasis"><em>...</em></span> will open the evaluation setting @@ -406,10 +405,10 @@ Application Options: moves to clipboard. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p><span class="emphasis"><em>Temp. Map</em></span> will show Sho Sengoku's temperature map. This map is further described later in the document. When this window remembers its size and position it will - really become useful. </p></li></ol></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Tutor mode"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-hint_tutor"></a>Tutor mode</h3></div></div></div><p>One of the greatest tools for learning, is Tutor Mode. Tutor mode + really become useful. </p></li></ol></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-hint_tutor"></a>Tutor mode</h3></div></div></div><p>One of the greatest tools for learning, is Tutor Mode. Tutor mode can be activated by clicking <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Options...</span> and then click on the Tutor flag. Activate Tutor Mode by checking the Tutor mode check box.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_tutor"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11. The tutor window</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/tutor.png" alt="[[tutor.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>In Tutor Mode, <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will - analyze your moves and/or cube decisions and compare them with its + analyse your moves and/or cube decisions and compare them with its choices. You set the threshold for its alerts, for example, if you set it for bad then it will only warn you when you make a bad mistake. It will then allow you to re-examine your choice, go right ahead with it, @@ -426,14 +425,14 @@ Application Options: button to show the hint window with its list of possible moves and their evaluations. Finally, if you press the End Tutor Mode button, the dialog will close and turn Tutor Mode off.</p><p>A similar warning window will also appear for poor cube - handling.</p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Setting up a position"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-edit"></a>Setting up a position</h2></div></div></div><p>Think about the Friday night chouette where there was this tough + handling.</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-edit"></a>Setting up a position</h2></div></div></div><p>Think about the Friday night chouette where there was this tough choice between two move candidates. Which move was the best? Or what about that match score cube decision from the weekend tournament. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to set up the position in <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> and ask for its opinion? This is possible in <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>, and it's one of the features that really can give you the answer to a lot of questions, and in that way - give you a better understanding of the game.</p><div class="sect2" title="Entering Edit mode"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_entering"></a>Entering Edit mode</h3></div></div></div><p>To set up a position, you have to be in <span class="emphasis"><em>Edit + give you a better understanding of the game.</p><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_entering"></a>Entering Edit mode</h3></div></div></div><p>To set up a position, you have to be in <span class="emphasis"><em>Edit mode</em></span>. To enter Edit mode you simply click the Edit button in the tool bar. There is currently no keyboard shortcut or menu item for entering edit mode. The Edit button is a toggle button and you will stay @@ -444,9 +443,9 @@ Application Options: future.) If there is no game in progress and you want to set up a position, you can simply start a new game or match by clicking New in the toolbar.</p><p>When you are in edit mode you will see the the text (Editing) in the - match information box below the board.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Editing"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_edit"></a>Editing</h3></div></div></div><p>Setting up a position is basically done by editing the current + match information box below the board.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_edit"></a>Editing</h3></div></div></div><p>Setting up a position is basically done by editing the current position. The editing it self is controlled by clicking different areas - of the board and may not be obvious at first hand.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Clearing the board"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_clear"></a>Clearing the board</h3></div></div></div><p>In edit mode you can easily clear the board by clicking in one of + of the board and may not be obvious at first hand.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_clear"></a>Clearing the board</h3></div></div></div><p>In edit mode you can easily clear the board by clicking in one of the bearoff trays. It's often easier to start setting up a position with a empty board, so this feature is really handy. When you click on one of the bearoff tray, all checkers will be moved to the bearoff.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_clear"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 13. Click in the one of the areas marked with a red ellipse to clear @@ -454,7 +453,7 @@ Application Options: the opposite trays when in edit mode. Clicking in one of these trays puts all checkers back to the initial position.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_initpos"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 14. Click in the one of the areas marked with a red ellipse to get to the initial position.</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/initialboard.png" alt="[[initialboard.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Note that the bearoff trays change side when the board is displayed - with clockwise movement.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Quick edit"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_quick"></a>Quick edit</h3></div></div></div><p>The default method of editing a position is called <span class="emphasis"><em>Quick + with clockwise movement.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_quick"></a>Quick edit</h3></div></div></div><p>The default method of editing a position is called <span class="emphasis"><em>Quick edit</em></span>. It's based on clicking on the point where you want to place checkers. The number of checkers placed on the point is depending on where you click, for example if you want to place 3 checkers on a @@ -465,7 +464,7 @@ Application Options: clear a point, click on the border of the board below or above the point - depending on if the point is in the lower or top half of the board. The bar works just like normal points - the more you click to the middle - of the bar, the more checkers will be placed there.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Editing by drag and drop"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_drag"></a>Editing by drag and drop</h3></div></div></div><p>There is also a different way of editing the checker positions. You + of the bar, the more checkers will be placed there.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_drag"></a>Editing by drag and drop</h3></div></div></div><p>There is also a different way of editing the checker positions. You can drag and drop checkers around the board while you're holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard. Press the Ctrl key and hold it down. Then left-click the checker you want to drag to another point and drag it @@ -473,13 +472,13 @@ Application Options: button), to the destination point. You can drag checkers to open points or to points where you have checkers of the same color. You can also 'hit' opponent blots with the drag and drop edit method.</p><p>This method of editing comes handy when there is just a small - adjustment to be done in the position.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Setting the player on turn"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_turn"></a>Setting the player on turn</h3></div></div></div><p>The player on turn can be set by clicking the small checker icons + adjustment to be done in the position.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_turn"></a>Setting the player on turn</h3></div></div></div><p>The player on turn can be set by clicking the small checker icons below the board. See figure below.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_turn"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 15. Clicking the White checker image will set White on turn, clicking the Black image will set Black in turn.</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/setturn.png" alt="[[initialboard.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Note that setting the turn sets the turn before the dice has been rolled. If there is a dice present at the board, setting the turn will remove the dice rolled. In this way you can set up a position to be a cube decision evaluation instead of a move decision evaluation.</p><p>The turn can also be set by choosing <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Set turn</span>. Both these methods for setting the player on turn can - also be used without being in edit mode.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Setting the dice"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_dice"></a>Setting the dice</h3></div></div></div><p>You can set the dice for a player by clicking in the middle part of + also be used without being in edit mode.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_dice"></a>Setting the dice</h3></div></div></div><p>You can set the dice for a player by clicking in the middle part of the board where you usually click when you roll the dice while playing. Click in the middle of the right playing area to set the dice for player 0, the bottom player. Click the left dice rolling area to set the dice @@ -490,12 +489,12 @@ Application Options: Setting the dice for player 0, will make player 0 on turn with that specific dice roll to play.</p><p>This method for setting the dice roll only works in edit mode. If you're not in edit mode you can set the dice by choosing <span class="guimenu">Game</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Set dice...</span> from the menu, however this will set the dice for the - player on turn.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Setting the cube"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_cube"></a>Setting the cube</h3></div></div></div><p>Setting the cube is quite simple while you're in edit mode. Simply + player on turn.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_cube"></a>Setting the cube</h3></div></div></div><p>Setting the cube is quite simple while you're in edit mode. Simply click the cube in the board and the cube selection widget appears.</p><p>Selecting a cube in the first row, where the number is displayed up-side-down, the top player will be the cube owner. The value of the cube will be the value of the cube you click in the widget. Note that the unturned cube is the leftmost cube labeled 64, just as it usually is - on real doubling cube.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Setting the score"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_score"></a>Setting the score</h3></div></div></div><p>Very often i backgammon the match score does matter on how the + on real doubling cube.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_score"></a>Setting the score</h3></div></div></div><p>Very often i backgammon the match score does matter on how the position is evaluated. <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>'s evaluation algorithms does take the score into account. You can therefore adjust the the match length and the score to each player while @@ -505,31 +504,31 @@ Application Options: player 1, the bottom player, has the right score. You can also set the match score in the in the match field to the right. There is also a box to tick whenever the position is from a Crawford game.</p><p>If you want the computer to do a money game evaluation of the - position, you should set the match score to 0 (zero).</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Exiting Edit mode"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_exit"></a>Exiting Edit mode</h3></div></div></div><p>Before you can start analyzing the position you have to exit edit + position, you should set the match score to 0 (zero).</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_exit"></a>Exiting Edit mode</h3></div></div></div><p>Before you can start analysing the position you have to exit edit mode. This is done by releasing the Edit button in the toolbar by clicking it. Note that editing a position destroys your game record with no warning, so it might be an idea to save your match if you want to - keep it.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Analyzing the position"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_analyze"></a>Analyzing the position</h3></div></div></div><p>After you have successfully set up the position you desire, you can - now analyze the position. You can click Hint in the toolbar to get the + keep it.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-edit_analyse"></a>Analysing the position</h3></div></div></div><p>After you have successfully set up the position you desire, you can + now analyse the position. You can click Hint in the toolbar to get the best move of cube decision in the same way as described in the chapter called <a class="xref" href="#gnubg-playing" title="Playing a game">the section called “Playing a game”</a>. Hint, rollouts and evaluations done from the hint window will not be saved if you try to save the position. - If you want to analyze the position and then be able to save the + If you want to analyse the position and then be able to save the position and the analysis results you should rather do a move and then - click back to the move and then choose <span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analyze move</span> for the menu. You can then work in the analysis pane on + click back to the move and then choose <span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analyse move</span> for the menu. You can then work in the analysis pane on the right side instead of in the hint window.</p><p>You can enter checkers on a point by clicking on the point. Notice the amount of checkers you add on a point, depends on where on that point you click. Left mouse button, black checkers and right mouse button, red checkers. (assuming you didn't change the colors). You will get used to this editing. and it makes it much faster to set up a position.</p><p>See also <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/rgb/rgb.cgi?view+1098" target="_top">Albert Silver's post on GammOnLine</a> - </p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Working with matches"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-matches"></a>Working with matches</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Retrieving and storing backgammon files"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_ras"></a>Retrieving and storing backgammon files</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="The Smart Game Format"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_ras_sgff"></a>The Smart Game Format</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> uses the Smart Game + </p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-matches"></a>Working with matches</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_ras"></a>Retrieving and storing backgammon files</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_ras_sgff"></a>The Smart Game Format</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> uses the Smart Game Format (SGF) to store games, matches, sessions and positions. SGF is used in as a standard format for several other turn based games. The SGF files can store all the rolls and moves and cube decisions as well as commentary and analysis.</p><p> A game that uses SGF extensively is Go. The format is described at <a class="ulink" href="http://www.red-bean.com/sgf/" target="_top">this site</a>. - </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Opening and importing matches"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_opening"></a>Opening and importing matches</h4></div></div></div><p>Since version 0.16 the GUI recognizes all importable files + </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_opening"></a>Opening and importing matches</h4></div></div></div><p>Since version 0.16 the GUI recognizes all importable files automatically (with the exception of the FIBS format). To open or import a file choose <span class="guimenu">File</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Open</span>. A file dialog box will appear where you can select the file and the dialog will inform you of the recognized format, if the @@ -539,13 +538,13 @@ Application Options: underlying command line interface. Enable the command pane by choosing <span class="guimenu">View</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Command</span>. In the command pane type in <span class="command"><strong>import oldmoves <filepath></strong></span> to import, e.g., an oldmoves fibs formatted file.</p><p>The following table contains the supported formats and the - corresponding commands for manual import of a file.</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>FIBS oldmoves format</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import oldmoves <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Gamesgrid Save Game</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import sgg <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>GammonEmpire Game</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import empire <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Game</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import gam <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Match</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import mat <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Position</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import pos <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>PartyGammon Game</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import party <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Snowie Text</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import snowietxt <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>TrueMoneyGames</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import tmg <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Jellyfish Match is not formally defined and software exporting matches to this format often produce minor discrepancies. + corresponding commands for manual import of a file.</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>FIBS oldmoves format</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import oldmoves <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Gamesgrid Save Game</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import sgg <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>GammonEmpire Game</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import empire <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Game</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import gam <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Match</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import mat <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Position</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import pos <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>PartyGammon Game</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import party <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Snowie Text</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import snowietxt <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>TrueMoneyGames</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>import tmg <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Jellyfish Match is not formally defined and software exporting matches to this format often produce minor discrepancies. <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> tries to cater to most of them automatically. </p><p>Online sites do not always create their .mat files with the you as player 1, the one playing towards the bottom of the board. To have these matches converted to be displayed in the natural way, you can use de CLI command <span class="command"><strong>set aliases <player name 1>;<player name 2>;[<etc...>]</strong></span> <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will swap the players as needed so that player names matching these aliases are always imported as player 1. - </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Saving and exporting positions, games or matches"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_saving"></a>Saving and exporting positions, games or matches</h4></div></div></div><p>If you have played or imported a match into <span class="application">GNU + </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_saving"></a>Saving and exporting positions, games or matches</h4></div></div></div><p>If you have played or imported a match into <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>, and wish to save your efforts, you can choose <span class="guimenu">File</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Save</span>. A file dialog box will appear and you can type in a file name or keep the suggested default file name. (The suggested @@ -564,8 +563,8 @@ Application Options: that with some formats only some of M(atch), G(ame), P(osition) is allowed. For example to export a Jellyfish position you would issue the command <span class="command"><strong>export position pos - <filepath></strong></span></p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Encapsulated Postscript</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <P> eps <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>HTML</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <MGP> html <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Game</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <G> gam <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Match</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <M> mat <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Position</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <P> pos <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>LaTeX</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <MG> latex <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>PDF</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <MG> pdf <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Plain Text</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <MGP> text <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Portable Network Graphics</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <P> pdf <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>PostScript</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <MG> postscript <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Snowie Text</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <P> snowietxt <filepath></strong></span> - </td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="sect4" title="HTML export"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_saving_html"></a>HTML export</h5></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> can export the current + <filepath></strong></span></p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Encapsulated Postscript</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <P> eps <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>HTML</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <MGP> html <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Game</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <G> gam <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Match</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <M> mat <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Jellyfish Position</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <P> pos <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>LaTeX</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <MG> latex <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>PDF</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <MG> pdf <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Plain Text</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <MGP> text <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Portable Network Graphics</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <P> pdf <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>PostScript</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <MG> postscript <filepath></strong></span> </td></tr><tr><td>Snowie Text</td><td> <span class="command"><strong>export <P> snowietxt <filepath></strong></span> + </td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_saving_html"></a>HTML export</h5></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> can export the current position, game, match or session in HTML if you wish to publish it on the web. </p><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> exports in validating XHTML 1.0 with the use of CSS style sheets. You may add your own @@ -598,7 +597,7 @@ Application Options: right in this dialog</p><p>To start the generation of the html images, select in the menu <span class="guimenu">File</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Export</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">HTML images...</span>. In the file dialog box, you can select a <span class="emphasis"><em>directory</em></span> where the images will be generated. The images are stored in PNG format.</p><p>To generate images for the command line, use the command:</p><p>export htmlimages directory</p><p>where directory is the directory where you want your images to - be created.</p></div><div class="sect4" title="LaTeX export"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_saving_latex"></a>LaTeX export</h5></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> can export games, + be created.</p></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_saving_latex"></a>LaTeX export</h5></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> can export games, match and positions to the document typesetting system LaTeX. For exporting a match or session to LaTeX</p><p>The LaTeX export will export all board diagrams and analysis if available. The produced documents can therefore be quite large. Note @@ -607,7 +606,7 @@ Application Options: also needs epic, textcomp and ucs, but these are more common in LaTeX distributions so you probably already have these.)).</p><p>You can not export a position to LaTeX. (At least not yet!) However, you can export a position to EPS and include this EPS file - in your LaTeX document.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Entering live tournament matches"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_entering"></a>Entering live tournament matches</h3></div></div></div><p>It's possible to enter match transcriptions into <span class="application">GNU + in your LaTeX document.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_entering"></a>Entering live tournament matches</h3></div></div></div><p>It's possible to enter match transcriptions into <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>. It's not very difficult. Presuming you're using the GUI, do this:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Start a match of any length, pressing the New button, and select Human-Human and manual dice. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>To select the opening roll, click on the right dice pair in the @@ -634,39 +633,39 @@ Application Options: Backgammon</span>'s opinion while you are entering the moves, play the move on the board and press the Hint button in the tool bar. In the latest builds, if you have done this, the results will then be - placed with the move so that it means it is already analyzed when you + placed with the move so that it means it is already analysed when you run the full match analysis. Mind you, it will preserve the information even if you ran a deeper 3-ply or 4-ply from the Hint window. After playing the move and confirming the dice, go back in the move list and click on the move, and you'll see the analysis appear in the Analysis - pane as it should.</p><div class="sect3" title="Entering illegal moves"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_entering_illegal"></a>Entering illegal moves</h4></div></div></div><p>It's possible to enter illegal moves with a little trick. This is a + pane as it should.</p><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_entering_illegal"></a>Entering illegal moves</h4></div></div></div><p>It's possible to enter illegal moves with a little trick. This is a step by step guide for the example: If a player rolls 41 and the player makes an illegal move as the dice showed 31.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Manually enter the roll which was rolled. 41. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Do a legal move with 41 (this is just to get the analysis of the roll, and the best legal move.) </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Click the dice to pick them up and complete the move. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Now, before you roll the opponents dice, click the Edit button. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>While holding down the CTRL-button on your keyboard, you can now drag the checkers to the resulting illegal position which was played over the board. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Release the Edit button to exit edit mode. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Make sure the right player is on turn, by clicking on the - checker image for the player on roll, under the game board. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Continue to enter the rest of the game. </p></li></ol></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Analyzing matches"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_analysing"></a>Analyzing matches</h3></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> can analyze your matches + checker image for the player on roll, under the game board. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Continue to enter the rest of the game. </p></li></ol></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_analysing"></a>Analysing matches</h3></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> can analyse your matches for skill and luck. If you have an open match (as a result of playing, - loading or importing), the analysis is started by choosing <span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analyze match</span>. You should now see a progress bar at the bottom right + loading or importing), the analysis is started by choosing <span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analyse match</span>. You should now see a progress bar at the bottom right corner of the main interface window while the computer is busy - analyzing. During this time you won't be able to interact with the + analysing. During this time you won't be able to interact with the program other than to quit the analysis. The analysis is complete when the progress bar disappears and you hear a small sound. Now, you would probably like to view the result of the analysis. This can be done in - terms of overall statistics by choosing <span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Match statistics</span>, or in detail by browsing through the match. More on these - subjects in the upcoming sections.</p><p>You can also analyze just the current game, by choosing <span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analyze game</span>. If you're only interested in the analysis of the current - move, you can select <span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analyze move</span>.</p><div class="sect3" title="Analysis settings"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_analysing_settings"></a>Analysis settings</h4></div></div></div><p>You can configure how <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> + terms of overall statistics by choosing <span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Match statistics</span>, or in detail by browsing through the match. More on these + subjects in the upcoming sections.</p><p>You can also analyse just the current game, by choosing <span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analyse game</span>. If you're only interested in the analysis of the current + move, you can select <span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analyse move</span>.</p><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_analysing_settings"></a>Analysis settings</h4></div></div></div><p>You can configure how <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> analysis the match or game for you. This can be configured in the dialog - box that appears when choose <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analysis</span>.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_analyze"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 17. Analyze settings dialog</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/analysesettings.png" alt="[[analysesettings.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>In the top left frame in this dialog box, you can select what to - analyze. <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is able to analyze - three different properties in a match.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Checker play </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Cube decisions </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Luck of each roll </p></li></ol></div><p>In addition you can have the analysis to analyze just one of the + box that appears when choose <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analysis</span>.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_analyse"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 17. Analyse settings dialog</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/analysesettings.png" alt="[[analysesettings.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>In the top left frame in this dialog box, you can select what to + analyse. <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is able to analyse + three different properties in a match.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Checker play </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Cube decisions </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Luck of each roll </p></li></ol></div><p>In addition you can have the analysis to analyse just one of the players, or both. There is also possible to set a limit of how many - moves to be analyzed at each position. When you're reviewing your match, - the number of analyzed moves will be limited to number in this field. - However, if you want to analyze further moves in a particular position, + moves to be analysed at each position. When you're reviewing your match, + the number of analysed moves will be limited to number in this field. + However, if you want to analyse further moves in a particular position, it's not a problem to do that later. The move that was actually done in - the match will be analyzed even if it is ranked below the number of + the match will be analysed even if it is ranked below the number of moves limit.</p><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will also mark each move or cube decision with Doubtful, Bad and Very bad. You can adjust the limits in equity difference for which label to assign. This is done in @@ -678,7 +677,7 @@ Application Options: rolls.</p><p>The right part of the dialog box is an evaluation setting for how each move or cube decision should be evaluated in the analysis. For an explanation of this settings, see the chapter called "[[Evaluation - settings]]".</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Reviewing matches"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review"></a>Reviewing matches</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Game record"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_record"></a>Game record</h4></div></div></div><p>When a match is analyzed in <span class="application">GNU + settings]]".</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review"></a>Reviewing matches</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_record"></a>Game record</h4></div></div></div><p>When a match is analysed in <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> you should open the <span class="emphasis"><em>game record</em></span> window. Open this by checking <span class="guimenu">Window</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Game record</span> on from the main menu. The game record window can also be docked into the right side panel. If you want it docked into the @@ -708,18 +707,18 @@ Application Options: you to the previous move.</p><p>After a analysis some of the move in the game list will be marked. You will see some moves marked with <span class="emphasis"><em>?</em></span> and some with <span class="emphasis"><em>?!</em></span> and some with <span class="emphasis"><em>??</em></span>. - These marks means the same as the marks in normal chess notation.</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>??</td><td>a very bad move</td></tr><tr><td>?</td><td>a bad move</td></tr><tr><td>?!</td><td>a doubtful move</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Note that it is the same marks for cube decisions as for checker + These marks means the same as the marks in normal chess notation.</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>??</td><td>a very bad move</td></tr><tr><td>?</td><td>a bad move</td></tr><tr><td>?!</td><td>a doubtful move</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Note that it is the same marks for cube decisions as for checker moves. Nevertheless, checker moves marks are before the cube decisions marks. If no mark exists for checker move, the cube mark is separated by two spaces.</p><p>In newer builds of <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> the various moves also get a color code. The cube decisions are shown by the background color. The checkers move decisions are shown by the - font color.</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> </td><td>Cube(background)</td><td>Move(font)</td></tr><tr><td>Very Bad</td><td>Yellow</td><td>Red</td></tr><tr><td>Bad</td><td>Pink</td><td>Blue</td></tr><tr><td>Doubtful</td><td>Grey</td><td>Green</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>The luck is also marked in the font</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Luck</td><td>Font</td></tr><tr><td>Very Lucky</td><td>Bold</td></tr><tr><td>Very Unlucky</td><td>Italics</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Analysis panel"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_analysis"></a>Analysis panel</h4></div></div></div><p>You can also study your moves and cube decisions in more detail in + font color.</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> </td><td>Cube(background)</td><td>Move(font)</td></tr><tr><td>Very Bad</td><td>Yellow</td><td>Red</td></tr><tr><td>Bad</td><td>Pink</td><td>Blue</td></tr><tr><td>Doubtful</td><td>Grey</td><td>Green</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>The luck is also marked in the font</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Luck</td><td>Font</td></tr><tr><td>Very Lucky</td><td>Bold</td></tr><tr><td>Very Unlucky</td><td>Italics</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_analysis"></a>Analysis panel</h4></div></div></div><p>You can also study your moves and cube decisions in more detail in the analysis window, or analysis panel if you have checked Dock panels in the Window menu. You can open this window by checking on <span class="guimenu">Window</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analysis</span>. If you have docked panels the analysis panel will appear under the game record. The analysis window is basically the same as the Hint window described in the "[[Playing a game or match]]" - chapter.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_analyzepane"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 19. The Analyze pane</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/analysepane.png" alt="[[analasyepane.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>In the figure you can see the analysis panel. At the top of the + chapter.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_analysepane"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 19. The Analyse pane</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/analysepane.png" alt="[[analasyepane.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>In the figure you can see the analysis panel. At the top of the analysis panel you will see three pull-down menus. The leftmost pull-down menu is a comment on the cube decision. In the figure it is a position where the player didn't double and the <span class="application">GNU @@ -756,11 +755,11 @@ Application Options: will not be visible if the cube is not available to the player.</p><p>There is also a set of tool buttons in the analysis panel. These buttons does exactly the same as the tool buttons in the Hint window, which is described in the the chapter called "[[Playing a game or - match]]".</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Statistics"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_stat"></a>Statistics</h4></div></div></div><p>You can get a summary of the analysis from the game, match, or + match]]".</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_stat"></a>Statistics</h4></div></div></div><p>You can get a summary of the analysis from the game, match, or session analysis. The game analysis is a summary for the current game whereas the match or session statistics is a summary of all the games in the match or session. The match analysis is available in the GUI - from <span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Match Statistics</span> or at the bottom of exported files.</p><div class="sect4" title="Checker play statistics"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_stat_check"></a>Checker play statistics</h5></div></div></div><p>This section provides a summary of the checker play statistics. + from <span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Match Statistics</span> or at the bottom of exported files.</p><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_stat_check"></a>Checker play statistics</h5></div></div></div><p>This section provides a summary of the checker play statistics. The following information is available</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Total moves: The total number of moves in the match. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Unforced moves: The number of unforced moves, i.e., all checker play decisions which had more than one legal move. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Moves marked <span class="emphasis"><em>xxx</em></span>: The number of moves @@ -786,7 +785,7 @@ Application Options: Backgammon</span> will assign a rating for your checker play ranging from <span class="emphasis"><em>Awful!</em></span> to <span class="emphasis"><em>Supernatural</em></span>. See the description for the - overall rating below. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect4" title="Luck analysis"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_stat_luck"></a>Luck analysis</h5></div></div></div><p>This section provides information about how Ms. Fortuna + overall rating below. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_stat_luck"></a>Luck analysis</h5></div></div></div><p>This section provides information about how Ms. Fortuna distributed her luck. The following information is available:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Rolls marked <span class="emphasis"><em>xxx</em></span>: The number of moves marked <span class="emphasis"><em>very lucky</em></span>, <span class="emphasis"><em>lucky</em></span> etc. Moves marked <span class="emphasis"><em>very @@ -801,7 +800,7 @@ Application Options: normalized and unnormalized. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Luck rating: Based on the luck rate per move <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will assign you a humorous luck rating. See below for the possible ratings. - </p></li></ol></div><p>Thresholds for marking of rolls:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Deviation of equity from average</td><td>Roll is marked</td></tr><tr><td>> 0.6</td><td>very lucky</td></tr><tr><td>0.3 - 0.6</td><td>lucky</td></tr><tr><td>-0.3 - 0.3</td><td>unmarked</td></tr><tr><td>-0.6 - -0.3</td><td>unlucky</td></tr><tr><td>< -0.6</td><td>very unlucky</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Luck ratings:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Normalized luck rate per move</td><td>Luck rating</td></tr><tr><td>> 0.10</td><td>Cheater :-)</td></tr><tr><td>0.06 - 0.10</td><td>Go to Las Vegas immediately</td></tr><tr><td>0.02 - 0.06</td><td>Good dice, man!</td></tr><tr><td>-0.02 - 0.02</td><td>none</td></tr><tr><td>-0.06 - -0.02</td><td>Better luck next time</td></tr><tr><td>-0.06 - -0.10</td><td>Go to bed</td></tr><tr><td>< -0.10</td><td>Haaa-haaa</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect4" title="Cube statistics"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_stat_cube"></a>Cube statistics</h5></div></div></div><p>This section provides a summary of the cube decision statistics: + </p></li></ol></div><p>Thresholds for marking of rolls:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Deviation of equity from average</td><td>Roll is marked</td></tr><tr><td>> 0.6</td><td>very lucky</td></tr><tr><td>0.3 - 0.6</td><td>lucky</td></tr><tr><td>-0.3 - 0.3</td><td>unmarked</td></tr><tr><td>-0.6 - -0.3</td><td>unlucky</td></tr><tr><td>< -0.6</td><td>very unlucky</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Luck ratings:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Normalized luck rate per move</td><td>Luck rating</td></tr><tr><td>> 0.10</td><td>Cheater :-)</td></tr><tr><td>0.06 - 0.10</td><td>Go to Las Vegas immediately</td></tr><tr><td>0.02 - 0.06</td><td>Good dice, man!</td></tr><tr><td>-0.02 - 0.02</td><td>none</td></tr><tr><td>-0.06 - -0.02</td><td>Better luck next time</td></tr><tr><td>-0.06 - -0.10</td><td>Go to bed</td></tr><tr><td>< -0.10</td><td>Haaa-haaa</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_stat_cube"></a>Cube statistics</h5></div></div></div><p>This section provides a summary of the cube decision statistics: the number of cube decisions, missed doubles, etc.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Total cube decisions: The total number of cube decisions, i.e., the sum of no-doubles, doubles, takes, and passes. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Close or actual cube decisions: Similar to Total cube decisions, except that no-doubles are only included if they're @@ -837,7 +836,7 @@ Application Options: Backgammon</span> will assign a rating for your cube decisions ranging from <span class="emphasis"><em>Awful!</em></span> to <span class="emphasis"><em>Supernatural</em></span>. See the description for the - overall rating below. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect4" title="Overall rating"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_stat_overall"></a>Overall rating</h5></div></div></div><p>The last section is the overall summary.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Error rate (total): The accumulated checker play and cube + overall rating below. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-matches_review_stat_overall"></a>Overall rating</h5></div></div></div><p>The last section is the overall summary.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Error rate (total): The accumulated checker play and cube decision errors reported by normalized and unnormalized. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Error rate (per decision): The error rate per decision is the total error rate divided by the number of non-trivial decisions (i.e., the sum of <span class="emphasis"><em>unforced moves</em></span> @@ -879,12 +878,12 @@ Application Options: he due to the extra luck has the possibly to give up even more MWC. However, <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will report this number as 100%, and 0% for the opposite situation. - Note that this number is biased towards the analyzing bot, e.g., + Note that this number is biased towards the analysing bot, e.g., a 0-ply analysis a game between GNU Backgammon 2-ply and 0-ply will suggest that 0-ply is a favorite, which it is clearly not. For an unbiased measure use the <span class="emphasis"><em>luck adjusted - result</em></span> above. </p></li></ol></div><p>Threshold for ratings:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Normalized total error rate per move</td><td>Rating</td></tr><tr><td>0.000 - 0.002</td><td>Supernatural</td></tr><tr><td>0.002 - 0.005</td><td>World Class</td></tr><tr><td>0.005 - 0.008</td><td>Expert</td></tr><tr><td>0.008 - 0.012</td><td>Advanced</td></tr><tr><td>0.012 - 0.018</td><td>Intermediate</td></tr><tr><td>0.018 - 0.026</td><td>Casual Player</td></tr><tr><td>0.026 - 0.035</td><td>Beginner</td></tr><tr><td>> 0.035</td><td>Awful!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Please note: The Normalized total error rate per move is - multiplied by 1000 in the default settings.</p></div></div></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Rollouts"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-rollouts"></a>Rollouts</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Introduction to rollouts"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rollouts_intro"></a>Introduction to rollouts</h3></div></div></div><p>The million dollar question is simple enough: out of all the games + result</em></span> above. </p></li></ol></div><p>Threshold for ratings:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Normalized total error rate per move</td><td>Rating</td></tr><tr><td>0.000 - 0.002</td><td>Supernatural</td></tr><tr><td>0.002 - 0.005</td><td>World Class</td></tr><tr><td>0.005 - 0.008</td><td>Expert</td></tr><tr><td>0.008 - 0.012</td><td>Advanced</td></tr><tr><td>0.012 - 0.018</td><td>Intermediate</td></tr><tr><td>0.018 - 0.026</td><td>Casual Player</td></tr><tr><td>0.026 - 0.035</td><td>Beginner</td></tr><tr><td>> 0.035</td><td>Awful!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Please note: The Normalized total error rate per move is + multiplied by 1000 in the default settings.</p></div></div></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-rollouts"></a>Rollouts</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rollouts_intro"></a>Introduction to rollouts</h3></div></div></div><p>The million dollar question is simple enough: out of all the games that could result from playing this position, how many do we win (and how many of our wins and losses are gammons, and how many are backgammons)? The model is exactly the same as if we had an urn with a @@ -915,7 +914,7 @@ Application Options: <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> vs. <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> are representative of the results of a perfect player vs. a perfect player, or of you vs. Joe Average, but - that's another story.)</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Rollouts in GNU Backgammon"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rollouts_gnubg"></a>Rollouts in <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></h3></div></div></div><p>In <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> the Rollout function + that's another story.)</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rollouts_gnubg"></a>Rollouts in <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></h3></div></div></div><p>In <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> the Rollout function implements the procedure described above, with the following improvements:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Truncation: instead of rolling out all the way to the end of the game, it can stop and pretend its evaluation after a few plies is @@ -951,7 +950,7 @@ Application Options: distribution in your sample is more important than unpredictability). <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> only stratifies the first 2 plies of a rollout, though it would be easy - enough to extend it to the remainder. </p></li></ol></div><div class="sect3" title="Quasi-Random Dice"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rollouts_gnubg_quasi"></a>Quasi-Random Dice</h4></div></div></div><p>Quasi-Random Dice are used to reduce the element of luck in + enough to extend it to the remainder. </p></li></ol></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-rollouts_gnubg_quasi"></a>Quasi-Random Dice</h4></div></div></div><p>Quasi-Random Dice are used to reduce the element of luck in rollouts. Instead of selecting purely random dice, <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will ensure a uniform distribution of the first roll of the rollout. If 36 trials are requested, one game will @@ -996,7 +995,7 @@ Application Options: (<span class="emphasis"><em>rollout as initial position</em></span>) every 36 (30) games you get all possible 1st rolls, every 1296 (1080) games get every possible first 2 rolls, every 46656 (38880) games you get full sets of 3 - rolls, etc.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Customizing GNU Backgammon"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-custom"></a>Customizing <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Evaluation settings"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval"></a>Evaluation settings</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Introduction to evaluation settings"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_intro"></a>Introduction to evaluation settings</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> evaluation functionality + rolls, etc.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-custom"></a>Customizing <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval"></a>Evaluation settings</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_intro"></a>Introduction to evaluation settings</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> evaluation functionality is driven by 3 separate neural networks. The neural nets evaluates each position statically, and returns the outcome probabilities of the game at the given position. However, there are several different @@ -1009,18 +1008,18 @@ Application Options: setting for each operation <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> does.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Evaluation setting for Hints and Evaluations </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Evaluation setting for analysis. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Evaluation setting for <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> when it's playing. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Several evaluation settings for each move performed in a - rollout. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect3" title="The depth to search and plies"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_depth"></a>The depth to search and plies</h4></div></div></div><p>A <span class="emphasis"><em>ply</em></span> is simply considered to be one turn by - a player. Any position can be evaluated at 0-ply. That means that GNU - Backgammon does not look ahead in the game to evaluate the position. - When GNU Backgammon is evaluating a checker play decision, it looks at + rollout. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_depth"></a>The depth to search and plies</h4></div></div></div><p>A <span class="emphasis"><em>ply</em></span> is simply considered to be one turn by + a player. Any position can be evaluated at 0-ply. That means that <span class="application">GNU + Backgammon</span> does not look ahead in the game to evaluate the position. + When <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is evaluating a checker play decision, it looks at all resulting positions after all the legal moves with the given dice roll, and evaluates these position at the given ply. It's possible to set the search depth by specifying the plies lookahead in any - evaluation settings dialog.</p><p>Snowie users: <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> differs - from some other software, notably Snowie in that <span class="application">GNU - Backgammon</span> zero ply is the same as Snowie 1 ply. In + evaluation settings dialog.</p><p>Snowie and XG users: <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> differs + from most other software, notably Snowie and eXtreme Gammon in that <span class="application">GNU + Backgammon</span> starts counting plies at 0 (no lookahead) while other start at 1 ply. In the same way what is called 2-ply in <span class="application">GNU - Backgammon</span> will therefore be similar to a Snowie 3-ply.</p><p>For <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>, a 0-ply evaluation + Backgammon</span> will be similar to a Snowie 3-ply.</p><p>For <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>, a 0-ply evaluation of a move would be done by:</p><p>Build a list of all legal moves. For each move, take the resulting board position and use the neural net to estimate the expected percentage of wins/gammons/backgammons/losses/gammon losses/backgammon @@ -1042,39 +1041,30 @@ Application Options: evaluations by about 400 odd, which explains the huge difference in playing speed/analysis speed between 0 ply and 2 ply settings. I don't think many people would enjoy playing against <span class="application">GNU - Backgammon</span> at 3 ply settings, where moves could take - minutes to be selected. It's also not clear that using much deeper - lookahead actually gains a lot in terms of playing strength - if you - really need better answers than 2 ply, rollouts are probably a lot - better.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Defining evaluation settings"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_define"></a>Defining evaluation settings</h4></div></div></div><p>First of all: There are several places in <span class="application">GNU + Backgammon</span> at 4 ply settings, where moves could take + tens of seconds to be selected. Deeper + lookahead than 2 ply actually gains relatively little in terms of playing strength and are not very interesting as settings for <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> as an opponent or for rollouts (although 3 ply is quite fast on current computers). + On the other hand, 4 ply analysis is reasonably fast on modern multi-cores machines. + </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_define"></a>Defining evaluation settings</h4></div></div></div><p>First of all: There are several places in <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> where you can adjust either it's skill at - playing or the quality of it's hints and analysis:</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Playing skill:"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_skill"></a>Playing skill:</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Players</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Player 0</span> - choose Supremo or World Class. GNU Backgammon will - take longer choosing its moves, but they will be very strong. At this - setting, it is much stronger than Jellyfish level 7.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Hints:"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_hint"></a>Hints:</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Evaluation</span> - choose Supremo or World Class if you want hints to be - very accurate, but, like the playing skill setting, you may find that - it can take as long as 15 seconds to get an answer on a 1GHz PC. - Expert will be very fast, but for some positions where you need to - consider what your opponent may do on his roll and how you will follow - it up, the results will be less accurate. A wild guess would be - somewhere around 2 or 3 percent of the time, World Class or stronger - settings would give a different best move and maybe less than 1/2 - percent of the time, the Expert result would be seriously - wrong.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Analysis:"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_analysis"></a>Analysis:</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analysis</span> - these settings are used by the Analyze Move/Game/Match + playing or the quality of it's hints and analysis:</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_skill"></a>Playing skill:</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Players</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Player 0</span> - choose Supremo or World Class. GNU Backgammon will + take at most a few seconds choosing its moves and they will be very strong. At this + setting, it is significantly stronger than any human player (on average, some classes of positions are evaluated less accurately).</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_hint"></a>Hints:</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Evaluation</span> - choose Supremo or World Class if you want hints to be + accurate and fast. Anything lower doesn't really makes sense + on current PCs.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_analysis"></a>Analysis:</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Analysis</span> - these settings are used by the Analyse Move/Game/Match or Session command. Note that this is totally different to what is used in the Hint command, which uses the above settings. You probably - want at least World Class here. My experience on a 700MHz PC is that a - 7 point match takes about 15 to 20 minutes to analyze on the Supremo - settings. But the results tend to be very accurate.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Rollouts:"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_rollout"></a>Rollouts:</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Rollouts</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">General Settings</span> tick the boxes for 'Cube decisions use same settings - same as checker play' and 'Use same settings for both players'</p><p><span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Rollouts</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">First Play Both</span> - select Expert here (this is my opinion). When doing + want at least Supremo here. A 7 point match will take at most 1 minute to analyse on the Supremo settings. This could be used to get immediate feedback after completing a match. + An alternative is to use the more accurate 4 ply level. The same analysis would take maybe 15 minutes on a 4-cores computer and longer on more limited hardware. This would be more suitable to delayed, overnight for instance, processing of a batch of matches.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_rollout"></a>Rollouts:</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Rollouts</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">General Settings</span> tick the boxes for 'Cube decisions use same settings + same as checker play' and 'Use same settings for both players'</p><p><span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Rollouts</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">First Play Both</span> - select Expert here for fast rollouts or World Class for slower but more accurate ones. When doing rollouts, most of the time Expert play will be more than strong enough if you do say 1296 trials with no truncation. The rollout function has an enormous number of options, most of which are only useful when - trying to investigate special positions. The simple expert setting for - both players is probably more accurate than any of the Analysis + trying to investigate special positions. The simple Expert setting for + both players is more accurate than any of the Analysis functions. The downside is that rolling out 1296 trials of an early - move in a game can take a couple of hours. On World Class or Supremo - rollout settings, it can take more than 24 hours of computing - time.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Changing evaluation settings"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_dialog"></a>Changing evaluation settings</h4></div></div></div><p>A typical evaluation settings dialog is shown in this figure.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_evaldialog"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 20. The evaluation settings dialog</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/evalsetting.png" alt="[[evalsettings.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>The dialog is consisting of two columns, the left column is for + move in a game can take from a couple of minutes at Expert level to hours at World Class or Supremo + rollout settings.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_dialog"></a>Changing evaluation settings</h4></div></div></div><p>A typical evaluation settings dialog is shown in this figure.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_evaldialog"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 20. The evaluation settings dialog</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/evalsetting.png" alt="[[evalsettings.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>The dialog is consisting of two columns, the left column is for setting the checker play decision evaluation settings, and the right column is for setting the cube decision evaluation settings.</p><p>For each column you can select some predefined settings, or you can define your own settings.</p><p>In the lookahead box, you can adjust the lookahead of each @@ -1088,9 +1078,9 @@ Application Options: smart if you think the program plays to strong. You can use the Noise box option to introduce noise or errors in the evaluations. This is useful for introducing levels below 0-ply. The lower rated bots (e.g., - GGotter) on the GamesGrid backgammon server uses this technique. The + BlunderBot on FIBS) use this technique. The introduced noise can be deterministic, i.e., always the same noise for - the same position, or it can be random.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Predefined settings"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_predefined"></a>Predefined settings</h4></div></div></div><p>At the top of each evaluation settings column, it's possible to + the same position, or it can be random.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_predefined"></a>Predefined settings</h4></div></div></div><p>At the top of each evaluation settings column, it's possible to set a predefined setting.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Beginner This setting uses no lookahead and add up to 0.060 noise to the evaluation. With this setting <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will evaluate like a beginner.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Casual play This setting uses no lookahead and add up to 0.050 @@ -1108,28 +1098,28 @@ Application Options: a large move filter. This setting is extremely strong and still fast on current computers.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>4ply This setting uses 4-ply lookahead, no noise and a large move filter. This setting is extremely strong, but it's - also quite slow. It is more suitable to analysis than to actual play.</p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Move filters"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_filter"></a>Move filters</h4></div></div></div><div class="sect4" title="Introduction to move filters"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_filter_intro"></a>Introduction to move filters</h5></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> uses a technique + also quite slow. It is more suitable to analysis than to actual play.</p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_filter"></a>Move filters</h4></div></div></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_filter_intro"></a>Introduction to move filters</h5></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> uses a technique called move filters in order to prune the complete list of legal - moves when analyzing checker play decisions.</p><p>A move filter for a given ply, say, 2-ply, consists of four - parameters for each sub ply:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>whether to analyze at all at this sub ply, </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>the number of moves always accepted at the given level, + moves when analysing checker play decisions.</p><p>A move filter for a given ply, say, 2-ply, consists of four + parameters for each sub ply:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>whether to analyse at all at this sub ply, </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>the number of moves always accepted at the given level, </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>the number of extra moves to add, </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>the threshold for adding extra moves. </p></li></ol></div><p>A move filter for a given ply, say, 2-ply, consists of four - parameters for each sub ply:</p><p>whether to analyze at all at this sub ply, the number of moves + parameters for each sub ply:</p><p>whether to analyse at all at this sub ply, the number of moves always accepted at the given level, the number of extra moves to add, the threshold for adding extra moves. For example, for 2-ply checker play decisions there are two move filters: one for pruning at 0-ply, and another for pruning at 1-ply. The predefined setting <span class="emphasis"><em>Normal</em></span> has: accept 0 moves and add up to 8 moves within 0.16 at 0-ply, and no pruning at 1-ply.</p><p>Consider the opening position where 4-2 has been rolled:</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_movefilter"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 21. Example of move filter settings</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/movefilterex.png" alt="[[movefilterex.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> starts by finding all - possible moves and evaluate those at 0-ply:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>1.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>8/4 6/4</td><td>Eq.:+0.189</td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/20 13/11</td><td>Eq.:+0.046</td><td>(-0.143)</td></tr><tr><td>3.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>13/11 13/9</td><td>Eq.:+0.044</td><td>(-0.145)</td></tr><tr><td>4.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/22 13/9</td><td>Eq.:+0.034</td><td>(-0.155)</td></tr><tr><td>5.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/22 24/20</td><td>Eq.:-0.006</td><td>(-0.194)</td></tr><tr><td>6.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/18</td><td>Eq.:-0.009</td><td>(-0.198)</td></tr><tr><td>7.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/20 6/4</td><td>Eq.:-0.019</td><td>(-0.208)</td></tr><tr><td>8.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>13/9 6/4</td><td>Eq.:-0.024</td><td>(-0.213)</td></tr><tr><td>9.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>13/7</td><td>Eq.:-0.052</td><td>(-0.241)</td></tr><tr><td>10.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/20 8/6</td><td>Eq.:-0.053</td><td>(-0.242)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p></p><p>According to the move filter the first 0 moves are accepted. The + possible moves and evaluate those at 0-ply:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>1.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>8/4 6/4</td><td>Eq.:+0.189</td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/20 13/11</td><td>Eq.:+0.046</td><td>(-0.143)</td></tr><tr><td>3.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>13/11 13/9</td><td>Eq.:+0.044</td><td>(-0.145)</td></tr><tr><td>4.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/22 13/9</td><td>Eq.:+0.034</td><td>(-0.155)</td></tr><tr><td>5.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/22 24/20</td><td>Eq.:-0.006</td><td>(-0.194)</td></tr><tr><td>6.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/18</td><td>Eq.:-0.009</td><td>(-0.198)</td></tr><tr><td>7.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/20 6/4</td><td>Eq.:-0.019</td><td>(-0.208)</td></tr><tr><td>8.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>13/9 6/4</td><td>Eq.:-0.024</td><td>(-0.213)</td></tr><tr><td>9.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>13/7</td><td>Eq.:-0.052</td><td>(-0.241)</td></tr><tr><td>10.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/20 8/6</td><td>Eq.:-0.053</td><td>(-0.242)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p></p><p>According to the move filter the first 0 moves are accepted. The equity of the best move is +0.189, and according to the move filter we add up to 8 extra moves if they're within 0.160, that is, if they have equity higher than 0.029. Moves 5 through 18 all have equity lower that, so the move list after pruning at 0-ply consists of moves 1 through 4. According to the move filter we do not perform any pruning at 1-ply, so moves 1 through 4 are submitted for - evaluation at 2-ply;</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>1.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>2-ply</td><td>8/4 6/4</td><td>Eq.:+0.180</td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>2-ply</td><td>24/20 13/11</td><td>Eq.:+0.052</td><td>(-0.127)</td></tr><tr><td>3.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>2-ply</td><td>13/11 13/9</td><td>Eq.:+0.043</td><td>(-0.137)</td></tr><tr><td>4.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>2-ply</td><td>24/22 13/9</td><td>Eq.:+0.035</td><td>(-0.145)</td></tr><tr><td>5.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/22 24/20</td><td>Eq.:-0.006</td><td>(-0.185)</td></tr><tr><td>6.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/18</td><td>Eq.:-0.009</td><td>(-0.189)</td></tr><tr><td>7.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/20 6/4</td><td>Eq.:-0.019</td><td>(-0.199)</td></tr><tr><td>8.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>13/9 6/4</td><td>Eq.:-0.024</td><td>(-0.203)</td></tr><tr><td>9.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>13/7</td><td>Eq.:-0.052</td><td>(-0.232)</td></tr><tr><td>10.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/20 8/6</td><td>Eq.:-0.053</td><td>(-0.232)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p></p><p>If we instead request a 4-ply checker play decision, + evaluation at 2-ply;</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>1.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>2-ply</td><td>8/4 6/4</td><td>Eq.:+0.180</td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>2-ply</td><td>24/20 13/11</td><td>Eq.:+0.052</td><td>(-0.127)</td></tr><tr><td>3.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>2-ply</td><td>13/11 13/9</td><td>Eq.:+0.043</td><td>(-0.137)</td></tr><tr><td>4.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>2-ply</td><td>24/22 13/9</td><td>Eq.:+0.035</td><td>(-0.145)</td></tr><tr><td>5.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/22 24/20</td><td>Eq.:-0.006</td><td>(-0.185)</td></tr><tr><td>6.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/18</td><td>Eq.:-0.009</td><td>(-0.189)</td></tr><tr><td>7.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/20 6/4</td><td>Eq.:-0.019</td><td>(-0.199)</td></tr><tr><td>8.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>13/9 6/4</td><td>Eq.:-0.024</td><td>(-0.203)</td></tr><tr><td>9.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>13/7</td><td>Eq.:-0.052</td><td>(-0.232)</td></tr><tr><td>10.</td><td>Cubeful</td><td>0-ply</td><td>24/20 8/6</td><td>Eq.:-0.053</td><td>(-0.232)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p></p><p>If we instead request a 4-ply checker play decision, <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will use the move - filters defined for 4-ply:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /><col class="c4" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Ply</td><td>Accept moves</td><td>Extra moves</td><td>Threshold for extra moves</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>8</td><td>0.160</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>no pruning</td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0.040</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>no pruning</td><td> </td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>The 4-ply move filter is identical to the 2-ply for pruning at + filters defined for 4-ply:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /><col class="c4" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Ply</td><td>Accept moves</td><td>Extra moves</td><td>Threshold for extra moves</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>8</td><td>0.160</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>no pruning</td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0.040</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>no pruning</td><td> </td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>The 4-ply move filter is identical to the 2-ply for pruning at 0-ply, so after 0-ply we have the same three moves as above. Since there is no pruning at 1-ply these three moves are evaluated at 2-ply as above. There is no pruning at 3-ply.</p><p>At 4-ply we do not accept any moves, but add up to two moves if @@ -1139,19 +1129,19 @@ Application Options: will actually not evaluate any moves on 4-ply.</p><p>The predefined move filters all have accept 0 moves, in order to facilitate fast decisions and analysis, i.e., no need to waste much time over obvious moves.</p><p>For post-mortem analysis it may be worthwhile to ensure that GNU - Backgammon analyzes at least two moves at the specified ply. To do + Backgammon analyses at least two moves at the specified ply. To do this, specify accept 2 moves in the move filters you use for analysis. However, do note that <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will force evaluation at the specified ply if the actual move made is doubtful. This ensures that all errors - and blunders are evaluated at the same level.</p></div><div class="sect4" title="Defining move filters"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_filter_define"></a>Defining move filters</h5></div></div></div><p>The move filter allows you to control exactly how many moves GNU + and blunders are evaluated at the same level.</p></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_filter_define"></a>Defining move filters</h5></div></div></div><p>The move filter allows you to control exactly how many moves GNU is examining at each ply. A ply is basically one move played by one side, thus if both sides played a move, it would be one whole move, but two plies, one for each side. To change the specific settings, press the Modify... button.</p><p>Although the predefined levels, such as World Class, Supremo, etc. are tested and good, you may want to know or control how GNU - filters its moves to analyze and how many.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_movefilter1"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 22. Move filter 1</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/movefilter1.png" alt="[[movefilter1.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>If you are playing Expert level (this is what GGRaccoon is set - at) or another 0-ply setting, the Move Filter settings will not + filters its moves to analyse and how many.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_movefilter1"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 22. Move filter 1</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/movefilter1.png" alt="[[movefilter1.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>If you are playing Expert level + or another 0-ply setting, the Move Filter settings will not change a thing, as Expert level automatically examines all moves. At Supremo level, this changes though, as it takes a selection of the best moves from 0-ply and examines them at 2-ply. This means that @@ -1162,28 +1152,28 @@ Application Options: settings will have no effect here because Supremo doesn't examine at that depth.</p><p>In the figure above, we can see it first will Always accept 0 moves. This first line means that it won't force any moves to be - analyzed at 2-ply, it will only analyze moves according to the - second line. If it had said it would always analyze 2 moves, this + analysed at 2-ply, it will only analyse moves according to the + second line. If it had said it would always analyse 2 moves, this would mean that no matter how ridiculously bad the 2nd move was - compared to the 1st, it would analyze both at 2-ply.</p><p>The second line says it will Add extra 16 moves within 0.320. + compared to the 1st, it would analyse both at 2-ply.</p><p>The second line says it will Add extra 16 moves within 0.320. This means that provided they aren't more than 0.320 equity worse - than the top move, it will select a maximum of 16 moves to analyze + than the top move, it will select a maximum of 16 moves to analyse at 2-ply. For example, in the figure below, the 2nd best move is no less than 0.453 equity worse than the top choice, so it didn't - bother analyzing them at 2-ply as it is unlikely to change its mind + bother analysing them at 2-ply as it is unlikely to change its mind on what the best move is.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_movefilter2"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 23. Move filter 2</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/movefilter2.png" alt="[[movefilter2.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Take a look at next figure.</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_movefilter3"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 24. Move filter 3</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/movefilter3.png" alt="[[movefilter3.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Here, the exact same settings were maintained, but the 1-ply filter was activated. This just means that those 16 moves selected - from the 0-ply are sent instead to be analyzed at 1-ply, and then up - to 5 moves from 1-ply will be sent to be analyzed at 2-ply. So this + from the 0-ply are sent instead to be analysed at 1-ply, and then up + to 5 moves from 1-ply will be sent to be analysed at 2-ply. So this would actually be faster than the previous setting (and weaker), - since a maximum of only 5 moves would be analyzed at 2-ply depth.</p><p>Tip: Feel free to experiment with the settings, as you can + since a maximum of only 5 moves would be analysed at 2-ply depth.</p><p>Tip: Feel free to experiment with the settings, as you can always reset them by simply choosing one of the predefined levels. In order to see if they are better, or as good but faster, I'd suggest comparing the results with Supremo. One setting I have that works quite well, is to take the basic Supremo setting and in the Move filter reduce the 16 to 12. It cuts down on the thinking time by 20-25% more or less, and I haven't seen more than one case in - over 10,000 moves where it missed the best move.</p></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Cubeful vs Cubeless"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-eval_cubeful"></a>Cubeful vs Cubeless</h4></div></div></div><p>In the evaluation settings dialog box you can specify whether or + over 10,000 moves where it missed the best move.</p></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-eval_cubeful"></a>Cubeful vs Cubeless</h4></div></div></div><p>In the evaluation settings dialog box you can specify whether or not checker play should be evaluated cubeful. It's recommended that you use cubeful evaluation. To get an understanding of what cubeful checker play evaluations are, you can take a look at this position:</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_cubeful"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 25. Cubeful example</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/cubeful-ex1.png" alt="[[cubeful-ex1.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>In this position black has rolled 51 and he has a good position. @@ -1203,14 +1193,14 @@ Application Options: losing won't matter anyway, since black will turn the cube in the next few rolls anyway. The slotting play also wins more gammons, and with the cube tuned to 2, black should play towards gammonish positions at - this score.</p><p>You can read more about cubeful evaluations in the [[Appendix]].</p><p>It's recommended that you use cubeful checker evaluations.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Pruning neural networks"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_pruning"></a>Pruning neural networks</h4></div></div></div><p>A feature in the evaluation is the use of a set of neural + this score.</p><p>You can read more about cubeful evaluations in the [[Appendix]].</p><p>It's recommended that you use cubeful checker evaluations.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_pruning"></a>Pruning neural networks</h4></div></div></div><p>A feature in the evaluation is the use of a set of neural networks just to prune away move candidates within a deeper ply search. This increases the speed considerably and it doesn't lose much playing strength compared to evaluation without these pruning neural - nets. Jim Segrave has just done an analysis of this and found that + nets. Jim Segrave did an analysis of this and found that less than 1% of all moves come out different with the pruning nets activated. In most of these positions the move would not have made any - difference to the game at all.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Noise"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_noise"></a>Noise</h4></div></div></div><p>If you think <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> plays too + difference to the game at all.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_eval_noise"></a>Noise</h4></div></div></div><p>If you think <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> plays too strong for you, you can add some noise to its evaluation. The number you add into the field in the evaluations setting is the limit amount of noise that will be added to the evaluation.</p><p>If noise is added to the evaluations <span class="application">GNU @@ -1225,7 +1215,7 @@ Application Options: normal distribution. In that way you will always have that same noise amount to a position, since the noise added to the evaluation is only depending on the position itself.</p><p>If you want <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> to evaluate - and play as strong as possible, you should not add any noise.</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Appearance"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_appearance"></a>Appearance</h3></div></div></div><p>You can change the appearance of <span class="application">GNU + and play as strong as possible, you should not add any noise.</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-custom_appearance"></a>Appearance</h3></div></div></div><p>You can change the appearance of <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>. There is a lot of options to choose among and you can have the board look like nearly anything. This section will help you through some on the appearance customization.</p><p>To change the look of the board, you should click <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Appearance</span>. This will open a dialog box like this:</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_appear"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 27. The appearance dialog</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/appearence.png" alt="[[appearance.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>In this dialog box you see a preview picture of the board at the @@ -1239,13 +1229,15 @@ Application Options: need a good modern graphic card which can take 3D hardware acceleration.</p><p>The leftmost tab in the appearance settings notebook is the General option. You can here select between the 2D board or the 3D board. You can also choose between different other settings. Most of the settings - here are self explanatory.</p><div class="warning" title="Warning" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Warning</h3><p>Don't forget to save your settings!! A lovely and painstakingly - crafted board setup can be lost if you don't faithfully do your <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Save settings</span>.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Technical Notes"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-technotes"></a>Technical Notes</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Obtaining bearoff databases"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases"></a>Obtaining bearoff databases</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Generate your own"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_generate"></a>Generate your own</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is supplied with a + here are self explanatory.</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-technotes"></a>Technical Notes</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases"></a>Obtaining bearoff databases</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_generate"></a>Generate your own</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is supplied with a program makebearoff that is used to generate bearoff databases. Due to various limitations it is only possible to generate bearoff databases with a size less than 2GB, i.e., the 13pt one-sided database and the 11 checker two-sided database are the largest databases that can be - generated with makebearoff. </p><p>To generate one sided database issue </p><p>makebearoff -o 10 -f gnubg_os.bd</p><p>to generate the one sided 10 point database. The program + generated with makebearoff. </p><p>On current (2014) hardware the creation of the 11 checker + two-sided database will take a few hours. + It is approximately 3 times longer for each additional checker + or each additional point.</p><p>To generate one sided database issue </p><p>makebearoff -o 10 -f gnubg_os.bd</p><p>to generate the one sided 10 point database. The program makebearoff uses a cache to store previously generated positions. You may set the cache size with the -s size option, e.g., </p><p>makebearoff -o 10 -s 123456789 -f gnubg_os.bd</p><p>to use 123,456,789 bytes of memory for cache size. In general, if the cache size is less than the size of the database to be generated, @@ -1260,25 +1252,25 @@ Application Options: size of the bearoff database to be generated). </p><p>Other options for makebearoff are available, see makebearoff --help for the complete set. </p><p>The accompanying program makehyper is used to generate databases for Hypergammon. For example, to generate the 3-checker database issue - the command </p><p>makehyper -c 3 -f hyper3.bd</p><p>Since the generation is <span class="emphasis"><em>very</em></span> time consuming + the command </p><p>makehyper -c 3 -f hyper3.bd</p><p>Since the generation can be time consuming, makehyper will generate a checkpoint file (in the example above: - hyper1.bd.tmp) that can be used to restart the calculation if needed + hyper3.bd.tmp) that can be used to restart the calculation if needed by using the -r option. You can also change the default convergence threshold of 0.00001 if you're happy with less accurate equities. To generate the 3 checker database you need approximately 400 MB of free - memory. On a 2.4 GHz box with 512 MB of RAM the calculation ran for 58 - iterations of 3000 seconds each, i.e., a total of 48 hours! </p><p>See makehyper --help for the complete set of available options. - </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Download"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_download"></a>Download</h4></div></div></div><p>You may download the two sided database with 6 checkers on 6 + memory. On current (2014) hardware the calculation for the 3-checker + database will take a few hours (1- and 2-checker are much faster).</p><p>See makehyper --help for the complete set of available options. + </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_download"></a>Download</h4></div></div></div><p>You may download the two sided database with 6 checkers on 6 points from <a class="ulink" href="ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/gnubg_ts0.bd.gz" target="_top">ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/gnubg_ts0.bd.gz</a> and the one - sided database with 15 checkers 6 points from <a class="ulink" href="ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/gnubg_os0.bd.gz" target="_top">ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/gnubg_os0.bd.gz</a>. </p><p>Larger databases are available for download from <a class="ulink" href="ftp://ftp.demon.nl/pub/Demon/games/gnubg/databases/" target="_top">ftp://ftp.demon.nl/pub/Demon/games/gnubg/databases/</a>. </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Installation of the databases"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_install"></a>Installation of the databases</h4></div></div></div><p>The databases's installation directory depends on where + sided database with 15 checkers 6 points from <a class="ulink" href="ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/gnubg_os0.bd.gz" target="_top">ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/gnubg_os0.bd.gz</a>. </p><p>Larger databases are available for download from <a class="ulink" href="ftp://ftp.demon.nl/pub/Demon/games/gnubg/databases/" target="_top">ftp://ftp.demon.nl/pub/Demon/games/gnubg/databases/</a>. </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_install"></a>Installation of the databases</h4></div></div></div><p>The databases's installation directory depends on where <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is installed on your system. It is displayed by <span class="guimenu">Help</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">About GNU Backgammon</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Evaluation Engine</span>. - </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Verification of the databases"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_verify"></a>Verification of the databases</h4></div></div></div><p>To verify that your generated or downloaded bearoff database is + </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_verify"></a>Verification of the databases</h4></div></div></div><p>To verify that your generated or downloaded bearoff database is correct, the table below lists the MD5 checksums for a number of - possible databases. </p></div><div class="sect3" title="One-sided bearoff databases (compressed)"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_os"></a>One-sided bearoff databases (compressed)</h4></div></div></div><p>The table below contains the MD5 checksums for the compressed one + possible databases. </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_os"></a>One-sided bearoff databases (compressed)</h4></div></div></div><p>The table below contains the MD5 checksums for the compressed one sided bearoff databases, i.e., databases generated with default - options. </p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Checkers </td><td>Points </td><td>MD5 checksum </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>1 </td><td>c789f049ec98ce4e307b471257999f39 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>2 </td><td>b6e61c1625ae4b3b164e93ab064192b9 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>3 </td><td>346dae6139ccb4b227c534373e5c52e4 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>4 </td><td>653255f5f9f22fd50277f7ff25b2a343 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>5 </td><td>2064f9a56b23117d053a573c96a92fa2 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>6 </td><td>3dc7b833c4670849cee00479a9e21b49 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>7 </td><td>67235c8e0ee152df5daf36cbeae5b3c2 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>8 </td><td>a4acbb5c7e9e1f08e561afe0af934e5c </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>9 </td><td>9c4ddab4e51c3e668c9c97b8f8768dbc </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>10 </td><td>81b3898f06bbd08ee8295a839251a10a </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>11 </td><td>78ecb4be86dab6af8755ea4063d50fb6 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>12 </td><td>770fcff48894a96ebb2249343ef94866 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>13 </td><td>cc74b69a62f6e648936f533838a527a8 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>14 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>15 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>16 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>17 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>18 </td><td>not available </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Two-sided bearoff databases (with cubeless and cubeful equities)"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_ts"></a>Two-sided bearoff databases (with cubeless and cubeful equities)</h4></div></div></div><p>The table below contains the MD5 checksums for the default two - sided bearoff databases. </p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Checkers </td><td>Points </td><td>MD5 checksum </td></tr><tr><td>1 </td><td>6 </td><td>7ed6f8e7fce16ea2b80e07a4a516653c </td></tr><tr><td>2 </td><td>6 </td><td>e9d760bf213841c285245ed757a52f4d </td></tr><tr><td>3 </td><td>6 </td><td>9d67da3db32ad4720cc38eecf9a67967 </td></tr><tr><td>4 </td><td>6 </td><td>9156f37032d1d4b0352a41186e632dfc </td></tr><tr><td>5 </td><td>6 </td><td>0db19ab08feae1feb33ddbd709479f62 </td></tr><tr><td>6 </td><td>6 </td><td>44b6040b49b46cb9dd2ce8caa947044d </td></tr><tr><td>7 </td><td>6 </td><td>9eb8b042d4d2ddf8d40e74a892745ad5 </td></tr><tr><td>8 </td><td>6 </td><td>fcdbbc80b7ef84ddc81b839d0f26bed1 </td></tr><tr><td>9 </td><td>6 </td><td>a11b2d410d51401143d05e73f9ffac15 </td></tr><tr><td>10 </td><td>6 </td><td>12dc70c86f356d06bc96ee38dee40c62 </td></tr><tr><td>11 </td><td>6 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>12 </td><td>6 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>13 </td><td>6 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>14 </td><td>6 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>6 </td><td>not available </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Two-sided databases for Hypergammon"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_hyper"></a>Two-sided databases for Hypergammon</h4></div></div></div><p>As the generation of the Hypergammon databases are an iterative + options. </p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Checkers </td><td>Points </td><td>MD5 checksum </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>1 </td><td>c789f049ec98ce4e307b471257999f39 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>2 </td><td>b6e61c1625ae4b3b164e93ab064192b9 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>3 </td><td>346dae6139ccb4b227c534373e5c52e4 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>4 </td><td>653255f5f9f22fd50277f7ff25b2a343 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>5 </td><td>2064f9a56b23117d053a573c96a92fa2 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>6 </td><td>3dc7b833c4670849cee00479a9e21b49 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>7 </td><td>67235c8e0ee152df5daf36cbeae5b3c2 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>8 </td><td>a4acbb5c7e9e1f08e561afe0af934e5c </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>9 </td><td>9c4ddab4e51c3e668c9c97b8f8768dbc </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>10 </td><td>81b3898f06bbd08ee8295a839251a10a </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>11 </td><td>78ecb4be86dab6af8755ea4063d50fb6 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>12 </td><td>770fcff48894a96ebb2249343ef94866 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>13 </td><td>cc74b69a62f6e648936f533838a527a8 </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>14 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>15 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>16 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>17 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>18 </td><td>not available </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_ts"></a>Two-sided bearoff databases (with cubeless and cubeful equities)</h4></div></div></div><p>The table below contains the MD5 checksums for the default two + sided bearoff databases. </p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Checkers </td><td>Points </td><td>MD5 checksum </td></tr><tr><td>1 </td><td>6 </td><td>7ed6f8e7fce16ea2b80e07a4a516653c </td></tr><tr><td>2 </td><td>6 </td><td>e9d760bf213841c285245ed757a52f4d </td></tr><tr><td>3 </td><td>6 </td><td>9d67da3db32ad4720cc38eecf9a67967 </td></tr><tr><td>4 </td><td>6 </td><td>9156f37032d1d4b0352a41186e632dfc </td></tr><tr><td>5 </td><td>6 </td><td>0db19ab08feae1feb33ddbd709479f62 </td></tr><tr><td>6 </td><td>6 </td><td>44b6040b49b46cb9dd2ce8caa947044d </td></tr><tr><td>7 </td><td>6 </td><td>9eb8b042d4d2ddf8d40e74a892745ad5 </td></tr><tr><td>8 </td><td>6 </td><td>fcdbbc80b7ef84ddc81b839d0f26bed1 </td></tr><tr><td>9 </td><td>6 </td><td>a11b2d410d51401143d05e73f9ffac15 </td></tr><tr><td>10 </td><td>6 </td><td>12dc70c86f356d06bc96ee38dee40c62 </td></tr><tr><td>11 </td><td>6 </td><td>68a0fa972bdde7b14a6b911d1dc80a30 </td></tr><tr><td>12 </td><td>6 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>13 </td><td>6 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>14 </td><td>6 </td><td>not available </td></tr><tr><td>15 </td><td>6 </td><td>not available </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_databases_hyper"></a>Two-sided databases for Hypergammon</h4></div></div></div><p>As the generation of the Hypergammon databases are an iterative process it's not possible to give MD5 checksum for these, as it depend heavily on your convergence threshold, the number of restarts, and rounding errors. </p><p>A random position from the database is found in <a class="xref" href="#gnubg-hypergammon" title="Example 2. Random position from hypergammon database">Example 2, “Random position from hypergammon database”</a>. The equities and @@ -1318,9 +1310,9 @@ Double, pass : +1.000 (+1.219) Double, take : -0.710 (-0.491) Correct cube action: No double, beaver -</pre></div></div><br class="example-break" /></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Match Equity Tables"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_met"></a>Match Equity Tables</h3></div></div></div><p>Multiple match equity tables are bundled with <span class="application">GNU +</pre></div></div><br class="example-break" /></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_met"></a>Match Equity Tables</h3></div></div></div><p>Multiple match equity tables are bundled with <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>, although most of them are only of marginal - or historical interest.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><span class="emphasis"><em>Rockwell-Kazaross</em></span> or + or historical interest.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><span class="emphasis"><em>Rockwell-Kazaross</em></span> or <span class="emphasis"><em>Kazaross-XG2</em></span> are the recommended choice. They were created by rolling out the initial position for every score up to -15:-15 and are the best currently available estimations @@ -1344,9 +1336,9 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver They should only be used to analyse such unequal opponents situations. </li><li class="listitem"> The other tables are obsolete and of no practical use. - </li></ul></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Python scripting"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python"></a>Python scripting</h3></div></div></div><p>Accessing the <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> Python shell</p><p>To access the Python shell, either type `>' from the command - line or select <span class="guimenu">Window</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Python Shell(IDLE...)</span> from the GUI. </p><div class="sect3" title="gnubg module functions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python_module"></a>gnubg module functions</h4></div></div></div><p>board()</p><p>command(cmd)</p><p>evaluate()</p><p>evalcontext()</p><p>eq2mwc()</p><p>mwc2eq()</p><p>cubeinfo()</p><p>met()</p><p>positionid()</p><p>positionfromid()</p><p>positionkey()</p><p>positionfromkey()</p><p>positionbearoff()</p><p>positionfrombearoff()</p><p>navigate([next=N,[game=N]])</p><p>Match navigation. </p><p>Without any arguments, go to first move of first match. </p><p>With next == N, move forward N game records. </p><p>With game == N, move forward/backward N games. </p><p>Navigate never wraps around. </p><p>On success, returns None. If unable to complete the requested - number of moves, returns a pair of (next-remaining,game-remaining). </p><p>match([analysis=1/0, boards=1/0, statistics=0/1, verbose=0/1])</p><p>Return the current match. For example, </p><p>> m = gnubg.match()</p><p>Takes the following optional keyword arguments: </p><p>analysis</p><p>When 0, discard analysis data. default is 1. </p><p>boards</p><p>When 1, add current board to move/double records. Default is 1. </p><p>statistics</p><p>When 1, include game and match statistics. Default is 0. </p><p>verbose</p><p>When 1, include derived analysis values. Default is 0. </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Match description"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python_match"></a>Match description</h4></div></div></div><p>gnubg.match() returns a dictionary containing the following items: </p><p>match-info</p><p>General match info </p><p>games</p><p>A sequence, one element per game.</p><p>stats (optional)</p><p>Match statistics. </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Match info"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python_matchinfo"></a>Match info</h4></div></div></div><p>A dictionary containing the following items: </p><p>match-length </p><p>variation</p><p>One of Standard,Nackgammon, Hypergammon1, Hypergammon2 or + </li></ul></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python"></a>Python scripting</h3></div></div></div><p>Accessing the <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> Python shell</p><p>To access the Python shell, either type `>' from the command + line or select <span class="guimenu">Window</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Python Shell(IDLE...)</span> from the GUI. </p><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python_module"></a>gnubg module functions</h4></div></div></div><p>board()</p><p>command(cmd)</p><p>evaluate()</p><p>evalcontext()</p><p>eq2mwc()</p><p>mwc2eq()</p><p>cubeinfo()</p><p>met()</p><p>positionid()</p><p>positionfromid()</p><p>positionkey()</p><p>positionfromkey()</p><p>positionbearoff()</p><p>positionfrombearoff()</p><p>navigate([next=N,[game=N]])</p><p>Match navigation. </p><p>Without any arguments, go to first move of first match. </p><p>With next == N, move forward N game records. </p><p>With game == N, move forward/backward N games. </p><p>Navigate never wraps around. </p><p>On success, returns None. If unable to complete the requested + number of moves, returns a pair of (next-remaining,game-remaining). </p><p>match([analysis=1/0, boards=1/0, statistics=0/1, verbose=0/1])</p><p>Return the current match. For example, </p><p>> m = gnubg.match()</p><p>Takes the following optional keyword arguments: </p><p>analysis</p><p>When 0, discard analysis data. default is 1. </p><p>boards</p><p>When 1, add current board to move/double records. Default is 1. </p><p>statistics</p><p>When 1, include game and match statistics. Default is 0. </p><p>verbose</p><p>When 1, include derived analysis values. Default is 0. </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python_match"></a>Match description</h4></div></div></div><p>gnubg.match() returns a dictionary containing the following items: </p><p>match-info</p><p>General match info </p><p>games</p><p>A sequence, one element per game.</p><p>stats (optional)</p><p>Match statistics. </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python_matchinfo"></a>Match info</h4></div></div></div><p>A dictionary containing the following items: </p><p>match-length </p><p>variation</p><p>One of Standard,Nackgammon, Hypergammon1, Hypergammon2 or Hypergammon3. </p><p>rules (optional)</p><p>Additional rules used. A subset of NoCube, Crawford and Jacoby. </p><p>X</p><p>O</p><p>Per player information. Each a dictionary containing rating and name. </p><p>annotator (optional)</p><p>round (optional)</p><p>place (optional)</p><p>date (optional)</p><p>Sequence of (Day,Month,Year). </p><p>event (optional)</p><p>default-eval-context</p><p>Default evaluation context. A dictionary in the same format as returned by evalcontext(). </p><p>default-rollout-context</p><p>Default rollout context. </p><p>Example, </p><p>>>> m['match-info']</p><p>{'match-length': 25, 'rules': ('Crawford',), @@ -1359,14 +1351,14 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver 'truncated-rollouts': 0, 'truncate-bearoff2': 1, 'cubeful': 1, 'truncate-bearoffOS': 1, 'seed': 1177750272, 'quasi-random-dice': 1, 'minimum-games': 144}, 'date': (13, 7, 2003), 'X': {'rating': '0 (Exp - 0)', 'name': 'Jon Royset'}, 'event': 'World Championship 2003'}</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Python game"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python_game"></a>Python game</h4></div></div></div><p>A dictionary containing the following items: </p><p>info</p><p>General game info. For example, </p><p>>>> m['games'][0]['info']</p><p>{'points-won': 1, 'score-X': 0, 'score-O': 0, 'winner': 'X', - 'resigned': False}</p><p>If no winner is specified, winner is None. </p><p>>>> m['games'][2]['info']</p><p>{'score-X': 2, 'winner': None, 'score-O': 0}</p><p>game</p><p>A Sequence of actions.</p><p>stats (optional)</p><p>Game statistics. Similar entries to <span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Game statistics</span> from the GUI. </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Game actions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python_gameaction"></a>Game actions</h4></div></div></div><p>Each action is a dictionary </p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Equities explained"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities"></a>Equities explained</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Introduction to equities"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_intro"></a>Introduction to equities</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> works with many + 0)', 'name': 'Jon Royset'}, 'event': 'World Championship 2003'}</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python_game"></a>Python game</h4></div></div></div><p>A dictionary containing the following items: </p><p>info</p><p>General game info. For example, </p><p>>>> m['games'][0]['info']</p><p>{'points-won': 1, 'score-X': 0, 'score-O': 0, 'winner': 'X', + 'resigned': False}</p><p>If no winner is specified, winner is None. </p><p>>>> m['games'][2]['info']</p><p>{'score-X': 2, 'winner': None, 'score-O': 0}</p><p>game</p><p>A Sequence of actions.</p><p>stats (optional)</p><p>Game statistics. Similar entries to <span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Game statistics</span> from the GUI. </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_python_gameaction"></a>Game actions</h4></div></div></div><p>Each action is a dictionary </p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities"></a>Equities explained</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_intro"></a>Introduction to equities</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> works with many different kinds of equities. The equity is defined as the expected value of the position. However, this value can be expressed in several different metrics and may be calculated with or without taking the effect of the cube into consideration. In the following section we will describe the equities used and calculated by GNU - Backgammon.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Money equity"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_money"></a>Money equity</h4></div></div></div><p>This is the value of the position in money game, e.g., if your + Backgammon.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_money"></a>Money equity</h4></div></div></div><p>This is the value of the position in money game, e.g., if your equity is +0.4 an you are playing money game with a $1 stake, you will win $0.40 on average. The money equity can be calculated with or without taking the effect of the doubling cube into consideration, or @@ -1376,7 +1368,7 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver equity is much more difficult; it can either be estimated from the cubeless equity by using transformations as outlined by Rick Janowski or by constructing a neural net that directly outputs cubeful - equities. GNU Backgammon uses the former approach (<a class="xref" href="#gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful" title="Cubeful equities">the section called “Cubeful equities”</a>).</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Match Winning Chance"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_match"></a>Match Winning Chance</h4></div></div></div><p>In match play we're generally not particular interested in the + equities. GNU Backgammon uses the former approach (<a class="xref" href="#gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful" title="Cubeful equities">the section called “Cubeful equities”</a>).</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_match"></a>Match Winning Chance</h4></div></div></div><p>In match play we're generally not particular interested in the outcome of the individual games as much as the outcome of the entire match, so the interesting quantity for match play is <span class="emphasis"><em>match winning chance</em></span> (MWC). As for the money equity the MWC can @@ -1393,7 +1385,7 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver cubeful money equity it's possible to estimate cubeful MWCs from transformation on the w/g/bg distribution or directly calculate it from neural nets. GNU Backgammon uses the former approach, but the - formula are currently not published.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Normalized equity"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_eq_norm"></a>Normalized equity</h4></div></div></div><p>It's generally very difficult to compare MWCs. For example, it's + formula are currently not published.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_eq_norm"></a>Normalized equity</h4></div></div></div><p>It's generally very difficult to compare MWCs. For example, it's hardly worth mentioning a 0.5% MWC error at DMP where as it's a huge error at 0-0 to 7. It is therefore of interesting to normalize the MWCs to some common scale. The most often used normalization is @@ -1402,50 +1394,50 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver to anomalies at certain match scores the NEMG can go below -3 and above +3). The transformation is linear:</p><p>NEMG = 2 * (MWC-MWC(l))/(MWC(w)-MWC(l)) - 1</p><p>In other words, extrapolation with the following two extrapolation points: (MWC(w),+1) and (MWC(l),-1).</p><p>For example, suppose the score is 3-1 to 5 with the cube on 2: - MWC(l)=0% and MWC(w)=50%:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>MWC</td><td>NEMG</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>0%</td><td>-1</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>25%</td><td>0</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>50%</td><td>+1</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>75%</td><td>+2</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>100%</td><td>+3</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Note that a w/g/bg distribution of 0 100 100 - 0 0 0 gives a NEMG + MWC(l)=0% and MWC(w)=50%:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>MWC</td><td>NEMG</td></tr><tr><td>0%</td><td>-1</td></tr><tr><td>25%</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>50%</td><td>+1</td></tr><tr><td>75%</td><td>+2</td></tr><tr><td>100%</td><td>+3</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Note that a w/g/bg distribution of 0 100 100 - 0 0 0 gives a NEMG of +3 whereas the corresponding money equity is only +2. This is because the gammon price is high for that particular score. When both players are far from winning the match, e.g., 0-0 to 17 or 1-0 to 17, NEMG is very close to the usual money equity.</p><p>NEMG can be calculated from both cubeless and cubeful MWCs.</p><p>A word of caution: A cubeless NEMG calculated from a cubeless MWC could be named <span class="emphasis"><em>cubeless equity</em></span>, but in most backgammon literature this term seems to be reserved for the cubeless - money equity.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Cubeful equities"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful"></a>Cubeful equities</h4></div></div></div><p>This chapter is a brief description of how <span class="application">GNU + money equity.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful"></a>Cubeful equities</h4></div></div></div><p>This chapter is a brief description of how <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> calculates cubeful equities. The formula - build directly on the work by Rick Janowski <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/articles/Janowski/cubeformulae.pdf" target="_top">Take-Points in Money Games</a> from 1993.</p><div class="sect4" title="Basic formula for cubeful equities"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_basic"></a>Basic formula for cubeful equities</h5></div></div></div><p>The basic formula for cubeful equities as derived by Janowski is</p><p>E(cubeful) = E(dead) * (1-x) + E(live) * x,</p><p>where E(dead) is the dead cube equity (cubeless equity) calculated + build directly on the work by Rick Janowski <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/articles/Janowski/cubeformulae.pdf" target="_top">Take-Points in Money Games</a> from 1993.</p><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_basic"></a>Basic formula for cubeful equities</h5></div></div></div><p>The basic formula for cubeful equities as derived by Janowski is</p><p>E(cubeful) = E(dead) * (1-x) + E(live) * x,</p><p>where E(dead) is the dead cube equity (cubeless equity) calculated from the standard formula. E(live) is the cubeful equity assuming a fully live cube. We'll return to that in the next section. x is the cube efficiency. x=0 gives E(cubeful)=E(dead) as one extreme and x=1 gives E(cubeful)=E(live) as the other extreme. In reality x is somewhere in between, which typical values around 0.6 - 0.8.</p><p>Janowski's article doesn't mention cubeful equities, so we use the straightforward generalization</p><p>MWC(cubeful) = MWC(dead) * (1-x) + MWC(live) * x.</p><p>as MWC is the entity that is used for match play - evaluations.</p></div><div class="sect4" title="Live cube equities"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_live"></a>Live cube equities</h5></div></div></div><p>The live cube equity is the equity assuming that the equity + evaluations.</p></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_live"></a>Live cube equities</h5></div></div></div><p>The live cube equity is the equity assuming that the equity changes continuously, so that doubles and takes occurs exactly at the double point and take point. For gammon-free play this is the well-known take point of 20%. Janowski derives the more general formula</p><p>TP = (L-0.5)/(W+L+0.5)</p><p>where W is the average cubeless value of games ultimately won, and L is the average cubeless value of games ultimately lost. For example, - for the following position</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_cubeful1A"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 28. Cubeful example 1</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/cubefuleq-ex1.png" alt="[[cubefuleq-ex1.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> evaluates</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /><col class="c4" /><col class="c5" /><col class="c6" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> </td><td>Win</td><td>W(g)</td><td>W(bg)</td><td>L(g)</td><td>L(bg)</td></tr><tr><td>static:</td><td>0.454</td><td>0.103</td><td>0.001</td><td>0.106</td><td>0.003</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>and hence W=(0.454 + 0.103 + 0.001)/0.454=1.229 and + for the following position</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_cubeful1A"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 28. Cubeful example 1</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/cubefuleq-ex1.png" alt="[[cubefuleq-ex1.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> evaluates</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /><col class="c4" /><col class="c5" /><col class="c6" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td> </td><td>Win</td><td>W(g)</td><td>W(bg)</td><td>L(g)</td><td>L(bg)</td></tr><tr><td>static:</td><td>0.454</td><td>0.103</td><td>0.001</td><td>0.106</td><td>0.003</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>and hence W=(0.454 + 0.103 + 0.001)/0.454=1.229 and L=(0.556+0.106+0.003)/0.556) = 1.196. For gammon-free positions, e.g., a race, W=1 and L=1.</p><p>The live cube equity is now based on piecewise linear interpolation between the points (0%,-L), (TP,-1), (CP,+1), and (100%,+W): if my winning chance is 0 I lose L points, at my take point I lose 1 point, at my cash point I cash 1 point, and when I have a certain win I win W points:</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_mgtp"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 29. mgtp</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/mgtp.png" alt="mgtp" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>For match play there is no simple formula, since redoubles can - only occur a limited number of times.</p><p>The live cube take point is generally calculated as</p><p>TP(live, n Cube)=TP(dead, n cube) * (1 - TP(live, 2n cube))</p><p>So to calculate the live cube take points for a 1-cube at 3-0 to 7 + only occur a limited number of times.</p><p>The live cube take point is generally calculated as</p><p>TP(live, n Cube)=TP(effective, n cube) * (1 - TP(live, 2n cube))</p><p>So to calculate the live cube take points for a 1-cube at 3-0 to 7 we need the live cube take points for the 4-cube and the 2-cube. For the position above and using Woolsey's match equity table the live - cube take point are:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Cube value </td><td>TP for Black </td><td>TP for White</td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>0%</td><td>41%</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>15%</td><td>38.5%</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>24.5%</td><td>27.3%</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>The calculation of these are left as an exercise to the reader.</p><p>Ignoring backgammons, the gammon rates for White and Black are + cube take point are:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Cube value </td><td>TP for Black </td><td>TP for White</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>0%</td><td>41%</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>15%</td><td>38.5%</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>24.5%</td><td>27.3%</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>The calculation of these are left as an exercise to the reader.</p><p>Ignoring backgammons, the gammon rates for White and Black are 0.106/54.6=19% and 0.103/0.454=22%, respectively. If White wins the game his MWC will be</p><p>81% * MWC(-3,-7) + 19% * MWC(-2,-7) = 78%</p><p>and if Black wins his MWC will be</p><p>78% * MWC(-4,-6) + 22% * MWC(-4,-5) = 41%.</p><p>If White cashes 1 point he has MWC(-3,-7)=76% and if Black cashes he has MWC(-4,-6)=36%. Analogous to money game the live cube MWC is calculated as piecewise linear interpolation between (0%,22%), - (24.5%,24%), (72.7%,36%), and (100%,41%) (from black's point of view):</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_mptp"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 30. mptp</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/mptp.png" alt="mptp" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /></div><div class="sect4" title="0-ply Cubeful equities"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_0ply"></a>0-ply Cubeful equities</h5></div></div></div><p>Having established the live cube equities and MWCs we're now in + (24.5%,24%), (72.7%,36%), and (100%,41%) (from black's point of view):</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_mptp"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 30. mptp</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/mptp.png" alt="mptp" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_0ply"></a>0-ply Cubeful equities</h5></div></div></div><p>Having established the live cube equities and MWCs we're now in position to calculate the 0-ply cubeful equities.</p><p>Let's start with money game: the cubeless equity is -0.097 and the live cube equity can be determined from the figure above as -0.157. Thus, the cubeful equity is -0.138.</p><p>For the match play example at the score 3-0 the cubeless MWC is 29.1% and from the figure Black using wins=45.4% we can determine the live cube MWC to be 29.2%. Using a value of x=0.68 we arrive at a - cubeful MWC of 29.17%.</p></div><div class="sect4" title="n-ply Cubeful equities"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_nply"></a>n-ply Cubeful equities</h5></div></div></div><p>The previous section concerned the calculation of 0-ply cubeful + cubeful MWC of 29.17%.</p></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_nply"></a>n-ply Cubeful equities</h5></div></div></div><p>The previous section concerned the calculation of 0-ply cubeful equities, so how so <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> calculate cubeful 2-ply equities? The answer is: by simple recursion:</p><p>Equity=0</p><p>Loop over 21 dice rolls</p><p>Find best move for given roll</p><p>Equity = Equity + Evaluate n-1 ply equity for resulting position</p><p>End Loop</p><p>Equity = Equity/36</p><p>Note that evaluating the n-1 ply equity involves a cube decision, since the opponent may double, so <span class="application">GNU @@ -1458,10 +1450,10 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver opponent owns 2-cube, owned 4-cube, and opponent owns 8-cube.</p><p>Note that the 2-ply level does not use the cube efficiency, it's not used until at the 0-ply level, but it's possible to calculate an effective one by isolating x in the basic cube formula:</p><p>x(eff) = (E(2-ply cubeful) - E(2-ply dead))/(E(2-ply live)-E(2-ply - dead)).</p></div><div class="sect4" title="The cube efficiency"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_efficiency"></a>The cube efficiency</h5></div></div></div><p>The cube efficiency is obviously an important parameter, + dead)).</p></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_efficiency"></a>The cube efficiency</h5></div></div></div><p>The cube efficiency is obviously an important parameter, unfortunately there haven't been much investigation carried out, so <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> basically uses the values - 0.6-0.7 originally suggested by Rick Janowski:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Position Class </td><td>x (Cube efficiency)</td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>Two-sided (exact) bearoff</td><td>n/a</td></tr><tr><td>One-sided bearoff</td><td>0.6</td></tr><tr><td>Crashed</td><td>0.68</td></tr><tr><td>Contact</td><td>0.68</td></tr><tr><td>Race</td><td>linear interpolation between 0.6 and 0.7</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>For race <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> uses linear + 0.6-0.7 originally suggested by Rick Janowski:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Position Class </td><td>x (Cube efficiency)</td></tr><tr><td>Two-sided (exact) bearoff</td><td>n/a</td></tr><tr><td>One-sided bearoff</td><td>0.6</td></tr><tr><td>Crashed</td><td>0.68</td></tr><tr><td>Contact</td><td>0.68</td></tr><tr><td>Race</td><td>linear interpolation between 0.6 and 0.7</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>For race <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> uses linear interpolation based on pip count for the player on roll. A pip count of 40 gives x=0.6 and 120 gives x=0.7. If the pip count is below 40 or above 120 values of x=0.6 and x=0.7 are used, respectively.</p><p>For the two sided bearoff positions the cubeful money equity is @@ -1477,7 +1469,7 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver lost the market by a mile after rolling a high double or hitting a single shot. Similarly, backgames will often have a low cube efficiency, whereas blitzes have may have a higher cube - efficiency.</p></div><div class="sect4" title="Cube decisions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_decisions"></a>Cube decisions</h5></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>'s cube decisions are + efficiency.</p></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_decisions"></a>Cube decisions</h5></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>'s cube decisions are simple based on calculations of cubeful equities. For a double decision <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> calculates the cubeful equity for <span class="emphasis"><em>no double</em></span> and the cubeful @@ -1490,7 +1482,7 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver the blue curve (Black owns 2-cube) is below the red curve (centered cube), and Black takes as long as the blue curve is above -1.</p><p>Note that <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> doesn't calculate the take point or double point explicitly. The cube decision - is simply made by comparing equities from the figure.</p></div><div class="sect4" title="Beyond the simple model"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_beyond"></a>Beyond the simple model</h5></div></div></div><p>Janowski has developed two other models for cubeful equities. The + is simply made by comparing equities from the figure.</p></div><div class="sect4"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h5 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_equities_cubeful_beyond"></a>Beyond the simple model</h5></div></div></div><p>Janowski has developed two other models for cubeful equities. The first is a generalization of the one used by <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>; it introduces two cube efficiencies instead of one. Often you may see that the cube efficiencies are @@ -1500,7 +1492,7 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver two players. For example, the blitzer may have another cube efficiency that the blitzee.</p><p>The second model is not published, but redefines the cube efficiency into a value that can be understood more intuitively and - calculate easily from rollouts.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="A technical description of the Position ID"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_postionid"></a>A technical description of the Position ID</h3></div></div></div><p>This section describes a method for compactly recording a + calculate easily from rollouts.</p></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_postionid"></a>A technical description of the Position ID</h3></div></div></div><p>This section describes a method for compactly recording a backgammon position. It demonstrates how to encode a position into 10 binary bytes, which is useful for minimizing the space used when recording large numbers of positions in memory or on disk. There is @@ -1514,11 +1506,11 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver <span class="emphasis"><em>0</em></span> or <span class="emphasis"><em>1</em></span> to the end). The way to build up a sequence that corresponds to a given position is:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>For every point around the board (starting at the ace point of the player on roll, continuing around to the 24 point and - ending at the bar): </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>append as many 1s as the player on roll has on that point - (if any). </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>append a 0. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>For every point around the board (starting at the ace point + ending at the bar): </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>append as many 1s as the player not on roll + (the opponent) has on that point (if any). </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>append a 0. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>For every point around the board (starting at the ace point of the opponent, continuing around to the opponent's 24 point - and ending at the bar): </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>append as many 1s as the opponent has on that point (if - any). </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>append a 0. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Pad out the string to 80 bits with 0s. </p></li></ol></div><p>The worst-case representation will require 80 bits: you can see + and ending at the bar): </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>append as many 1s as the the player on roll has + on that point (if any). </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>append a 0. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Pad out the string to 80 bits with 0s. </p></li></ol></div><p>The worst-case representation will require 80 bits: you can see that there are always 50 0 bits even if there are no checkers at all. Each player has a maximum of 15 checkers in play (not yet borne off) which require a 1 bit wherever they are positioned. That's 30 @@ -1528,7 +1520,7 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver should be stored in little-endian order when packed into bytes (i.e. the first bits in the string are stored in the least significant bits of the first byte).</p><p>As an example, here's what the starting position looks like in - the key format:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>player on roll has no checkers on ace to 5 points</td></tr><tr><td>11111 0</td><td>5 checkers on the 6 point</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>empty bar</td></tr><tr><td>111 0</td><td>3 on the 8</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0</td><td>no others in our outfield</td></tr><tr><td>11111 0</td><td>5 on the midpoint</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>none in the opponent's outfield</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>or in opponent's board, until...</td></tr><tr><td>11 0</td><td>two on the 24 point</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>none on the bar</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>opponent has no checkers on ace to 5 points</td></tr><tr><td>11111 0</td><td>5 checkers on the 6 point</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>empty bar</td></tr><tr><td>111 0</td><td>3 on the 8</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0</td><td>no others in opponent's outfield</td></tr><tr><td>11111 0</td><td>5 on the midpoint</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>none in our outfield</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>or in our board, until...</td></tr><tr><td>11 0</td><td>two on the 24 point</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>none on the bar</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>so altogether it's:</p><p>00000111110011100000111110000000000011000000011111001110000011111000000000001100</p><p>In little endian bytes it looks like:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /><col class="c4" /><col class="c5" /><col class="c6" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>11100000</td><td>01110011</td><td>11110000</td><td>00000001</td><td>00110000</td><td>11100000</td><td>01110011</td><td>11110000</td><td>00000001</td><td>00110000</td></tr><tr><td>0xE0</td><td>0x73</td><td>0xF0</td><td>0x01</td><td>0x30</td><td>0xE0</td><td>0x73</td><td>0xF0</td><td>0x01</td><td>0x30</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>so the 10 byte key (in hex) is E0 73 F0 01 30 E0 73 F0 01 + the key format:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>opponent has no checkers on his ace to 5 points</td></tr><tr><td>11111 0</td><td>5 checkers on the 6 point</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>empty bar</td></tr><tr><td>111 0</td><td>3 on the 8</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0</td><td>no others in his outfield</td></tr><tr><td>11111 0</td><td>5 on the midpoint</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>none in our outfield</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>or in our board, until...</td></tr><tr><td>11 0</td><td>two on the 24 point</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>none on the bar</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>player on roll has no checkers on his ace to 5 points</td></tr><tr><td>11111 0</td><td>5 checkers on the 6 point</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>empty bar</td></tr><tr><td>111 0</td><td>3 on the 8</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0</td><td>no others in his outfield</td></tr><tr><td>11111 0</td><td>5 on the midpoint</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>none in opponent's outfield</td></tr><tr><td>0 0 0 0 0</td><td>or in opponent's board, until...</td></tr><tr><td>11 0</td><td>two on the 24 point</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>none on the bar</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>so altogether it's:</p><p>00000111110011100000111110000000000011000000011111001110000011111000000000001100</p><p>In little endian bytes it looks like:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /><col class="c4" /><col class="c5" /><col class="c6" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>11100000</td><td>01110011</td><td>11110000</td><td>00000001</td><td>00110000</td><td>11100000</td><td>01110011</td><td>11110000</td><td>00000001</td><td>00110000</td></tr><tr><td>0xE0</td><td>0x73</td><td>0xF0</td><td>0x01</td><td>0x30</td><td>0xE0</td><td>0x73</td><td>0xF0</td><td>0x01</td><td>0x30</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>so the 10 byte key (in hex) is E0 73 F0 01 30 E0 73 F0 01 30.</p><p>The ID format is simply the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2045.txt" target="_top">Base64</a> encoding of the key. (Technically, a Base64 encoding of 80 binary bits should consist of 14 characters followed by two = padding characters, but @@ -1546,13 +1538,13 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/rgb/rgb.cgi?view+371" target="_top"><span class="emphasis"><em>D() expressions</em></span></a>, but I think you'd have to be a mathematical masochist to try it! </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Thanks to Tom Keith and David desJardins for their suggestions on simplifying the encoding without increasing the - worst case length. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2" title="A technical description of the Match ID"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_matchid"></a>A technical description of the Match ID</h3></div></div></div><p>This section describes how the match ID is calculated. The match + worst case length. </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_matchid"></a>A technical description of the Match ID</h3></div></div></div><p>This section describes how the match ID is calculated. The match ID can be used for easy exchange of positions for gnubg users in conjunction with the position ID. The match key is a 9 byte representation of the match score, match length, value of cube, owner of cube, Crawford game flag, player on roll, player to make a decision, doubled flag, resigned flag, and the dice rolled. The match - ID is the 12 character Base64 encoding of the match key. Match key</p><p>The match key is a bit string of length 66:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>1-4</td><td>5-6</td><td>7</td><td>8</td><td>9-11</td><td>12</td><td>13</td><td>14-15</td><td>16-18</td><td>19-21</td><td>22-36</td><td>37-51</td><td>52</td></tr><tr><td>Cube</td><td>CubeOwner</td><td>DiceOwner</td><td>Crawford</td><td>GameState</td><td>TurnOwner</td><td>Double</td><td>Resign</td><td>Dice1</td><td>Dice2</td><td>MatchLen x 15 </td><td>Score1 x 15</td><td>Score2 x 15</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Bit 1-4 contains the 2-logarithm of the cube value. For + ID is the 12 character Base64 encoding of the match key. Match key</p><p>The match key is a bit string of length 66:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>1-4</td><td>5-6</td><td>7</td><td>8</td><td>9-11</td><td>12</td><td>13</td><td>14-15</td><td>16-18</td><td>19-21</td><td>22-36</td><td>37-51</td><td>52</td></tr><tr><td>Cube</td><td>CubeOwner</td><td>DiceOwner</td><td>Crawford</td><td>GameState</td><td>TurnOwner</td><td>Double</td><td>Resign</td><td>Dice1</td><td>Dice2</td><td>MatchLen x 15 </td><td>Score1 x 15</td><td>Score2 x 15</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>Bit 1-4 contains the 2-logarithm of the cube value. For example, a 8-cube is encoded as 0011 binary (or 3), since 2 to the power of 3 is 8. The maximum value of the cube in with this encoding is 2 to the power of 15, i.e., a 32768-cube. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Bit 5-6 contains the cube owner. 00 if player 0 owns the cube, @@ -1575,7 +1567,7 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver respectively. 0 if the dice has not yet be rolled, otherwise the binary encoding of the dice, e.g., if 5-2 was rolled bit 16-21 will be 101-010. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Bit 22 to 36 is the match length. The maximum value for the - match length is 32767. A match score of zero indicates that the + match length is 32767. A match length of zero indicates that the game is a money game. </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Bit 37-51 and bit 52-66 is the score for player 0 and player 1 respectively. The maximum value of the match score is 32767. </p></li></ol></div><p>For example, assume the score is 2-4 in a 9 point match with @@ -1588,7 +1580,7 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver 12 6-bits groups:</p><p>010000 011000 100100 101010 000000 010010 000000 000000 001000 000000 000000 000000</p><p>In Base64 encoding, the groups are represented as:</p><p>Q Y k q A S A A I A A A</p><p>So, the match id is simply:</p><p>QYkqASAAIAAA</p><p>If someone post a match ID you can set up the position in gnubg by writing or pasting it into the Match ID text input field on the main - window, or by executing the command</p><p>set matchid QYkqASAAIAAA.</p></div><div class="sect2" title="Description of the CSS style sheet"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_css"></a>Description of the CSS style sheet</h3></div></div></div><p>As mentioned above <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> + window, or by executing the command</p><p>set matchid QYkqASAAIAAA.</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-tech_css"></a>Description of the CSS style sheet</h3></div></div></div><p>As mentioned above <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> writes a CSS style sheet along with the generated XHTML file. The CSS style sheet may be written verbatim in the header section of the XHTML file, to an external file named gnubg.css, or inside the tags using @@ -1602,11 +1594,11 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver the style of the generated XHTML for GammOnLine without modifications of the source code or extensive search and replace in the generated XHTML.</p><p>Below follows a description of the CSS classes used in the XHTML - export:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Class</td><td>Description</td></tr><tr><td>.movetable</td><td>Style applied to the entire table used for the move analysis</td></tr><tr><td>.moveheader</td><td>The header of the move analysis table</td></tr><tr><td>.movenumber</td><td>The rank number of a move in the move analysis</td></tr><tr><td>.moveply</td><td>The column indicating the number of plies or rollout</td></tr><tr><td>.movemove</td><td>The formatted move, e.g., 13/7 8/7.</td></tr><tr><td>.moveequity</td><td>The column with the equity or MWC.</td></tr><tr><td>.movethemove</td><td>Special style for row that contains the actual move chosen by the player</td></tr><tr><td>.moveodd</td><td>Special style for the odd rows. Can be used to give an alternating color for the rows.</td></tr><tr><td>.percent</td><td>Style for the game winning probabilities and equities in the move analysis.</td></tr><tr><td>.blunder</td><td>Emphasis blunders, e.g., <span class="emphasis"><em>Alert: missed double</em></span> or <span class="emphasis"><em>Alert: bad move</em></span>.</td></tr><tr><td>.joker</td><td>Emphasis very good or bad rolls, e.g., <span class="emphasis"><em>Alert: unlucky roll</em></span>.</td></tr><tr><td>.stattable</td><td>The style applied to the entire table with game, match, and session statistics</td></tr><tr><td>.stattableheader</td><td>The header row of the statistics table</td></tr><tr><td>.result</td><td>Style for the text indicating the outcome of the game or match, e.g., Jørn<span class="emphasis"><em> Thyssen wins 16 points</em></span>.</td></tr><tr><td>.tiny</td><td>Currently unused.</td></tr><tr><td>.cubedecision</td><td>The style applied to the entire cube decision table</td></tr><tr><td>.cubedecisionheader</td><td>Style for the header row of the cube decision table</td></tr><tr><td>.cubeequity</td><td>Style for any equity or MWC in the cube decision table</td></tr><tr><td>.cubeaction</td><td>Style for the text indicating the correct cube action</td></tr><tr><td>.cubeply</td><td>Style for the text that states the level of evaluation</td></tr><tr><td>.cubeprobs</td><td>Style for the game winning probabilities in the cube decision table</td></tr><tr><td>.comment</td><td>The style applied to the entire table used for annotations or comments, e.g., the kibitzing from imported SGG files</td></tr><tr><td>.commentheader</td><td>The style applied to the header row of the annotations' table</td></tr><tr><td>.number</td><td>Currently unused</td></tr><tr><td>.fontfamily</td><td>Style applied to the entire body of the XHTML document.</td></tr><tr><td>.block</td><td>Style applied to the images in the export to avoid gaps between individual pictures both horizontally and vertically.</td></tr><tr><td>.positionid</td><td>Style for the Position ID and match ID.</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div><div class="sect1" title="Frequently Asked Questions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-faq"></a>Frequently Asked Questions</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="General questions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general"></a>General questions</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="What is GNU Backgammon?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_gnubg"></a>What is <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> (gnubg) is a program for - playing and analyzing backgammon positions, games and matches. It's + export:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Class</td><td>Description</td></tr><tr><td>.movetable</td><td>Style applied to the entire table used for the move analysis</td></tr><tr><td>.moveheader</td><td>The header of the move analysis table</td></tr><tr><td>.movenumber</td><td>The rank number of a move in the move analysis</td></tr><tr><td>.moveply</td><td>The column indicating the number of plies or rollout</td></tr><tr><td>.movemove</td><td>The formatted move, e.g., 13/7 8/7.</td></tr><tr><td>.moveequity</td><td>The column with the equity or MWC.</td></tr><tr><td>.movethemove</td><td>Special style for row that contains the actual move chosen by the player</td></tr><tr><td>.moveodd</td><td>Special style for the odd rows. Can be used to give an alternating color for the rows.</td></tr><tr><td>.percent</td><td>Style for the game winning probabilities and equities in the move analysis.</td></tr><tr><td>.blunder</td><td>Emphasis blunders, e.g., <span class="emphasis"><em>Alert: missed double</em></span> or <span class="emphasis"><em>Alert: bad move</em></span>.</td></tr><tr><td>.joker</td><td>Emphasis very good or bad rolls, e.g., <span class="emphasis"><em>Alert: unlucky roll</em></span>.</td></tr><tr><td>.stattable</td><td>The style applied to the entire table with game, match, and session statistics</td></tr><tr><td>.stattableheader</td><td>The header row of the statistics table</td></tr><tr><td>.result</td><td>Style for the text indicating the outcome of the game or match, e.g., <span class="emphasis"><em>Jørn Thyssen wins 16 points</em></span>.</td></tr><tr><td>.tiny</td><td>Currently unused.</td></tr><tr><td>.cubedecision</td><td>The style applied to the entire cube decision table</td></tr><tr><td>.cubedecisionheader</td><td>Style for the header row of the cube decision table</td></tr><tr><td>.cubeequity</td><td>Style for any equity or MWC in the cube decision table</td></tr><tr><td>.cubeaction</td><td>Style for the text indicating the correct cube action</td></tr><tr><td>.cubeply</td><td>Style for the text that states the level of evaluation</td></tr><tr><td>.cubeprobs</td><td>Style for the game winning probabilities in the cube decision table</td></tr><tr><td>.comment</td><td>The style applied to the entire table used for annotations or comments, e.g., the kibitzing from imported SGG files</td></tr><tr><td>.commentheader</td><td>The style applied to the header row of the annotations' table</td></tr><tr><td>.number</td><td>Currently unused</td></tr><tr><td>.fontfamily</td><td>Style applied to the entire body of the XHTML document.</td></tr><tr><td>.block</td><td>Style applied to the images in the export to avoid gaps between individual pictures both horizontally and vertically.</td></tr><tr><td>.positionid</td><td>Style for the Position ID and match ID.</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="gnubg-faq"></a>Frequently Asked Questions</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general"></a>General questions</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_gnubg"></a>What is <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> (gnubg) is a program for + playing and analysing backgammon positions, games and matches. It's based on a neural network. You may play <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> using the command line or a graphical - interface based on GTK+.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="What operating systems are supported?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_os"></a>What operating systems are supported?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is mostly developped + interface based on GTK+.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_os"></a>What operating systems are supported?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is mostly developed on <span class="emphasis"><em>GNU/Linux</em></span>. It also builds and runs under other Unix operating systems like those derived from <span class="emphasis"><em>BSD</em></span> or @@ -1620,9 +1612,9 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver GNU Backgammon to other operating systems, you are welcome to give us a note at <a class="ulink" href="mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org" target="_top">the GNU backgammon mailing list.</a> - </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Where do I get it?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_getit"></a>Where do I get it?</h4></div></div></div><p>The official website is <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnubg.org/" target="_top">http://www.gnubg.org</a>. Binaries and source code for + </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_getit"></a>Where do I get it?</h4></div></div></div><p>The official website is <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnubg.org/" target="_top">http://www.gnubg.org</a>. Binaries and source code for <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> can be downloaded from - this site. Up to date source code can be accessed through <a class="ulink" href="https://savannah.gnu.org/cvs/?group=gnubg" target="_top">CVS</a>.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="What do I have to pay for GNU Backgammon?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_pay"></a>What do I have to pay for <span class="application">GNU + this site. Up to date source code can be accessed through <a class="ulink" href="https://savannah.gnu.org/cvs/?group=gnubg" target="_top">CVS</a>.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_pay"></a>What do I have to pay for <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is <span class="emphasis"><em>Free Software</em></span> and is a part of the <span class="emphasis"><em>GNU Project</em></span>. You may download it for free. For more information @@ -1633,34 +1625,36 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver know from <span class="emphasis"><em>MS Windows</em></span>. <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is free as in <span class="emphasis"><em>freedom</em></span>, i.e. all the source code is there for you to inspect, change or - distribute as long as you keep said license.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="This GNU stuff sounds interesting"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_gnu"></a>This GNU stuff sounds interesting</h4></div></div></div><p>Take a look at the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnu.org/" target="_top">GNU home - page</a>. It's also the page for Free Software Foundation.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="I want to learn more about backgammon"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_backgammon"></a>I want to learn more about backgammon</h4></div></div></div><p>A good place to start is <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/" target="_top">Backgammon Galore</a>. For an extensive link collection, go to + distribute as long as you keep said license.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_gnu"></a>This GNU stuff sounds interesting</h4></div></div></div><p>Take a look at the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnu.org/" target="_top">GNU home + page</a>. It's also the page for Free Software Foundation.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_backgammon"></a>I want to learn more about backgammon</h4></div></div></div><p>A good place to start is <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/" target="_top">Backgammon Galore</a>. For an extensive link collection, go to <a class="ulink" href="http://www.chicagopoint.com/links.html" target="_top">Gammon Links.</a> - </p></div><div class="sect3" title="Though I really read all the documentation I still have questions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_questions"></a>Though I really read all the documentation I still have + </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_questions"></a>Though I really read all the documentation I still have questions</h4></div></div></div><p>Send an email to <a class="ulink" href="mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org" target="_top">the GNU backgammon mailing list.</a> If it is a bug, be sure to include the name of your operating system, the version of gnubg you use, and any error messages you receive. Try to describe exactly what happens - before the error occurs.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="I want to make a few proposals, I have new ideas"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_ideas"></a>I want to make a few proposals, I have new ideas</h4></div></div></div><p>You're welcome! Send an email with your suggestions to <a class="ulink" href="mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org" target="_top">the GNU backgammon mailing + before the error occurs.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_general_ideas"></a>I want to make a few proposals, I have new ideas</h4></div></div></div><p>You're welcome! Send an email with your suggestions to <a class="ulink" href="mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org" target="_top">the GNU backgammon mailing list.</a> - </p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="How to install"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install"></a>How to install</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Do I need some other software to run GNU Backgammon?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_other"></a>Do I need some other software to run <span class="application">GNU - Backgammon</span>?</h4></div></div></div><p>No. Everything you need is included in the binaries.</p><p>If you want to use the 3D board version on Linux, you might have - to install the additional libraries that can be found as well on - <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=24" target="_top">this - page</a>. (acepoint's directory)</p></div><div class="sect3" title="I want to install a newer version"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_new"></a>I want to install a newer version</h4></div></div></div><p>Go ahead, your settings should be saved.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="I would like to compile it from the source code"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_compile"></a>I would like to compile it from the source code</h4></div></div></div><p>Good luck to you! Download the source code and make sure to read - one of the two following two items.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_compilelinux"></a>What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?</h4></div></div></div><p>Unpack the <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> snapshots and - follow the instructions of the file `INSTALL'. </p></div><div class="sect3" title="What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_compilems"></a>What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?</h4></div></div></div><p>Follow the instructions at <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=50" target="_top">http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=50</a>.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="It does not compile"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_nocompile"></a>It does not compile</h4></div></div></div><p>Check that you have installed all necessary development packages.</p><p>Look for warnings or errors during compiling. If you still don't + </p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install"></a>How to install</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_other"></a>Do I need some other software to run <span class="application">GNU + Backgammon</span>?</h4></div></div></div><p>On MS Windows everything you need is included in the installer.</p><p>On Mac OS/X you will need the XQuartz Window System.</p><p>On Linux there are prerequisites as well but your package manager (apt, yum, etc...) will take care of them.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_new"></a>I want to install a newer version</h4></div></div></div><p>Go ahead, your settings should be saved.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_compile"></a>I would like to compile it from the source code</h4></div></div></div><p>Good luck to you! Download the source code and make sure to read + one of the two following two items.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_compilelinux"></a>What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?</h4></div></div></div><p>Unpack a <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> snapshot and + follow the instructions at <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=100" target="_top">this page</a>.</p><p>Details like the exact names of the prerequisite packages will vary + from a distribution to another but the general process will remain + identical. If you are remotely familiar with open source software + set up with <span class="application">autoconf</span>, you will see that + <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is straightforward to build. + </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_nocompile"></a>It does not compile</h4></div></div></div><p>Check that you have installed all necessary development packages.</p><p>Look for warnings or errors during compiling. If you still don't have a clue, send a message to - <code class="email"><<a class="email" href="mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org">bug-gnubg@gnu.org</a>></code>.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_cpu"></a>On what CPU will <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> run + <code class="email"><<a class="email" href="mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org">bug-gnubg@gnu.org</a>></code>.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_install_cpu"></a>On what CPU will <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> run fastest?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>'s speed depends on the CPU only. It doesn't need much memory (any machine not totally obsolete will have enough) and does little or no I/O (a fast disk or a SSD won't make any difference). - </p><p>The table below lists CPUs and the result of the command <span class="guimenu">Analyze</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Evaluation Speed</span>, showing the relative speed of various processors. + </p><p>The table below lists CPUs and the result of the command <span class="guimenu">Analyse</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Evaluation speed</span>, showing the relative speed of various processors. Note that these numbers are not directly comparable with those given by the similar command from <span class="application">eXtreme Gammon</span>. - </p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Evals/sec</td><td>CPU</td><td>System/Main board</td><td>RAM</td><td>OS </td><td>GNUBG-Version</td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>449500</td><td>Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz</td><td>Dell Optiplex 790</td><td>4 GB</td><td>CentOS 6</td><td>1.02</td><td>4 threads</td></tr><tr><td>258600</td><td>Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz</td><td>Dell Optiplex 790</td><td>4 GB</td><td>CentOS 6</td><td>1.02</td><td>2 threads</td></tr><tr><td>197700</td><td>Intel Core i5-3320M 2.60 GHz</td><td>Lenovo T430</td><td>4 GB</td><td>Win XP SP3</td><td>1.02</td><td>2 threads</td></tr><tr><td>131400</td><td>Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz</td><td>Dell Optiplex 790</td><td>4 GB</td><td>CentOS 6</td><td>1.02</td><td>1 thread</td></tr><tr><td>125100</td><td>Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26 GHz</td><td>Dell Latitude E6400</td><td>2 GB</td><td>Win XP SP3</td><td>1.02</td><td>2 threads</td></tr><tr><td>100100</td><td>Intel Core i5-3320M 2.60 GHz</td><td>Lenovo T430</td><td>4 GB</td><td>Win XP SP3</td><td>1.02</td><td>1 thread</td></tr><tr><td>64300</td><td>Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 GHz</td><td>Dell Latitude D630</td><td>4 GB</td><td>FreeBSD 9.2</td><td>1.02</td><td>1 thread</td></tr><tr><td>63500</td><td>Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26 GHz</td><td>Dell Latitude E6400</td><td>2 GB</td><td>Win XP SP3</td><td>1.02</td><td>1 thread</td></tr><tr><td>37600</td><td>Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz</td><td>Dell Optiplex GX270</td><td>1 GB</td><td>CentOS 5</td><td>1.02</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>28000</td><td>Intel Core Duo 1.66 GHz</td><td>Mac mini Core Duo</td><td>512 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14-mingw</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>27000</td><td>Intel Pentium M 735 (1.7 GHz)</td><td>AOpen 1557-J</td><td>1024 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14-mingw</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>26000</td><td>Intel Celeron 331 2.66 GHz</td><td>Dell Dimension 3100</td><td>512 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>24500</td><td>AMD Sempron 2800+ (2000 MHz)</td><td>Asus K8V-X</td><td>768 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>23000</td><td>Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz</td><td>Asus P4P800D</td><td>1024 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>21759</td><td>AMD Athlon64 3000+ (32bit mode)</td><td>Acer Aspire 1522</td><td>512 MB</td><td>Kubuntu 5.04</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>20120</td><td>AMD Athlon XP 2500+ (1833 Mhz)</td><td>MSI K7N-Delta2</td><td>1024 MB</td><td>Suse Linux 9.2</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>19200</td><td>Intel Pentium M 1.6 GHz</td><td>IBM ThinkPad X41</td><td>1024 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>14400</td><td>Intel Pentium III-M 1GHz</td><td>Sony Vaio PCG-R600HFPD</td><td>256 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.16-mingw</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>8520</td><td>Intel Celeron 750 MHz</td><td>Toshiba Satellite 4600</td><td>256 MB</td><td>Win XP SP1</td><td>1.02</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>6990</td><td>Intel Celeron 600 MHz</td><td>Toshiba Satellite 4310</td><td>128 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>1.02</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Running GNU Backgammon"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start"></a>Running <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="I get an error message when starting"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_error"></a>I get an error message when starting</h4></div></div></div><p>Well, your computer wants to communicate with you. Give it a + </p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Evals/sec</td><td>CPU</td><td>System/Main board</td><td>RAM</td><td>OS </td><td>GNUBG-Version</td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>449500</td><td>Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz</td><td>Dell Optiplex 790</td><td>4 GB</td><td>CentOS 6</td><td>1.02</td><td>4 threads</td></tr><tr><td>258600</td><td>Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz</td><td>Dell Optiplex 790</td><td>4 GB</td><td>CentOS 6</td><td>1.02</td><td>2 threads</td></tr><tr><td>237600</td><td>Intel Core i5-3320M 2.60 GHz</td><td>Lenovo T430</td><td>4 GB</td><td>Win XP SP3</td><td>1.04</td><td>2 threads</td></tr><tr><td>197700</td><td>Intel Core i5-3320M 2.60 GHz</td><td>Lenovo T430</td><td>4 GB</td><td>Win XP SP3</td><td>1.02</td><td>2 threads</td></tr><tr><td>131400</td><td>Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz</td><td>Dell Optiplex 790</td><td>4 GB</td><td>CentOS 6</td><td>1.02</td><td>1 thread</td></tr><tr><td>125100</td><td>Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26 GHz</td><td>Dell Latitude E6400</td><td>2 GB</td><td>Win XP SP3</td><td>1.02</td><td>2 threads</td></tr><tr><td>119700</td><td>Intel Core i5-3320M 2.60 GHz</td><td>Lenovo T430</td><td>4 GB</td><td>Win XP SP3</td><td>1.04</td><td>1 thread</td></tr><tr><td>100100</td><td>Intel Core i5-3320M 2.60 GHz</td><td>Lenovo T430</td><td>4 GB</td><td>Win XP SP3</td><td>1.02</td><td>1 thread</td></tr><tr><td>64300</td><td>Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 GHz</td><td>Dell Latitude D630</td><td>4 GB</td><td>FreeBSD 9.2</td><td>1.02</td><td>1 thread</td></tr><tr><td>63500</td><td>Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26 GHz</td><td>Dell Latitude E6400</td><td>2 GB</td><td>Win XP SP3</td><td>1.02</td><td>1 thread</td></tr><tr><td>37600</td><td>Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz</td><td>Dell Optiplex GX270</td><td>1 GB</td><td>CentOS 5</td><td>1.02</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>28000</td><td>Intel Core Duo 1.66 GHz</td><td>Mac mini Core Duo</td><td>512 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14-mingw</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>27000</td><td>Intel Pentium M 735 (1.7 GHz)</td><td>AOpen 1557-J</td><td>1024 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14-mingw</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>26000</td><td>Intel Celeron 331 2.66 GHz</td><td>Dell Dimension 3100</td><td>512 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>24500</td><td>AMD Sempron 2800+ (2000 MHz)</td><td>Asus K8V-X</td><td>768 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>23000</td><td>Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz</td><td>Asus P4P800D</td><td>1024 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>21759</td><td>AMD Athlon64 3000+ (32bit mode)</td><td>Acer Aspire 1522</td><td>512 MB</td><td>Kubuntu 5.04</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>20120</td><td>AMD Athlon XP 2500+ (1833 Mhz)</td><td>MSI K7N-Delta2</td><td>1024 MB</td><td>Suse Linux 9.2</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>19200</td><td>Intel Pentium M 1.6 GHz</td><td>IBM ThinkPad X41</td><td>1024 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.14.3-devel</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>14400</td><td>Intel Pentium III-M 1GHz</td><td>Sony Vaio PCG-R600HFPD</td><td>256 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>0.16-mingw</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>9170</td><td>Intel Celeron 750 MHz</td><td>Toshiba Satellite 4600</td><td>256 MB</td><td>Win XP SP1</td><td>1.04</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>8520</td><td>Intel Celeron 750 MHz</td><td>Toshiba Satellite 4600</td><td>256 MB</td><td>Win XP SP1</td><td>1.02</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr><tr><td>6990</td><td>Intel Celeron 600 MHz</td><td>Toshiba Satellite 4310</td><td>128 MB</td><td>Win XP SP2</td><td>1.02</td><td class="auto-generated"> </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start"></a>Running <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_error"></a>I get an error message when starting</h4></div></div></div><p>Well, your computer wants to communicate with you. Give it a chance and read (and try to understand) what it is telling you. Then - read the next items carefully:</p></div><div class="sect3" title="GNU Backgammon complains about missing files"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_missing"></a><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> complains about missing + read the next items carefully:</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_missing"></a><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> complains about missing files</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> reads several different files at start-up. It will first try to read a file called gnubg.wd. This is a file which contains all the neural net weights and is @@ -1669,9 +1663,8 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will search for a weights file called gnubg.weights. This file also contains the neural net weights, but is stored in ASCII format. If none of these files are - found, <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will start, but it - will give you a warning about these missing files, and it will play - <span class="emphasis"><em>very</em></span> poorly.</p><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will also read the + found, <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will not start. + </p><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will also read the bearoff databases at start-up. There are usually two bearoff databases. The first is called gnubg_os0.bd, and has stored data about the bearoff probabilities of all position where both players have 15 @@ -1684,55 +1677,54 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver with six or less checkers. It also contains cubeful equities (Money Game) for all the positions. If this file is not found at start-up, <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will evaluate late bearoff - positions with the one sided bearoff database.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Starting from the WinXP menu it plays like a beginner"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_beginner"></a>Starting from the WinXP menu it plays like a beginner</h4></div></div></div><p>Open the MS Windows menu and go to the entry for gnubg. + positions with the one sided bearoff database.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_beginner"></a>Starting from the WinXP menu it plays like a beginner</h4></div></div></div><p>Open the MS Windows menu and go to the entry for gnubg. Right-click with the mouse and choose `properties'. Check, if the `working path' is the same directory as the `*.exe'-file one line - above. If not, adjust the working path.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_screen"></a>My screen mixes up while starting <span class="application">GNU + above. If not, adjust the working path.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_screen"></a>My screen mixes up while starting <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span></h4></div></div></div><p>Install the newest driver for your graphic card. Be sure that you have chosen at least a desktop resolution of 65535 (16 bit color depth). If your card is a ATI Rage <span class="emphasis"><em>somewhat</em></span> there still might be some problems with the graphical interface (GTK+) and - MS Windows.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="I only get a command-line interface"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_gtk"></a>I only get a command-line interface</h4></div></div></div><p>Using MS Windows, just click on the correct menu entry + MS Windows.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_gtk"></a>I only get a command-line interface</h4></div></div></div><p>Using MS Windows, just click on the correct menu entry (`<span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> for windows'). If it still doesn't work, check whether `c:\[path-to-your-gnubg]\gnubg.exe' - exists or not.</p><p>GNU/Linux users should check if <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gtk.org/" target="_top">GTK+</a> is installed.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_settings"></a>When I restart <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> all my - settings are gone</h4></div></div></div><p>Did you save your settings <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Save settings</span> before you quit?</p></div><div class="sect3" title="I do not need this graphical stuff"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_cl"></a>I do not need this graphical stuff</h4></div></div></div><p>For <span class="emphasis"><em>GNU/Linux</em></span> users: open a terminal and run + exists or not.</p><p>GNU/Linux users should check if <a class="ulink" href="http://www.gtk.org/" target="_top">GTK+</a> is installed.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_start_cl"></a>I do not need this graphical stuff</h4></div></div></div><p>For <span class="emphasis"><em>GNU/Linux</em></span> users: open a terminal and run <span class="command"><strong>gnubg -t</strong></span>.</p><p><span class="productname">MS Windows</span>™ users: Look for a file called <span class="command"><strong>gnubg-cli.exe</strong></span> in <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>'s install directory or open the MS Windows menu <span class="guimenu">Start</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Run...</span> and type <span class="command"><strong>c:\[path-to-your-gnubg]\gnubg-cli.exe</strong></span>. There is - also a menu entry GNU Backgammon Command Line Interface.</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Playing backgammon"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play"></a>Playing backgammon</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="What is the difference of a new game or match or session?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_session"></a>What is the difference of a new game or match or session?</h4></div></div></div><p>When you start a new match, you will be asked to play to a certain + also a menu entry GNU Backgammon Command Line Interface.</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play"></a>Playing backgammon</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_session"></a>What is the difference of a new game or match or session?</h4></div></div></div><p>When you start a new match, you will be asked to play to a certain amount of points (for example, 7 points). The player who firstly reaches this amount wins the match. Starting a new session means playing to an infinite amount. Be aware that the rules do slightly differ, mainly the Jacoby rule is applies to sessions and the Crawford - to match play.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="What is a beaver in Backgammon?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_beaver"></a>What is a beaver in Backgammon?</h4></div></div></div><p>A beaver is only allowed in a money game session. To beaver means + to match play.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_beaver"></a>What is a beaver in Backgammon?</h4></div></div></div><p>A beaver is only allowed in a money game session. To beaver means to redouble, retaining control of the cube, immediately after your opponent doubles. For more information see the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/glossary.html#B" target="_top">glossary at Backgammon - Galore</a>.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="How do I move the checkers?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_move"></a>How do I move the checkers?</h4></div></div></div><p>The easiest way to move checkers is to "<span class="emphasis"><em>drag and + Galore</a>.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_move"></a>How do I move the checkers?</h4></div></div></div><p>The easiest way to move checkers is to "<span class="emphasis"><em>drag and drop</em></span>." Put your mouse pointer over a checker you want to move, press the left mouse button and drag the checker to the desired point, holding down the button while dragging.</p><p>If you prefer to use mouse clicks, the left mouse button is for the left die shown on your board. Right click your mouse for the right die.</p><p>If you always want the higher number displayed on the left, go to - the menu <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Appearance</span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> General </span> and select Show higher die on left.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Why am I allowed to place more than 5 checkers on a point?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_5"></a>Why am I allowed to place more than 5 checkers on a point?</h4></div></div></div><p>The official backgammon tournament rules allow to put + the menu <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Appearance</span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> General </span> and select Show higher die on left.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_5"></a>Why am I allowed to place more than 5 checkers on a point?</h4></div></div></div><p>The official backgammon tournament rules allow to put up to all 15 checkers on a point. Playing with a maximum of 5 checkers, sometimes known as the Egyptian Rule, is no longer supported by - <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="GNU Backgammon plays poorly"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_poorly"></a><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> plays poorly</h4></div></div></div><p>Are you sure? If the answer is yes you should think about going to + <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_poorly"></a><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> plays poorly</h4></div></div></div><p>Are you sure? If the answer is yes you should think about going to Monte Carlo this summer and win the Backgammon World Championship. If this plan fails, check whether the weights file is loaded at start-up. See also <a class="xref" href="#gnubg-faq_start_missing" title="GNU Backgammon complains about missing files">the section called “<span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> complains about missing - files”</a></p></div><div class="sect3" title="GNU Backgammon is too strong for me"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_strong"></a><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is too strong for me</h4></div></div></div><p>Go to the menu <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Players</span> and change the values for Player 0. There is also a set - of predefined settings you may choose from.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="I think the bot is cheating"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_cheat"></a>I think the bot is cheating</h4></div></div></div><p>In its default configuration, the dice generator does not cheat. + files”</a></p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_strong"></a><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is too strong for me</h4></div></div></div><p>Go to the menu <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Players</span> and change the values for Player 0. There is also a set + of predefined settings you may choose from.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_play_cheat"></a>I think the bot is cheating</h4></div></div></div><p>In its default configuration, the dice generator does not cheat. In the menu Settings you may choose between different random dice generators. If you still think <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is cheating, program your own dice generator - or roll manually. It doesn't cheat!</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Settings"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings"></a>Settings</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="Where can I change the name of the human player?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings_name"></a>Where can I change the name of the human player?</h4></div></div></div><p>Go to the menu <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Players....</span> and click on Player 1. At the top there is a field to - change the human player's name.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="How do I change the colors?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings_colors"></a>How do I change the colors?</h4></div></div></div><p>Go to the menu <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Appearance </span>. Here you may change the color of checkers, the points - and the board itself.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="How do I stop the annoying beeps?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings_beeps"></a>How do I stop the annoying beeps?</h4></div></div></div><p>Go to the menu<span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Appearance </span> and click on the `General' tab at the right. Disable the - option `Beep on illegal input'.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="What are Plies?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings_plies"></a>What are Plies?</h4></div></div></div><p>A ply describes how far <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> + or roll manually. It doesn't cheat!</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings"></a>Settings</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings_name"></a>Where can I change the name of the human player?</h4></div></div></div><p>Go to the menu <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Players....</span> and click on Player 1. At the top there is a field to + change the human player's name.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings_colors"></a>How do I change the colors?</h4></div></div></div><p>Go to the menu <span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Appearance </span>. Here you may change the color of checkers, the points + and the board itself.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings_beeps"></a>How do I stop the annoying beeps?</h4></div></div></div><p>Go to the menu<span class="guimenu">Settings</span> → <span class="guimenuitem"> Appearance </span> and click on the `General' tab at the right. Disable the + option `Beep on illegal input'.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings_plies"></a>What are Plies?</h4></div></div></div><p>A ply describes how far <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> evaluates the position. <span class="emphasis"><em>0-ply</em></span> means that <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> estimates the worth of the position as it is. A <span class="emphasis"><em>1-ply</em></span> evaluation looks one @@ -1746,47 +1738,47 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver <span class="emphasis"><em>1-ply</em></span> evaluation of Snowie.</p><p>It's possible that Snowie's is a <span class="emphasis"><em>playing</em></span> ply while gnubg's is a <span class="emphasis"><em>position evaluation</em></span> ply. When playing at 1-ply Snowie will make each possible move for the player's - roll (that's 1 ply) and analyze the resulting positions. Playing at + roll (that's 1 ply) and analyse the resulting positions. Playing at 2-ply it will take each of those positions and make all the opponent - moves for all possible rolls (the 2nd ply) and then analyze the + moves for all possible rolls (the 2nd ply) and then analyse the resulting positions. In <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> the initial set of possible moves is taken for granted, i.e. not counted as a ply, because gnubg's plies are position evaluation plies. Thus, for each of those possible moves a 0-ply analysis is done. gnubg's discounting of the first set of moves perhaps makes the counting seem funny.</p><p>Looking at it a different way, if you give <span class="application">GNU - Backgammon</span> a position and analyze it at 1-ply, it will + Backgammon</span> a position and analyse it at 1-ply, it will make all the moves for all possible rolls (the 1st ply) and then - analyze the resulting positions. With Snowie it will assume that the + analyse the resulting positions. With Snowie it will assume that the position arose from a move (that's a pretend 1st ply) then make all - the moves for all possible rolls (the 2nd ply) and analyze them. This - time it's Snowie that seems to be counting strangely.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="What is noise?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings_noise"></a>What is noise?</h4></div></div></div><p>Noise is a facility for disturbing <span class="application">GNU + the moves for all possible rolls (the 2nd ply) and analyse them. This + time it's Snowie that seems to be counting strangely.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_settings_noise"></a>What is noise?</h4></div></div></div><p>Noise is a facility for disturbing <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span>'s 0-ply evaluation. Raising the noise level - decreases its playing strength.</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Analyzing"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing"></a>Analyzing</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="What are these funny letters at the right bottom?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_id"></a>What are these funny letters at the right bottom?</h4></div></div></div><p>You will find a small window titled `GNUbg ID' + decreases its playing strength.</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing"></a>Analysing</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_id"></a>What are these funny letters at the right bottom?</h4></div></div></div><p>You will find a small window titled `GNUbg ID' at the bottom of the <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> window. It contains an short, textual, representation of the position at hand, suitable for easily copying and pasting positions.</p><p>It is composed of a `Position ID' describing the checkers position and a `Match ID' for the other features (match score, cube position and value, dice, who is on roll...). - A detailed description of both formats is found earlier in <a class="xref" href="#gnubg-tech_postionid" title="A technical description of the Position ID">the section called “A technical description of the Position ID”</a>.</p><p>Pasting a `XGID' (a similar shortcut used by <span class="application">eXtreme Gammon</span>) there is recognized as well.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="How do I set up a position manually?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_edit"></a>How do I set up a position manually?</h4></div></div></div><p>Open a new game, match or session. If gnubg already rolls the + A detailed description of both formats is found earlier in <a class="xref" href="#gnubg-tech_postionid" title="A technical description of the Position ID">the section called “A technical description of the Position ID”</a>.</p><p>Pasting a `XGID' (a similar shortcut used by <span class="application">eXtreme Gammon</span>) there is recognized as well.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_edit"></a>How do I set up a position manually?</h4></div></div></div><p>Open a new game, match or session. If gnubg already rolls the dice, don't bother. Press `edit', and either type the position_id and press Enter on your keyboard, or use the mouse to set up the checkers.</p><p>A mouse click at the border of the board empties the point. A left or right click sets up a certain amount of checkers depending on where exactly on the pip you click. Set up the cube with a right mouse click on it.</p><p>You can also drag and drop checkers when holding down the Ctrl key.</p><p>Finally, go to the menu and select `Game, Set turn' to choose the - player on roll. The dice will then disappear.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_import"></a>Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?</h4></div></div></div><p>Import of matches and positions from a number of file formats is + player on roll. The dice will then disappear.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_import"></a>Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?</h4></div></div></div><p>Import of matches and positions from a number of file formats is possible: (.gam) GammonEmpire Game, (.gam) PartyGammon Game, (.mat) Jellyfish Match, (.pos) Jellyfish Position, (.sgf) Gnu Backgammon File, (.sgg) GamesGrid Save Game, - (.tmg) TrueMoneyGames, (.txt) Snowie Text</p></div><div class="sect3" title="How can I switch the players sides?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_sides"></a>How can I switch the players sides?</h4></div></div></div><p>Go to the menu `Game' and click on `Swap players'.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="What do ! and ? mean?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_error"></a>What do <span class="emphasis"><em>!</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>?</em></span> mean?</h4></div></div></div><p>After analyzing a game or a match <span class="application">GNU + (.tmg) TrueMoneyGames, (.txt) Snowie Text</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_sides"></a>How can I switch the players sides?</h4></div></div></div><p>Go to the menu `Game' and click on `Swap players'.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_error"></a>What do <span class="emphasis"><em>!</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>?</em></span> mean?</h4></div></div></div><p>After analysing a game or a match <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> is able to do some comments on checker play or cube decisions. Open the menu `Window, Game record' and you will see a list of the moves. If the actual move or cube decision differs from the best, <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> will put a - comment on it.</p><p>The default settings are:</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>-0.040</td><td>(doubtful):</td><td>?!</td></tr><tr><td>-0.080</td><td>(bad):</td><td>?</td></tr><tr><td>-0.160</td><td>(very bad):</td><td>??</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>You may change these comment in the menu `Window, Annotation' - choosing another comment for moves and/or double</p></div><div class="sect3" title="How is the error rate determined?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_rate"></a>How is the error rate determined?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> determines a player's - strength according to its average error (per move):</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Average Error</td><td>Skill Level</td></tr><tr><td>0.000 .. 0.005</td><td>Extra-terrestrial</td></tr><tr><td>0.005 .. 0.010</td><td>World class</td></tr><tr><td>0.010 .. 0.015</td><td>Expert</td></tr><tr><td>0.015 .. 0.020</td><td>Advanced</td></tr><tr><td>0.020 .. 0.025</td><td>Intermediate</td></tr><tr><td>0.025 .. 0.030</td><td>Beginner</td></tr><tr><td>0.030 ..</td><td>Novice</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>After analyzing a game, match or session you can see the summary - in the menu `Analyze, ... statistics'. Note that you can't change the - ranges of these values.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="What does Pips mean?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_pips"></a>What does Pips mean?</h4></div></div></div><p>The pip count is a measurement showing the total number of pips + comment on it.</p><p>The default settings are:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /><col class="c3" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>-0.040</td><td>(doubtful):</td><td>?!</td></tr><tr><td>-0.080</td><td>(bad):</td><td>?</td></tr><tr><td>-0.160</td><td>(very bad):</td><td>??</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>You may change these comment in the menu `Window, Annotation' + choosing another comment for moves and/or double</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_rate"></a>How is the error rate determined?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> determines a player's + strength according to its average error (per move):</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1" /><col class="c2" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>Average Error</td><td>Skill Level</td></tr><tr><td>0.000 .. 0.005</td><td>Extra-terrestrial</td></tr><tr><td>0.005 .. 0.010</td><td>World class</td></tr><tr><td>0.010 .. 0.015</td><td>Expert</td></tr><tr><td>0.015 .. 0.020</td><td>Advanced</td></tr><tr><td>0.020 .. 0.025</td><td>Intermediate</td></tr><tr><td>0.025 .. 0.030</td><td>Beginner</td></tr><tr><td>0.030 ..</td><td>Novice</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>After analysing a game, match or session you can see the summary + in the menu `Analyse, ... statistics'. Note that you can't change the + ranges of these values.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_pips"></a>What does Pips mean?</h4></div></div></div><p>The pip count is a measurement showing the total number of pips required for a player to bear off all checkers from the current position. It can be regarded as a rough estimate of the <span class="emphasis"><em>raceness</em></span> of the position. A player with a @@ -1795,7 +1787,7 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver See also the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.bkgm.com/gloss/lookup.cgi?pip+count" target="_top">explanation on BackGammon Galore</a>.</p><p>(For the non-english speaking community it might be helpful to know that when you roll a six and a five, the total pips of that roll - is eleven.)</p></div><div class="sect3" title="What does EPC mean?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_epc"></a>What does EPC mean?</h4></div></div></div><p>When bearing off checkers, you may notice a display showing the + is eleven.)</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_analysing_epc"></a>What does EPC mean?</h4></div></div></div><p>When bearing off checkers, you may notice a display showing the current <span class="emphasis"><em>EPC</em></span> value (next to the display of <span class="emphasis"><em>Pips</em></span>). The EPC display can be turned on or off under menu <span class="emphasis"><em>Settings -> Options -> @@ -1822,13 +1814,13 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver contains the chance of bearing off the final checker in any given number of rolls. A player would probably use some quite complicated heuristics (please see the aforementioned post by Douglas Zare, - <span class="emphasis"><em>and do get back here and explain it!</em></span>)</p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="Abbreviations"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr"></a>Abbreviations</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" title="GWC?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_gwc"></a>GWC?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="emphasis"><em>GWC</em></span> is an abbreviation for game winning - chances.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="MWC?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_mwc"></a>MWC?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="emphasis"><em>MWC</em></span> is an abbreviation for match winning - chances.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="DP?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_dp"></a>DP?</h4></div></div></div><p>In the menu `Analyze, Game/Match/Session statistics' you will see + <span class="emphasis"><em>and do get back here and explain it!</em></span>)</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr"></a>Abbreviations</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_gwc"></a>GWC?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="emphasis"><em>GWC</em></span> is an abbreviation for game winning + chances.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_mwc"></a>MWC?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="emphasis"><em>MWC</em></span> is an abbreviation for match winning + chances.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_dp"></a>DP?</h4></div></div></div><p>In the menu `Analyse, Game/Match/Session statistics' you will see a window with some statistics. Near the bottom, you'll see four lines beginning with `Missed ... and Wrong ...'. <span class="emphasis"><em>dp</em></span> means <span class="emphasis"><em>doubling point</em></span> and describes a situation in - the game, where you probably should have doubled your opponent.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="CP?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_cp"></a>CP?</h4></div></div></div><p>Cash-point(CP) is + the game, where you probably should have doubled your opponent.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_cp"></a>CP?</h4></div></div></div><p>Cash-point(CP) is your opponent's take-point now seen from your side of the board (your cash-point which equals 100% minus your opponent's take-point). <span class="application">GNU Backgammon</span> @@ -1839,16 +1831,16 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver double-points will often look something like this (where TP*=CP):</p><div class="figure"><a id="gnubg-fig_doubleline"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 32. The double line</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="images/doubleline.png" alt="[[doubleline.png]]" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>The double windows (intervals) are:</p><p>[DP;CP] = Your double window! This window does not contain any information about redoubles but only the distance to the point where you do not want to play for the double amount of points.</p><p>[TP;DP] = 100% minus your opponent's double window now.</p><p>[reTP;reDP] = 100% minus your opponent's double window after he - has taken.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="TG?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_tg"></a>TG?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="emphasis"><em>TG</em></span> is an abbreviation for <span class="emphasis"><em>too + has taken.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_tg"></a>TG?</h4></div></div></div><p><span class="emphasis"><em>TG</em></span> is an abbreviation for <span class="emphasis"><em>too good</em></span> (to double). It points to a situation in the game, where you probably should have kept the cube (mostly because of decent, sometimes very good, gammon chances) rather than double out - your opponent.</p></div><div class="sect3" title="EPC?"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_epc"></a>EPC?</h4></div></div></div><p>See <a class="xref" href="#gnubg-faq_analysing_epc" title="What does EPC mean?">the section called “What does EPC mean?”</a> + your opponent.</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="gnubg-faq_abbr_epc"></a>EPC?</h4></div></div></div><p>See <a class="xref" href="#gnubg-faq_analysing_epc" title="What does EPC mean?">the section called “What does EPC mean?”</a> </p><p> <span class="emphasis"><em>This should be an internal link, not an external one. But I can't figure out how to link internally to a subsection. Anyone?</em></span> - </p></div></div></div><div xml:lang="en" class="appendix" title="A. GNU Free Documentation License" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a id="legal"></a>A. GNU Free Documentation License</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.3, 3 November 2008</p><p> + </p></div></div></div><div xml:lang="en" class="appendix" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a id="legal"></a>A. GNU Free Documentation License</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.3, 3 November 2008</p><p> Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.fsf.org/" target="_top">Free Software Foundation, Inc.</a> </p><p> @@ -2290,4 +2282,4 @@ being LIST, and with the Back-Cover Texts being LIST.</pre><p> recommend releasing these examples in parallel under your choice of free software license, such as the GNU General Public License, to permit their use in free software. - </p></div></div></body></html> + </p></div></div></body></html>
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/doc/gnubg/gnubg.info b/doc/gnubg/gnubg.info index cc5daca..56ab7ea 100644 --- a/doc/gnubg/gnubg.info +++ b/doc/gnubg/gnubg.info @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ -This is gnubg.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.13 from gnubg.texi. +This is gnubg.info, produced by makeinfo version 6.1 from gnubg.texi. INFO-DIR-SECTION Games START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY @@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY File: gnubg.info, Node: Top, Next: Introduction, Up: (dir) -GNU Backgammon Manual V1.00.0 -****************************** +GNU Backgammon Manual V1.00.0 +***************************** * Menu: @@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ GNU Backgammon Manual V1.00.0 * Frequently Asked Questions:: * GNU Free Documentation License:: ---- The Detailed Node Listing --- +-- The Detailed Node Listing -- Introduction @@ -77,13 +77,13 @@ Setting up a position * Setting the cube:: * Setting the score:: * Exiting Edit mode:: -* Analyzing the position:: +* Analysing the position:: Working with matches * Retrieving and storing backgammon files:: * Entering live tournament matches:: -* Analyzing matches:: +* Analysing matches:: * Reviewing matches:: Rollouts @@ -113,25 +113,26 @@ Frequently Asked Questions * Running GNU Backgammon:: * Playing backgammon:: * Settings:: -* Analyzing:: +* Analysing:: * Abbreviations:: + File: gnubg.info, Node: Introduction, Next: Rules of the game, Prev: Top, Up: Top 1 Introduction ************** -This manual describes how to use GNU Backgammon to play and analyze -backgammon games and matches. It corresponds to version 1.00.0 (updated +This manual describes how to use GNU Backgammon to play and analyse +backgammon games and matches. It corresponds to version 1.00.0 (updated in August, 2013). - GNU Backgammon (gnubg) plays and analyzes both money game sessions -and tournament matches. It evaluates and rolls out positions, and much -more. Driven by a command-line interface, it displays an ASCII -rendering of a board on text-only terminals, but also allows the user -to play games and manipulate positions with a graphical GTK+interface. -GNU Backgammon is extensible on platforms which support Python. + GNU Backgammon (gnubg) plays and analyses both money game sessions +and tournament matches. It evaluates and rolls out positions, and much +more. Driven by a command-line interface, it displays an ASCII +rendering of a board on text-only terminals, but also allows the user to +play games and manipulate positions with a graphical GTK+interface. GNU +Backgammon is extensible on platforms which support Python. (No game) new game @@ -155,16 +156,17 @@ GNU Backgammon is extensible on platforms which support Python. gnubg moves 8/5 6/5. + GNU Backgammon is a world class opponent and rates at around 2100 on FIBS, the First Internet Backgammon Server - at its best, it is in the -top 5 of over 6000 rated players there). GNU Backgammon can be played +top 5 of over 6000 rated players there). GNU Backgammon can be played on numerous other on-line backgammon servers. The following features can be found in the current release of GNU Backgammon. - * A command line interface (with full command editing features if - GNU readline is available) that lets you play matches and sessions + * A command line interface (with full command editing features if GNU + readline is available) that lets you play matches and sessions against GNU Backgammon with a rough ASCII representation of the board on text terminals. @@ -176,11 +178,11 @@ Backgammon. * Support for both 1-sided and 2-sided bearoff databases: 1-sided bearoff database for 15 checkers on the first 6 points and optional - 2-sided database kept in memory. Larger 1-sided and 2-sided + 2-sided database kept in memory. Larger 1-sided and 2-sided databases may be stored on disk. * Automated rollouts of positions, with lookahead and variance - reduction where appropriate. Rollouts may be extended. + reduction where appropriate. Rollouts may be extended. * Automatic and manual annotation (analysis and commentary) of games and matches. @@ -188,7 +190,7 @@ Backgammon. * Record keeping of player statistics in games and matches using relational databases (SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL are supported). - * Loading and saving analyzed games and matches as .sgf files (Smart + * Loading and saving analysed games and matches as .sgf files (Smart Game Format). * Importing of positions, games, and matches from a number of @@ -203,8 +205,8 @@ Backgammon. Hypertext Markup Language (.html), Jellyfish Game (.gam), Jellyfish Match (.mat), Jellyfish Position (.pos), LaTeX (.tex), Portable Document Format (.pdf), Plain Text (.txt), Portable Network - Graphics (.png), Postscript (.ps), Snowie Text (.txt), and - Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg). + Graphics (.png), Postscript (.ps), Snowie Text (.txt), and Scalable + Vector Graphics (.svg). * Python Scripting ability. @@ -223,7 +225,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: GPL copying/warranty info, Up: Introduction ============================= GNU Backgammon is developed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) -and it is part of the GNU project. For more information about the GNU +and it is part of the GNU project. For more information about the GNU project please visit their website: http://www.gnu.org/ (http://www.gnu.org/) For more information about free software in general please visit The Free Software Foundation at: @@ -236,7 +238,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Rules of the game, Next: Starting GNU Backgammon, Pre ******************* This section describes how to play a game, a match, or a session of -money games against GNU Backgammon or a human opponent. It is taken +money games against GNU Backgammon or a human opponent. It is taken directly from the rules section of Backgammon Galore (http://www.bkgm.com/), courtesy of Tom Keith. @@ -259,14 +261,15 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Setup, Next: Object of the Game, Up: Rules of the gam ========= Backgammon is a game for two players, played on a board consisting of -twenty-four narrow triangles called points. The triangles alternate in -color and are grouped into four quadrants of six triangles each. The +twenty-four narrow triangles called points. The triangles alternate in +color and are grouped into four quadrants of six triangles each. The quadrants are referred to as a player's home board and outer board, and -the opponent's home board and outer board. The home and the outer boards -are separated from each other by a ridge down the center of the board -called the bar. +the opponent's home board and outer board. The home and the outer +boards are separated from each other by a ridge down the center of the +board called the bar. + -*A board with the checkers in their initial position.* + *A board with the checkers in their initial position.* Outer Board O's Home Board @@ -285,18 +288,19 @@ called the bar. +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+ Outer Board X's Home Board + An alternate arrangement is the reverse of the one shown here, with the home board on the left and the outer board on the right. The points are numbered for either player starting in that player's -home board. The outermost point is the twenty-four point, which is also -the opponent's one point. Each player has fifteen checkers of his own -color. The initial arrangement of checkers is: two on each player's +home board. The outermost point is the twenty-four point, which is also +the opponent's one point. Each player has fifteen checkers of his own +color. The initial arrangement of checkers is: two on each player's twenty-four point, five on each player's thirteen point, three on each player's eight point, and five on each player's six point. Both players have their own pair of dice and a dice cup used for -shaking. A doubling cube, with the numerals 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 on +shaking. A doubling cube, with the numerals 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 on its faces, is used to keep track of the current stake of the game. @@ -306,11 +310,12 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Object of the Game, Next: Movement of the Checkers, P ====================== The object of the game is for a player to move all of his checkers into -his own home board and then bear them off. The first player to bear off +his own home board and then bear them off. The first player to bear off all of his checkers wins the game. -*Direction of movement of White's checkers. Red's checkers move in the -opposite direction.* + + *Direction of movement of White's checkers. Red's checkers move in +the opposite direction.* +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+ @@ -327,33 +332,35 @@ opposite direction.* | X | | X | +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+ + File: gnubg.info, Node: Movement of the Checkers, Next: Hitting and Entering, Prev: Object of the Game, Up: Rules of the game 2.3 Movement of the Checkers ============================ -To start the game, each player throws a single die. This determines -both the player to go first and the numbers to be played. If equal +To start the game, each player throws a single die. This determines +both the player to go first and the numbers to be played. If equal numbers come up, then both players roll again until they roll different -numbers. The player throwing the higher number now moves his checkers -according to the numbers showing on both dice. After the first roll, the -players throw two dice and alternate turns. +numbers. The player throwing the higher number now moves his checkers +according to the numbers showing on both dice. After the first roll, +the players throw two dice and alternate turns. The roll of the dice indicates how many points, or pips, the player -is to move his checkers. The checkers are always moved forward, to a -lower-numbered point. The following rules apply: +is to move his checkers. The checkers are always moved forward, to a +lower-numbered point. The following rules apply: 1. A checker may be moved only to an open point, one that is not occupied by two or more opposing checkers. - 2. The numbers on the two dice constitute separate moves. For + 2. The numbers on the two dice constitute separate moves. For example, if a player rolls 5 and 3, he may move one checker five spaces to an open point and another checker three spaces to an open point, or he may move the one checker a total of eight spaces to an open point, but only if the intermediate point (either three or five spaces from the starting point) is also open. + *White opens the game with 53.* @@ -372,18 +379,19 @@ lower-numbered point. The following rules apply: | O X | | X | O | +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+ + 3. A player who rolls doubles plays the numbers shown on the dice - twice. A roll of 6 and 6 means that the player has four sixes to + twice. A roll of 6 and 6 means that the player has four sixes to use, and he may move any combination of checkers he feels appropriate to complete this requirement. 4. A player must use both numbers of a roll if this is legally - possible (or all four numbers of a double). When only one number - can be played, the player must play that number. Or if either + possible (or all four numbers of a double). When only one number + can be played, the player must play that number. Or if either number can be played but not both, the player must play the larger - one. When neither number can be used, the player loses his turn. - In the case of doubles, when all four numbers cannot be played, - the player must play as many numbers as he can. + one. When neither number can be used, the player loses his turn. + In the case of doubles, when all four numbers cannot be played, the + player must play as many numbers as he can. File: gnubg.info, Node: Hitting and Entering, Next: Bearing Off, Prev: Movement of the Checkers, Up: Rules of the game @@ -396,7 +404,7 @@ If an opposing checker lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar. Any time a player has one or more checkers on the bar, his first -obligation is to enter those checker(s) into the opposing home board. A +obligation is to enter those checker(s) into the opposing home board. A checker is entered by moving it to an open point corresponding to one of the numbers on the rolled dice. @@ -405,7 +413,8 @@ either the opponent's four point or six point, so long as the prospective point is not occupied by two or more of the opponent's checkers. -*White rolls 64 with a checker on the bar.* + + *White rolls 64 with a checker on the bar.* +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+ @@ -422,11 +431,12 @@ checkers. | O X | | X O | +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+ + If White rolls [64] with a checker on the bar, he must enter the -checker onto Red's four point since Red's six point is not open. If -neither of the points is open, the player loses his turn. If a player is -able to enter some but not all of his checkers, he must enter as many as -he can and then forfeit the remainder of his turn. +checker onto Red's four point since Red's six point is not open. If +neither of the points is open, the player loses his turn. If a player +is able to enter some but not all of his checkers, he must enter as many +as he can and then forfeit the remainder of his turn. After the last of a player's checkers has been entered, any unused numbers on the dice must be played, by moving either the checker that @@ -438,20 +448,21 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Bearing Off, Next: Doubling, Prev: Hitting and Enteri 2.5 Bearing Off =============== -Once a player has moved all of his fifteen checkers into his home -board, he may commence bearing off. A player bears off a checker by -rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker -resides, and then removing that checker from the board. Thus, rolling a -6 permits the player to remove a checker from the six point. +Once a player has moved all of his fifteen checkers into his home board, +he may commence bearing off. A player bears off a checker by rolling a +number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides, and +then removing that checker from the board. Thus, rolling a 6 permits +the player to remove a checker from the six point. + + If there is no checker on the point indicated by the roll, the player +must make a legal move using a checker on a higher-numbered point. If +there are no checkers on higher-numbered points, the player is permitted +(and required) to remove a checker from the highest point on which one +of his checkers resides. A player is under no obligation to bear off if +he can make an otherwise legal move. - If there is no checker on the point indicated by the roll, the -player must make a legal move using a checker on a higher-numbered -point. If there are no checkers on higher-numbered points, the player is -permitted (and required) to remove a checker from the highest point on -which one of his checkers resides. A player is under no obligation to -bear off if he can make an otherwise legal move. -*White rolls 64 and bears off two checkers.* + *White rolls 64 and bears off two checkers.* | | | +----6---------> @@ -461,10 +472,11 @@ bear off if he can make an otherwise legal move. | | | X X X X X | +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+ + A player must have all of his active checkers in his home board in -order to bear off. If a checker is hit during the bear-off process, the +order to bear off. If a checker is hit during the bear-off process, the player must bring that checker back to his home board before continuing -to bear off. The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins the +to bear off. The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins the game. @@ -473,21 +485,21 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Doubling, Next: Gammons and Backgammons, Prev: Bearin 2.6 Doubling ============ -Backgammon is played for an agreed stake per point. Each game starts at -one point. During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a -sufficient advantage may propose doubling the stakes. He may do this +Backgammon is played for an agreed stake per point. Each game starts at +one point. During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a +sufficient advantage may propose doubling the stakes. He may do this only at the start of his own turn and before he has rolled the dice. A player who is offered a double may refuse, in which case he -concedes the game and pays one point. Otherwise, he must accept the -double and play on for the new higher stakes. A player who accepts a +concedes the game and pays one point. Otherwise, he must accept the +double and play on for the new higher stakes. A player who accepts a double becomes the owner of the cube and only he may make the next double. - Subsequent doubles in the same game are called redoubles. If a + Subsequent doubles in the same game are called redoubles. If a player refuses a redouble, he must pay the number of points that were at -stake prior to the redouble. Otherwise, he becomes the new owner of the -cube and the game continues at twice the previous stakes. There is no +stake prior to the redouble. Otherwise, he becomes the new owner of the +cube and the game continues at twice the previous stakes. There is no limit to the number of redoubles in a game. @@ -498,9 +510,9 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Gammons and Backgammons, Next: Optional Rules, Prev: At the end of the game, if the losing player has borne off at least one checker, he loses only the value showing on the doubling cube (one -point, if there have been no doubles). However, if the loser has _not_ +point, if there have been no doubles). However, if the loser has _not_ borne off any of his checkers, he is gammoned and loses _twice_ the -value of the doubling cube. Or, worse, if the loser has not borne off +value of the doubling cube. Or, worse, if the loser has not borne off any of his checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board, he is backgammoned and loses _three times_ the value of the double cube. @@ -513,19 +525,19 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Optional Rules, Next: Rules for Match Play, Prev: Gam The following optional rules are in widespread use. - 1. Automatic doubles. If identical numbers are thrown on the first - roll, the stakes are doubled. The doubling cube is turned to 2 and - remains in the middle. Players usually agree to limit the number of - automatic doubles to one per game. + 1. Automatic doubles. If identical numbers are thrown on the first + roll, the stakes are doubled. The doubling cube is turned to 2 and + remains in the middle. Players usually agree to limit the number + of automatic doubles to one per game. - 2. Beavers. When a player is doubled, he may immediately redouble - (beaver) while retaining possession of the cube. The original + 2. Beavers. When a player is doubled, he may immediately redouble + (beaver) while retaining possession of the cube. The original doubler has the option of accepting or refusing as with a normal double. - 3. The Jacoby Rule. Gammons and backgammons count only as a single + 3. The Jacoby Rule. Gammons and backgammons count only as a single game if neither player has offered a double during the course of - the game. This rule speeds up play by eliminating situations where + the game. This rule speeds up play by eliminating situations where a player avoids doubling so he can play on for a gammon. @@ -534,23 +546,23 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Rules for Match Play, Prev: Optional Rules, Up: Rules 2.9 Rules for Match Play ======================== -When backgammon tournaments are held to determine an overall winner, -the usual style of competition is match play. Competitors are paired -off, and each pair plays a series of games to decide which player -progresses to the next round of the tournament. This series of games is -called a match. +When backgammon tournaments are held to determine an overall winner, the +usual style of competition is match play. Competitors are paired off, +and each pair plays a series of games to decide which player progresses +to the next round of the tournament. This series of games is called a +match. - Matches are played to a specified number of points. The first player -to accumulate the required points wins the match. Points are awarded in + Matches are played to a specified number of points. The first player +to accumulate the required points wins the match. Points are awarded in the usual manner: one for a single game, two for a gammon, and three for -a backgammon. The doubling cube is used, so the winner receives the +a backgammon. The doubling cube is used, so the winner receives the value of the game multiplied by the final value of the doubling cube. - Matches are normally played using the Crawford rule. The Crawford + Matches are normally played using the Crawford rule. The Crawford rule states that if one player reaches a score one point short of the match, neither player may offer a double in the immediately following -game. This one game with no doubling is called the Crawford game. If the -Crawford game is won by the trailing player then the doubling cube +game. This one game with no doubling is called the Crawford game. If +the Crawford game is won by the trailing player then the doubling cube becomes available in all subsequent games (and it's most often in the best interests of the trailing player to double immediately in these games). @@ -563,17 +575,17 @@ Black wins 1 4 2 Crawford Game Black wins 2 4 4 Allowed White wins 2 6 4 Allowed - In this example, White and Black are playing a 5-point match. After + In this example, White and Black are playing a 5-point match. After three games White has 4 points, which is just one point short of what he -needs. That triggers the Crawford rule which says there can be no +needs. That triggers the Crawford rule which says there can be no doubling in next game, Game 4. - There is no bonus for winning more than the required number of -points in match play. The sole goal is to win the match, and the size of -the victory doesn't matter. + There is no bonus for winning more than the required number of points +in match play. The sole goal is to win the match, and the size of the +victory doesn't matter. - Automatic doubles, beavers, and the Jacoby rule are not used in -match play. + Automatic doubles, beavers, and the Jacoby rule are not used in match +play. File: gnubg.info, Node: Starting GNU Backgammon, Next: Playing a game, Prev: Rules of the game, Up: Top @@ -594,11 +606,11 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Linux and Unix, Next: Microsoft Windows, Up: Starting 3.1 Linux and Unix ================== -If GNU Backgammon is properly installed on your system, you can start -it by simply typing gnubg at the command prompt. If you want to start -the GNU Backgammon command line interface, you can type gnubg -tty or -gnubg -t. With this option, GNU Backgammon starts without the graphic -user interface. There is also other options which can be added at the +If GNU Backgammon is properly installed on your system, you can start it +by simply typing gnubg at the command prompt. If you want to start the +GNU Backgammon command line interface, you can type gnubg -tty or gnubg +-t. With this option, GNU Backgammon starts without the graphic user +interface. There is also other options which can be added at the start-up. @@ -609,12 +621,12 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Microsoft Windows, Next: Mac OS X, Prev: Linux and Un The builds of GNU Backgammon which may be downloaded from the main GNU Backgammon page (http://www.gnubg.org) comes with an installation -system. The installation system will create a launch menu item in your -start menu. Usually the menu item can be found by choosing +system. The installation system will create a launch menu item in your +start menu. Usually the menu item can be found by choosing Start->Programs->GNU Backgammon->GNU Backgammon for Windows.. - GNU Backgammon also has a command line interface. This is supplied -as a separate executable file on Microsoft Windows. You can start this + GNU Backgammon also has a command line interface. This is supplied +as a separate executable file on Microsoft Windows. You can start this version of GNU Backgammon by choosing Start->Programs->GNU Backgammon->GNU Backgammon Command Line Interface. @@ -634,14 +646,14 @@ OS X, you can run GNU Backgammon for Mac OS X by: XDarwin opens three), do the following: 1. If you have installed GNU Backgammon in your private - Applications folder, type ` cd Applications/gnubg' to get into - GNU Backgammon for Mac OS X's folder, and then type `./gnubg' + Applications folder, type ' cd Applications/gnubg' to get into + GNU Backgammon for Mac OS X's folder, and then type './gnubg' to run it; 2. If you have installed GNU Backgammon in the global, top-level - Applications folder, type `cd /Applications/gnubg' to get - into GNU Backgammon for Mac OS X's folder, and type `./gnubg' - to run it; + Applications folder, type 'cd /Applications/gnubg' to get into + GNU Backgammon for Mac OS X's folder, and type './gnubg' to + run it; File: gnubg.info, Node: Command line options, Prev: Mac OS X, Up: Starting GNU Backgammon @@ -649,12 +661,13 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Command line options, Prev: Mac OS X, Up: Starting GN 3.4 Command line options ======================== -The following options control the startup of GNU Backgammon. Most +The following options control the startup of GNU Backgammon. Most options are available in all versions of GNU Backgammon, but notably, -the -w and -t options don't work under MS windows where separate -command line and GUI applications exist instead. +the -w and -t options don't work under MS windows where separate command +line and GUI applications exist instead. -*GNU Backgammon startup options* + + *GNU Backgammon startup options* Usage: @@ -683,6 +696,7 @@ command line and GUI applications exist instead. -s, --prefsdir Specify location of user's preferences directory --display=DISPLAY X display to use + File: gnubg.info, Node: Playing a game, Next: Getting hints and Tutor Mode, Prev: Starting GNU Backgammon, Up: Top @@ -704,42 +718,44 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Starting a new match or session, Next: Rolling the dic =================================== To start a new game, match or session choose File->New, or use the New -button in the toolbar. This will open a dialog box, where you can +button in the toolbar. This will open a dialog box, where you can select the main options for the new backgammon game you are about to begin. -*The dialog for starting a new match.* + + *The dialog for starting a new match.* To start a new match in the CL version type 'new match' or 'new session'. - The shortcut buttons are the quickest way to start the game or -match. If you click on the button with the $ sign, you will start a new -money game session immediately. If you click on a numbered button, you -will start a new match of the specified length. + + The shortcut buttons are the quickest way to start the game or match. +If you click on the button with the $ sign, you will start a new money +game session immediately. If you click on a numbered button, you will +start a new match of the specified length. The dialog allows a fine tuning of the startup options: 1. Use the radio buttons to choose whether you want to start a match, - game or session. If you wish to start a new match, you should + game or session. If you wish to start a new match, you should select the match length by typing into the Match length field. 2. You may play against both the program itself or against a friend. If you want to start a match or game against a friend, select the - Human vs. Human option. + Human vs. Human option. 3. Normally the dice are generated by a random number generator, but - you may use manual dice if you check this option. Then GNU + you may use manual dice if you check this option. Then GNU Backgammon will prompt for the dice roll before each roll. - 4. GNU Backgammon comes with a tutor mode. If this mode is active, - GNU Backgammon analyzes each move you do, and warn you each time - you make a mistake. More about tutor mode later. + 4. GNU Backgammon comes with a tutor mode. If this mode is active, + GNU Backgammon analyses each move you do, and warn you each time + you make a mistake. More about tutor mode later. - 5. By clicking on the Modify player settings... button, you will see - the whole player setting dialog. Here you define the playing - strength of GNU Backgammon. This dialog will be explained later. + 5. By clicking on the Modify player settings... button, you will see + the whole player setting dialog. Here you define the playing + strength of GNU Backgammon. This dialog will be explained later. File: gnubg.info, Node: Rolling the dice, Next: Moving the checkers, Prev: Starting a new match or session, Up: Playing a game @@ -748,14 +764,16 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Rolling the dice, Next: Moving the checkers, Prev: St ==================== The simplest way to roll the dice is to click in the right board area -between the board points. You can also roll the dice from the menu +between the board points. You can also roll the dice from the menu Game->Roll or with the keyboard shortcut <Ctrl><R>. -*Click in the red rectangle to roll the dice.* + + *Click in the red rectangle to roll the dice.* To roll the dice the CL version type 'roll'. + When you have moved your checkers to make the desired move, you complete your turn by clicking on the dice. @@ -780,10 +798,10 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Moving by drag and drop, Next: Moving checkers by clic One way to move the checkers is to click on a checker you want to move and then drag it, while holding the mouse button down, to the desired -designation point. If you have the option Show target help when -dragging checkers enabled, you will see the a green guiding at any -legal target point for the checker you are dragging. You can find this -option by choosing Settings->Options...->Display +designation point. If you have the option Show target help when +dragging checkers enabled, you will see the a green guiding at any legal +target point for the checker you are dragging. You can find this option +by choosing Settings->Options...->Display File: gnubg.info, Node: Moving checkers by clicking, Next: Undo a move, Prev: Moving by drag and drop, Up: Moving the checkers @@ -791,17 +809,17 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Moving checkers by clicking, Next: Undo a move, Prev: 4.3.2 Moving checkers by clicking --------------------------------- -Move the mouse cursor over the checker you want to move. If you now +Move the mouse cursor over the checker you want to move. If you now click the _left_ mouse button, the checker will move the pips of the -_left_ die. If you have already moved one checker, clicking on a new -checker will move it according to the pips of the remaining die. If you +_left_ die. If you have already moved one checker, clicking on a new +checker will move it according to the pips of the remaining die. If you click with the _right_ mouse button on a checker, the checker will move according to the _right_ die. Using this method for moving the checkers can be really effective. -Some users prefer showing the higher die to the left. You can make GNU -Backgammon show the highest die to the left if you choose Settings -> -Options... -> Dice and check the check box labeled Show higher die on +Some users prefer showing the higher die to the left. You can make GNU +Backgammon show the highest die to the left if you choose Settings -> +Options... -> Dice and check the check box labeled Show higher die on left. @@ -811,10 +829,9 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Undo a move, Next: Some shortcuts, Prev: Moving check ----------------- Before you complete your move by clicking the dice, it's possible to -undo your moves and return to the position before any checkers have -been moved. You can either click the Undo button in the toolbar, or you -can choose Edit -> Undo from the menu or the keyboard shortcut -<Ctrl><Z>. +undo your moves and return to the position before any checkers have been +moved. You can either click the Undo button in the toolbar, or you can +choose Edit -> Undo from the menu or the keyboard shortcut <Ctrl><Z>. File: gnubg.info, Node: Some shortcuts, Prev: Undo a move, Up: Moving the checkers @@ -822,19 +839,19 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Some shortcuts, Prev: Undo a move, Up: Moving the che 4.3.4 Some shortcuts -------------------- -There are some shortcuts for moving the checkers. You can _make a new -point_ by right clicking on the empty point that you want to make. As -an example, if you roll 31 as the opening roll, and you want to play -8/5 6/5, you simply place the mouse cursor on the 5-point and right -click. Making points this way also works if you hit a checker, and with +There are some shortcuts for moving the checkers. You can _make a new +point_ by right clicking on the empty point that you want to make. As +an example, if you roll 31 as the opening roll, and you want to play 8/5 +6/5, you simply place the mouse cursor on the 5-point and right click. +Making points this way also works if you hit a checker, and with doubles. - Another shortcut can be used in the bearoff phase of the game. By + Another shortcut can be used in the bearoff phase of the game. By clicking in the bearoff tray, _two checkers will be born off_ if such a move is legal. - GNU Backgammon can auto play forced moves for you. This feature can -be enabled by choosing Settings -> Options... -> Game , and then check + GNU Backgammon can auto play forced moves for you. This feature can +be enabled by choosing Settings -> Options... -> Game , and then check the box Play forced moves automatically. @@ -854,8 +871,8 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Offering a double, Next: Accepting or declining a cube 4.4.1 Offering a double ----------------------- -You offer a double to your opponent by clicking on the cube. This will -offer the cube immediately. You can also click Game->Double from the +You offer a double to your opponent by clicking on the cube. This will +offer the cube immediately. You can also click Game->Double from the menu or the keyboard shortcut <Ctrl><D>. @@ -865,22 +882,22 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Accepting or declining a cube, Prev: Offering a double ----------------------------------- You accept a double made by your opponent by clicking on the offered -doubling cube at the board. If you want to decline the double, you can +doubling cube at the board. If you want to decline the double, you can right click on the cube. - There are also three buttons in the toolbar for handling cube -offers. These buttons are marked Accept, Decline and Beaver. The beaver -button is only activated in money game sessions where beavers are -allowed. + There are also three buttons in the toolbar for handling cube offers. +These buttons are marked Accept, Decline and Beaver. The beaver button +is only activated in money game sessions where beavers are allowed. + -*The toolbar double buttons.* + *The toolbar double buttons.* [[cubebuttons.png]] There are also menu options from the drop down menu for all the cube -actions. Click Game->Take from the menu, to accept an offered -double(<Ctrl><T>). Click Game->Drop, from the menu, to to decline an -offered double(<Ctrl><P>). Click Game->Beaver, from the menu, to beaver +actions. Click Game->Take from the menu, to accept an offered +double(<Ctrl><T>). Click Game->Drop, from the menu, to to decline an +offered double(<Ctrl><P>). Click Game->Beaver, from the menu, to beaver an offered double. @@ -900,12 +917,12 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Offering a resignation, Next: Accepting or declining a 4.5.1 Offering a resignation ---------------------------- -It's also possible to resign during a game. To resign during play press -the Resign button in the toolbar. This is the button with the image of -a white flag. When this button is pressed, a dialog box will appear +It's also possible to resign during a game. To resign during play press +the Resign button in the toolbar. This is the button with the image of +a white flag. When this button is pressed, a dialog box will appear where you can select if you want to resign a single game, gammon or -backgammon. The resignation dialog may also be reached from the menu -system. Click Game->Resign to offer your resignation. +backgammon. The resignation dialog may also be reached from the menu +system. Click Game->Resign to offer your resignation. File: gnubg.info, Node: Accepting or declining a resignation, Prev: Offering a resignation, Up: Resigning @@ -914,18 +931,18 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Accepting or declining a resignation, Prev: Offering a ------------------------------------------ When a resignation is offered a white square will appear on the board -area. The square has a number 1, 2 or 3. A square with a _1_, means +area. The square has a number 1, 2 or 3. A square with a _1_, means that a single game resignation is offered, a _2_ that a gammon resignation is offered, and a _3_, means that a backgammon is offered. -If you're using a 3D board, the resignation will be a white flag -instead of a square. +If you're using a 3D board, the resignation will be a white flag instead +of a square. - To accept the resignation click on the numbered square. If you want -to decline the resignation, you right click instead. You can also use + To accept the resignation click on the numbered square. If you want +to decline the resignation, you right click instead. You can also use the same toolbar buttons as for accepting or declining a double. There is also a menu option for accepting and declining resignations. Click Game->Agree to resignation from the menu, to accept an offered -resignation. Click Game->Decline resignation from the menu, to decline +resignation. Click Game->Decline resignation from the menu, to decline an offered resignation. @@ -957,39 +974,39 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Getting checker play hints while playing, Next: Gettin 5.1.1 Getting checker play hints while playing ---------------------------------------------- -If you want to get a hint of the best move or the best cube action -press the Hint button in the tool bar or the menu option Analyze->Hint. -This will open a hint window. +If you want to get a hint of the best move or the best cube action press +the Hint button in the tool bar or the menu option Analyse->Hint. This +will open a hint window. + -*The hint window* + *The hint window* [[hintwindow.png]] This Hint window shows a list of all possible moves for the position -and dice roll. The different moves are sorted by how GNU Backgammon -ranks each move; there is one move on each line in the list. The rest +and dice roll. The different moves are sorted by how GNU Backgammon +ranks each move; there is one move on each line in the list. The rest of the numbers may look a bit complicated and cryptic but, once you learn what each number means, it isn't really that bad. 1. _Rank_ is the number that shows GNU Backgammon's rank of the move. - All moves evaluated at a given ply are ranked above those - evaluated at a lesser ply. If you use the 0, 1, 2, etc, buttons - below the hint list to re-evaluate one or more moves, the moves - will be moved accordingly. Therefore, for accurate results when - re-evaluating a move that you are interested in, it is usually - best to _re-evaluate all moves above it in the list_. (And - slipping with the mouse and re-evaluating, e.g., a 3-ply move at - 2-ply may make the move _disappear_ down to the bottom of the - list!) + All moves evaluated at a given ply are ranked above those evaluated + at a lesser ply. If you use the 0, 1, 2, etc, buttons below the + hint list to re-evaluate one or more moves, the moves will be moved + accordingly. Therefore, for accurate results when re-evaluating a + move that you are interested in, it is usually best to _re-evaluate + all moves above it in the list_. (And slipping with the mouse and + re-evaluating, e.g., a 3-ply move at 2-ply may make the move + _disappear_ down to the bottom of the list!) 2. _Type_ is a description of the evaluation that was used to - calculate the results. Cubeful means that it is taking into + calculate the results. Cubeful means that it is taking into account the possibility that someone may double. Occasionally you may see several moves with the equity of -1.000, (See _Equity_ - below), despite significantly different winning percentiles. This - is because it thinks that if any of these moves are played then - the opponent will double and you should pass. The n-ply is the - depth to which GNU Backgammon analyzed the move. + below), despite significantly different winning percentiles. This + is because it thinks that if any of these moves are played then the + opponent will double and you should pass. The n-ply is the depth + to which GNU Backgammon analysed the move. 3. _Win_ is the fractions of games that GNU Backgammon thinks will be won by a single game, gammon or backgammon. @@ -1000,8 +1017,8 @@ learn what each number means, it isn't really that bad. 5. _Wbg_ is the fractions of games that GNU Backgammon thinks will be won by a backgammon. - 6. _Lose_ is the fractions of games that GNU Backgammon thinks will - be lost by a single game, gammon or backgammon. (Notice that this + 6. _Lose_ is the fractions of games that GNU Backgammon thinks will be + lost by a single game, gammon or backgammon. (Notice that this number is equal to 1 - Win) 7. _Lg_ is the fractions of games that GNU Backgammon thinks will be @@ -1012,16 +1029,16 @@ learn what each number means, it isn't really that bad. 9. _Equity_ is the overall evaluation of the position by the program, after considering the different win/loss percentiles, the cube - position, and the match score. A 1.000 would mean that you are + position, and the match score. A 1.000 would mean that you are expected to win a point, a 0.000 would mean that it is roughly - equal, and a -1.000 that you are expected to lose a point. When + equal, and a -1.000 that you are expected to lose a point. When the evaluation is cubeful this number is not computable by the win/loss brake down of the previous columns. - 10. _Diff._ is the difference in equity, perceived in comparison to + 10. _Diff._ is the difference in equity, perceived in comparison to the top ranked move. - 11. _Move_ is the move being evaluated. In the case of a red line, it + 11. _Move_ is the move being evaluated. In the case of a red line, it is the move that was played. @@ -1032,40 +1049,41 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Getting cube decision hints while playing, Next: The h If you're thinking about a cube decision before rolling you can press the same Hint button in the toolbar, as you pressed when you wanted -checker play hint. The hint window will again appear, but this time it +checker play hint. The hint window will again appear, but this time it will look a bit different and it will show a hint of the correct cube decision. -*The cube hint window* + + *The cube hint window* [[hintcubewindow.png]] The first lines is the window dialog shows the evaluation depth, and -the cubeless equity with the evaluated probabilities. This equity is -compensated for the match score. The cubeless equity for a money game, +the cubeless equity with the evaluated probabilities. This equity is +compensated for the match score. The cubeless equity for a money game, where the the calculation of equity is not compensated for match score, is also reported. - Next follow three lines with cubeful equities. In figure above, the + Next follow three lines with cubeful equities. In figure above, the cubeful equity for the player on roll for not doubling at this turn, is -+0.123. The equity for a double and the opponent passing is (of course) -+1.000, since the player then will win one point. (The number is ++0.123. The equity for a double and the opponent passing is (of course) ++1.000, since the player then will win one point. (The number is normalized to cube value of one, so even if it is a redouble to 4 or 8 or higher, the cubeful equity for double/pass is still +1.000 for the -doubler.) The third number in figure above is the cubeful equity for the -player doubling and the opponent accepting the double. The different -option will be listed in order with the best option highest. The number -right to the listed equities is the differences from the cube decision -considered best. +doubler.) The third number in figure above is the cubeful equity for +the player doubling and the opponent accepting the double. The +different option will be listed in order with the best option highest. +The number right to the listed equities is the differences from the cube +decision considered best. - The last line states the best considered cube action. In the figure + The last line states the best considered cube action. In the figure above, GNU Backgammon considers the best cube action to be No double, -take. When percentage number right to the proper cube action, is a -number which indicates the _bluff_ potential. It is the necessary -percentage chance you think you can bluff your opponent into passing -the cube to make the double theoretically correct. This number is only -available when the position is considered No double, take or Too good -to double, pass. +take. When percentage number right to the proper cube action, is a +number which indicates the _bluff_ potential. It is the necessary +percentage chance you think you can bluff your opponent into passing the +cube to make the double theoretically correct. This number is only +available when the position is considered No double, take or Too good to +double, pass. File: gnubg.info, Node: The hint tool buttons, Prev: Getting cube decision hints while playing, Up: Getting hints manually @@ -1074,49 +1092,49 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: The hint tool buttons, Prev: Getting cube decision hin --------------------------- As you may see in both figures above, there is a set of buttons below -the move list or cube analysis. Here follows a short description of +the move list or cube analysis. Here follows a short description of what each of the buttons does: 1. _Eval_ will evaluate the selected moves, or the cube decision with the current evaluation setting. - 2. _..._ will open the evaluation setting dialog. You can then modify - the evaluation setting. More about evaluation settings in the next - chapter. + 2. _..._ will open the evaluation setting dialog. You can then + modify the evaluation setting. More about evaluation settings in + the next chapter. 3. _0 1 2 3 4_ will evaluate the selected moves or cube decision at cubeful 0-ply or cubeful 1-ply or cubeful 2-ply and so on. 4. _Rollout_ will start a rollout ((A _rollout_ is simply a Monte - Carlo simulation of a backgammon position. More about rollouts in - a later chapter.)) of the selected moves or cube decision. + Carlo simulation of a backgammon position. More about rollouts in + a later chapter.)) of the selected moves or cube decision. - 5. _..._ will open the rollout settings dialog. This dialog will be + 5. _..._ will open the rollout settings dialog. This dialog will be further described later in this manual. - 6. _MWC_ (Match Winning Chance). If this button is pressed the values + 6. _MWC_ (Match Winning Chance). If this button is pressed the values in the hint window will be shown as the chance to win the whole - match. If this button is unpressed or there is a money game that's + match. If this button is unpressed or there is a money game that's played, the values in the hint window is reported as Equity. Notice, The equity in a match is actually a recalculation from - match winning chance to equity. This recalculated number is often - referred to as EMG, Equivalent to Money Game. The EMG number is - comparable to the equity in a money game, and are therefore - labeled 'Equity'. + match winning chance to equity. This recalculated number is often + referred to as EMG, Equivalent to Money Game. The EMG number is + comparable to the equity in a money game, and are therefore labeled + 'Equity'. 7. _Show_ will show the board as it would be after the selected move - is made. The button is only available in the checker play hint + is made. The button is only available in the checker play hint window. - 8. _Move_ will make the move selected in the list. It's also possible + 8. _Move_ will make the move selected in the list. It's also possible to make a move directly from the list by double clicking on the - move. The button is also available only in the checker play hint + move. The button is also available only in the checker play hint window. 9. _Copy_ will copy the text of all selected moves to clipboard. - 10. _Temp. Map_ will show Sho Sengoku's temperature map. This map is - further described later in the document. When this window + 10. _Temp. Map_ will show Sho Sengoku's temperature map. This map is + further described later in the document. When this window remembers its size and position it will really become useful. @@ -1125,40 +1143,42 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Tutor mode, Prev: Getting hints manually, Up: Getting 5.2 Tutor mode ============== -One of the greatest tools for learning, is Tutor Mode. Tutor mode can -be activated by clicking Settings->Options... and then click on the -Tutor flag. Activate Tutor Mode by checking the Tutor mode check box. +One of the greatest tools for learning, is Tutor Mode. Tutor mode can +be activated by clicking Settings->Options... and then click on the +Tutor flag. Activate Tutor Mode by checking the Tutor mode check box. + -*The tutor window* + *The tutor window* [[tutor.png]] - In Tutor Mode, GNU Backgammon will analyze your moves and/or cube -decisions and compare them with its choices. You set the threshold for + In Tutor Mode, GNU Backgammon will analyse your moves and/or cube +decisions and compare them with its choices. You set the threshold for its alerts, for example, if you set it for bad then it will only warn -you when you make a bad mistake. It will then allow you to re-examine +you when you make a bad mistake. It will then allow you to re-examine your choice, go right ahead with it, or provide a 'hint' - essentially, showing you its analysis. The tutor can give warnings on both cube decisions and checker play. If you want the tutor to only warn on cube decisions, you can uncheck -the box for the Checker play. Likewise, if you want it to only warn on +the box for the Checker play. Likewise, if you want it to only warn on checker play decisions, you can uncheck the box for the Cube decisions. -*The tutor warning window* + + *The tutor warning window* [[tutorwarning.png]] In the above figure, you can see a warning dialog from the tutor -mode. If you press the button labeled Play anyway, the move you made -will be kept and the game will continue. If you press the Rethink +mode. If you press the button labeled Play anyway, the move you made +will be kept and the game will continue. If you press the Rethink button, the dialog will close and the checkers that you moved will be -returned to their original positions. You can then rethink the position -and try an alternative move. Keep doing this until the Tutor accepts -your move as being good enough. Alternatively you can press the Hint +returned to their original positions. You can then rethink the position +and try an alternative move. Keep doing this until the Tutor accepts +your move as being good enough. Alternatively you can press the Hint button to show the hint window with its list of possible moves and their -evaluations. Finally, if you press the End Tutor Mode button, the dialog -will close and turn Tutor Mode off. +evaluations. Finally, if you press the End Tutor Mode button, the +dialog will close and turn Tutor Mode off. A similar warning window will also appear for poor cube handling. @@ -1169,10 +1189,10 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Setting up a position, Next: Working with matches, Pr *********************** Think about the Friday night chouette where there was this tough choice -between two move candidates. Which move was the best? Or what about -that match score cube decision from the weekend tournament. Wouldn't it +between two move candidates. Which move was the best? Or what about +that match score cube decision from the weekend tournament. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to set up the position in GNU Backgammon and ask for -its opinion? This is possible in GNU Backgammon, and it's one of the +its opinion? This is possible in GNU Backgammon, and it's one of the features that really can give you the answer to a lot of questions, and in that way give you a better understanding of the game. @@ -1188,7 +1208,7 @@ in that way give you a better understanding of the game. * Setting the cube:: * Setting the score:: * Exiting Edit mode:: -* Analyzing the position:: +* Analysing the position:: File: gnubg.info, Node: Entering Edit mode, Next: Editing, Up: Setting up a position @@ -1196,18 +1216,18 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Entering Edit mode, Next: Editing, Up: Setting up a p 6.1 Entering Edit mode ====================== -To set up a position, you have to be in _Edit mode_. To enter Edit mode -you simply click the Edit button in the tool bar. There is currently no -keyboard shortcut or menu item for entering edit mode. The Edit button +To set up a position, you have to be in _Edit mode_. To enter Edit mode +you simply click the Edit button in the tool bar. There is currently no +keyboard shortcut or menu item for entering edit mode. The Edit button is a toggle button and you will stay in edit mode until you release the button by clicking it again. - If your Edit button in the toolbar is disabled it is because there -is no game or match in progress. With the current state of GNU -Backgammon there must be a game or match in progress to be able to -enter edit mode. (This may change in the future.) If there is no game -in progress and you want to set up a position, you can simply start a -new game or match by clicking New in the toolbar. + If your Edit button in the toolbar is disabled it is because there is +no game or match in progress. With the current state of GNU Backgammon +there must be a game or match in progress to be able to enter edit mode. +(This may change in the future.) If there is no game in progress and +you want to set up a position, you can simply start a new game or match +by clicking New in the toolbar. When you are in edit mode you will see the the text (Editing) in the match information box below the board. @@ -1218,9 +1238,9 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Editing, Next: Clearing the board, Prev: Entering Edi 6.2 Editing =========== -Setting up a position is basically done by editing the current -position. The editing it self is controlled by clicking different areas -of the board and may not be obvious at first hand. +Setting up a position is basically done by editing the current position. +The editing it self is controlled by clicking different areas of the +board and may not be obvious at first hand. File: gnubg.info, Node: Clearing the board, Next: Quick edit, Prev: Editing, Up: Setting up a position @@ -1229,21 +1249,23 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Clearing the board, Next: Quick edit, Prev: Editing, ====================== In edit mode you can easily clear the board by clicking in one of the -bearoff trays. It's often easier to start setting up a position with a -empty board, so this feature is really handy. When you click on one of +bearoff trays. It's often easier to start setting up a position with a +empty board, so this feature is really handy. When you click on one of the bearoff tray, all checkers will be moved to the bearoff. -*Click in the one of the areas marked with a red ellipse to clear the + + *Click in the one of the areas marked with a red ellipse to clear the board.* [[clearboard.png]] You can also just as easy generate the initial position by clicking -the opposite trays when in edit mode. Clicking in one of these trays +the opposite trays when in edit mode. Clicking in one of these trays puts all checkers back to the initial position. -*Click in the one of the areas marked with a red ellipse to get to the -initial position.* + + *Click in the one of the areas marked with a red ellipse to get to +the initial position.* [[initialboard.png]] @@ -1256,16 +1278,16 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Quick edit, Next: Editing by drag and drop, Prev: Cle 6.4 Quick edit ============== -The default method of editing a position is called _Quick edit_. It's -based on clicking on the point where you want to place checkers. The +The default method of editing a position is called _Quick edit_. It's +based on clicking on the point where you want to place checkers. The number of checkers placed on the point is depending on where you click, for example if you want to place 3 checkers on a point, clicking on the -location where the third checker would go places 3 checkers. This +location where the third checker would go places 3 checkers. This method should be familiar to Snowie users. Clicking with the left button places checkers for player1, clicking -with the right button places checkers for player2. If you want to place -more than 5 checkers, click multiple times on the tip of the point. To +with the right button places checkers for player2. If you want to place +more than 5 checkers, click multiple times on the tip of the point. To clear a point, click on the border of the board below or above the point - depending on if the point is in the lower or top half of the board. The bar works just like normal points - the more you click to the middle @@ -1277,13 +1299,13 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Editing by drag and drop, Next: Setting the player on 6.5 Editing by drag and drop ============================ -There is also a different way of editing the checker positions. You can +There is also a different way of editing the checker positions. You can drag and drop checkers around the board while you're holding down the -Ctrl key on your keyboard. Press the Ctrl key and hold it down. Then +Ctrl key on your keyboard. Press the Ctrl key and hold it down. Then left-click the checker you want to drag to another point and drag it with the mouse, (while holding down the Ctrl key and the left mouse -button), to the destination point. You can drag checkers to open points -or to points where you have checkers of the same color. You can also +button), to the destination point. You can drag checkers to open points +or to points where you have checkers of the same color. You can also 'hit' opponent blots with the drag and drop edit method. This method of editing comes handy when there is just a small @@ -1296,21 +1318,22 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Setting the player on turn, Next: Setting the dice, P ============================== The player on turn can be set by clicking the small checker icons below -the board. See figure below. +the board. See figure below. -*Clicking the White checker image will set White on turn, clicking the -Black image will set Black in turn.* + + *Clicking the White checker image will set White on turn, clicking +the Black image will set Black in turn.* [[initialboard.png]] Note that setting the turn sets the turn before the dice has been -rolled. If there is a dice present at the board, setting the turn will -remove the dice rolled. In this way you can set up a position to be a +rolled. If there is a dice present at the board, setting the turn will +remove the dice rolled. In this way you can set up a position to be a cube decision evaluation instead of a move decision evaluation. - The turn can also be set by choosing Game->Set turn. Both these -methods for setting the player on turn can also be used without being -in edit mode. + The turn can also be set by choosing Game->Set turn. Both these +methods for setting the player on turn can also be used without being in +edit mode. File: gnubg.info, Node: Setting the dice, Next: Setting the cube, Prev: Setting the player on turn, Up: Setting up a position @@ -1321,13 +1344,14 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Setting the dice, Next: Setting the cube, Prev: Setti You can set the dice for a player by clicking in the middle part of the board where you usually click when you roll the dice while playing. Click in the middle of the right playing area to set the dice for player -0, the bottom player. Click the left dice rolling area to set the dice -for player 1, the top player. Once you click one of these areas the dice -selection widget will appear and you can select a dice roll by clicking -on a dice pair. +0, the bottom player. Click the left dice rolling area to set the dice +for player 1, the top player. Once you click one of these areas the +dice selection widget will appear and you can select a dice roll by +clicking on a dice pair. + -*Click inside the red rectangle to set the dice for Black. Click inside -the green rectangle to set the dice for White.* + *Click inside the red rectangle to set the dice for Black. Click +inside the green rectangle to set the dice for White.* [[setdice.png]] @@ -1335,9 +1359,9 @@ the green rectangle to set the dice for White.* Setting the dice for player 0, will make player 0 on turn with that specific dice roll to play. - This method for setting the dice roll only works in edit mode. If + This method for setting the dice roll only works in edit mode. If you're not in edit mode you can set the dice by choosing Game->Set -dice... from the menu, however this will set the dice for the player on +dice... from the menu, however this will set the dice for the player on turn. @@ -1346,12 +1370,12 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Setting the cube, Next: Setting the score, Prev: Sett 6.8 Setting the cube ==================== -Setting the cube is quite simple while you're in edit mode. Simply +Setting the cube is quite simple while you're in edit mode. Simply click the cube in the board and the cube selection widget appears. Selecting a cube in the first row, where the number is displayed -up-side-down, the top player will be the cube owner. The value of the -cube will be the value of the cube you click in the widget. Note that +up-side-down, the top player will be the cube owner. The value of the +cube will be the value of the cube you click in the widget. Note that the unturned cube is the leftmost cube labeled 64, just as it usually is on real doubling cube. @@ -1362,54 +1386,53 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Setting the score, Next: Exiting Edit mode, Prev: Set ===================== Very often i backgammon the match score does matter on how the position -is evaluated. GNU Backgammon's evaluation algorithms does take the -score into account. You can therefore adjust the the match length and +is evaluated. GNU Backgammon's evaluation algorithms does take the +score into account. You can therefore adjust the the match length and the score to each player while you're in edit mode. - In the figure you see that the score fields are editable while -you're in edit mode. Insert the desired match score for each player in -these fields. Player 0, the top player, has the left score field and -player 1, the bottom player, has the right score. You can also set the -match score in the in the match field to the right. There is also a box -to tick whenever the position is from a Crawford game. + In the figure you see that the score fields are editable while you're +in edit mode. Insert the desired match score for each player in these +fields. Player 0, the top player, has the left score field and player +1, the bottom player, has the right score. You can also set the match +score in the in the match field to the right. There is also a box to +tick whenever the position is from a Crawford game. If you want the computer to do a money game evaluation of the position, you should set the match score to 0 (zero). -File: gnubg.info, Node: Exiting Edit mode, Next: Analyzing the position, Prev: Setting the score, Up: Setting up a position +File: gnubg.info, Node: Exiting Edit mode, Next: Analysing the position, Prev: Setting the score, Up: Setting up a position 6.10 Exiting Edit mode ====================== -Before you can start analyzing the position you have to exit edit mode. -This is done by releasing the Edit button in the toolbar by clicking -it. Note that editing a position destroys your game record with no -warning, so it might be an idea to save your match if you want to keep -it. +Before you can start analysing the position you have to exit edit mode. +This is done by releasing the Edit button in the toolbar by clicking it. +Note that editing a position destroys your game record with no warning, +so it might be an idea to save your match if you want to keep it. -File: gnubg.info, Node: Analyzing the position, Prev: Exiting Edit mode, Up: Setting up a position +File: gnubg.info, Node: Analysing the position, Prev: Exiting Edit mode, Up: Setting up a position -6.11 Analyzing the position +6.11 Analysing the position =========================== After you have successfully set up the position you desire, you can now -analyze the position. You can click Hint in the toolbar to get the best -move of cube decision in the same way as described in the chapter -called *note Playing a game::. Hint, rollouts and evaluations done from -the hint window will not be saved if you try to save the position. If -you want to analyze the position and then be able to save the position -and the analysis results you should rather do a move and then click -back to the move and then choose Analyze->Analyze move for the menu. -You can then work in the analysis pane on the right side instead of in -the hint window. - - You can enter checkers on a point by clicking on the point. Notice +analyse the position. You can click Hint in the toolbar to get the best +move of cube decision in the same way as described in the chapter called +*note Playing a game::. Hint, rollouts and evaluations done from the +hint window will not be saved if you try to save the position. If you +want to analyse the position and then be able to save the position and +the analysis results you should rather do a move and then click back to +the move and then choose Analyse->Analyse move for the menu. You can +then work in the analysis pane on the right side instead of in the hint +window. + + You can enter checkers on a point by clicking on the point. Notice the amount of checkers you add on a point, depends on where on that -point you click. Left mouse button, black checkers and right mouse -button, red checkers. (assuming you didn't change the colors). You will -get used to this editing. and it makes it much faster to set up a +point you click. Left mouse button, black checkers and right mouse +button, red checkers. (assuming you didn't change the colors). You +will get used to this editing. and it makes it much faster to set up a position. See also Albert Silver's post on GammOnLine @@ -1425,7 +1448,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Working with matches, Next: Rollouts, Prev: Setting u * Retrieving and storing backgammon files:: * Entering live tournament matches:: -* Analyzing matches:: +* Analysing matches:: * Reviewing matches:: @@ -1446,12 +1469,12 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: The Smart Game Format, Next: Opening and importing mat 7.1.1 The Smart Game Format --------------------------- -GNU Backgammon uses the Smart Game Format (SGF) to store games, -matches, sessions and positions. SGF is used in as a standard format -for several other turn based games. The SGF files can store all the -rolls and moves and cube decisions as well as commentary and analysis. +GNU Backgammon uses the Smart Game Format (SGF) to store games, matches, +sessions and positions. SGF is used in as a standard format for several +other turn based games. The SGF files can store all the rolls and moves +and cube decisions as well as commentary and analysis. - A game that uses SGF extensively is Go. The format is described at + A game that uses SGF extensively is Go. The format is described at this site (http://www.red-bean.com/sgf/). @@ -1460,31 +1483,30 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Opening and importing matches, Next: Saving and export 7.1.2 Opening and importing matches ----------------------------------- -Since version 0.16 the GUI recognizes all importable files -automatically (with the exception of the FIBS format). To open or -import a file choose File->Open. A file dialog box will appear where -you can select the file and the dialog will inform you of the -recognized format, if the file is importable. You can also use the -keyboard shortcut Ctrl-O, or the tool bar button labeled Open, to open -the file dialog box directly. +Since version 0.16 the GUI recognizes all importable files automatically +(with the exception of the FIBS format). To open or import a file +choose File->Open. A file dialog box will appear where you can select +the file and the dialog will inform you of the recognized format, if the +file is importable. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-O, or +the tool bar button labeled Open, to open the file dialog box directly. It is still possible to import an unrecognized file by using the -underlying command line interface. Enable the command pane by choosing -View->Command. In the command pane type in `import oldmoves <filepath>' +underlying command line interface. Enable the command pane by choosing +View->Command. In the command pane type in 'import oldmoves <filepath>' to import, e.g., an oldmoves fibs formatted file. The following table contains the supported formats and the corresponding commands for manual import of a file. -FIBS oldmoves format `import oldmoves <filepath>' -Gamesgrid Save Game `import sgg <filepath>' -GammonEmpire Game `import empire <filepath>' -Jellyfish Game `import gam <filepath>' -Jellyfish Match `import mat <filepath>' -Jellyfish Position `import pos <filepath>' -PartyGammon Game `import party <filepath>' -Snowie Text `import snowietxt <filepath>' -TrueMoneyGames `import tmg <filepath>' +FIBS oldmoves format 'import oldmoves <filepath>' +Gamesgrid Save Game 'import sgg <filepath>' +GammonEmpire Game 'import empire <filepath>' +Jellyfish Game 'import gam <filepath>' +Jellyfish Match 'import mat <filepath>' +Jellyfish Position 'import pos <filepath>' +PartyGammon Game 'import party <filepath>' +Snowie Text 'import snowietxt <filepath>' +TrueMoneyGames 'import tmg <filepath>' Jellyfish Match is not formally defined and software exporting matches to this format often produce minor discrepancies. GNU @@ -1493,7 +1515,7 @@ Backgammon tries to cater to most of them automatically. Online sites do not always create their .mat files with the you as player 1, the one playing towards the bottom of the board. To have these matches converted to be displayed in the natural way, you can use -de CLI command `set aliases <player name 1>;<player name 2>;[<etc...>]' +de CLI command 'set aliases <player name 1>;<player name 2>;[<etc...>]' GNU Backgammon will swap the players as needed so that player names matching these aliases are always imported as player 1. @@ -1504,39 +1526,40 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Saving and exporting positions; games or matches, Prev ------------------------------------------------------ If you have played or imported a match into GNU Backgammon, and wish to -save your efforts, you can choose File->Save. A file dialog box will +save your efforts, you can choose File->Save. A file dialog box will appear and you can type in a file name or keep the suggested default -file name. (The suggested default file name contains the date, the -players name and the length of the match). This will save the whole -match of the current match or session. If there is any analysis or -commentary available this will also be saved to the file. You can also +file name. (The suggested default file name contains the date, the +players name and the length of the match). This will save the whole +match of the current match or session. If there is any analysis or +commentary available this will also be saved to the file. You can also use the tool bar button labeled Save to open the file dialog box -directly. There is also a keyboard shortcut, Ctrl-S, for saving a match +directly. There is also a keyboard shortcut, Ctrl-S, for saving a match or session. - The export dialog is accessed by choosing File->Export This dialog -is similar to the save dialog. Again you may choose a different -filename and whether to export an entire match, a game or a position. -Then you must choose an export format as well. Notice some file -formats only supports export of matches and some only supports -position. Only when a legal combination is chosen will ending the -dialog be possible. The following table contains the supported file -formats and the corresponding commands for export. Again notice that -with some formats only some of M(atch), G(ame), P(osition) is allowed. -For example to export a Jellyfish position you would issue the command -`export position pos <filepath>' - -Encapsulated Postscript `export <P> eps <filepath>' -HTML `export <MGP> html <filepath>' -Jellyfish Game `export <G> gam <filepath>' -Jellyfish Match `export <M> mat <filepath>' -Jellyfish Position `export <P> pos <filepath>' -LaTeX `export <MG> latex <filepath>' -PDF `export <MG> pdf <filepath>' -Plain Text `export <MGP> text <filepath>' -Portable Network Graphics `export <P> pdf <filepath>' -PostScript `export <MG> postscript <filepath>' -Snowie Text `export <P> snowietxt <filepath>' + The export dialog is accessed by choosing File->Export This dialog is +similar to the save dialog. Again you may choose a different filename +and whether to export an entire match, a game or a position. Then you +must choose an export format as well. Notice some file formats only +supports export of matches and some only supports position. Only when a +legal combination is chosen will ending the dialog be possible. The +following table contains the supported file formats and the +corresponding commands for export. Again notice that with some formats +only some of M(atch), G(ame), P(osition) is allowed. For example to +export a Jellyfish position you would issue the command 'export position +pos <filepath>' + +Encapsulated Postscript 'export <P> eps <filepath>' +HTML 'export <MGP> html <filepath>' +Jellyfish Game 'export <G> gam <filepath>' +Jellyfish Match 'export <M> mat <filepath>' +Jellyfish Position 'export <P> pos <filepath>' +LaTeX 'export <MG> latex <filepath>' +PDF 'export <MG> pdf <filepath>' +Plain Text 'export <MGP> text <filepath>' +Portable Network Graphics 'export <P> pdf <filepath>' +PostScript 'export <MG> postscript + <filepath>' +Snowie Text 'export <P> snowietxt <filepath>' * Menu: @@ -1553,11 +1576,11 @@ GNU Backgammon can export the current position, game, match or session in HTML if you wish to publish it on the web. GNU Backgammon exports in validating XHTML 1.0 with the use of CSS -style sheets. You may add your own style sheet to the exported HTML -files if you wish to override the default layout, e.g., change colors -or fonts. +style sheets. You may add your own style sheet to the exported HTML +files if you wish to override the default layout, e.g., change colors or +fonts. - The board is made up from hundreds of pictures. Currently, you can + The board is made up from hundreds of pictures. Currently, you can choose between three different sets of pictures: 1. the BBS images used by Kit Woolsey's GammOnLine e-magazine, Danish @@ -1573,26 +1596,26 @@ design in GNU Backgammon, and honors your settings on clockwise or anti-clockwise movement and board numbering (on, off, dynamic). If you export a match or session to HTML, GNU Backgammon will write -the individual games to separate files. For example, if you export to -file foo.html the first game is exported to foo.html, the second game -to foo_002.html, the third game to foo_003.html and so forth. +the individual games to separate files. For example, if you export to +file foo.html the first game is exported to foo.html, the second game to +foo_002.html, the third game to foo_003.html and so forth. - The output from the HTML export can be customized. For example, it's + The output from the HTML export can be customized. For example, it's possible to leave out the analysis or parts of the analysis. Also, you -may enter a specific URL to the pictures used to compose the board -which is useful for posting positions on web-based discussion groups -such as Kit Woolsey's GammOnLine, the Danish Backgammon Federation's -Debat Forum. +may enter a specific URL to the pictures used to compose the board which +is useful for posting positions on web-based discussion groups such as +Kit Woolsey's GammOnLine, the Danish Backgammon Federation's Debat +Forum. If you want to have html images locally on your computer, you can have GNU Backgammon generate these. The html images will be generated -based on the current appearance settings. You can also control the size +based on the current appearance settings. You can also control the size of the images in the export settings dialog (To get the export settings -dialog you can select in the menu Settings->Export.... Select the size +dialog you can select in the menu Settings->Export.... Select the size of your html images at the bottom right in this dialog To start the generation of the html images, select in the menu -File->Export->HTML images.... In the file dialog box, you can select a +File->Export->HTML images.... In the file dialog box, you can select a _directory_ where the images will be generated. The images are stored in PNG format. @@ -1613,64 +1636,64 @@ GNU Backgammon can export games, match and positions to the document typesetting system LaTeX. For exporting a match or session to LaTeX The LaTeX export will export all board diagrams and analysis if -available. The produced documents can therefore be quite large. Note -that the LaTeX file produced needs the eepic package. You can get this +available. The produced documents can therefore be quite large. Note +that the LaTeX file produced needs the eepic package. You can get this package at your nearest CTAN mirror((The produced LaTeX file also needs -epic, textcomp and ucs, but these are more common in LaTeX -distributions so you probably already have these.)). +epic, textcomp and ucs, but these are more common in LaTeX distributions +so you probably already have these.)). - You can not export a position to LaTeX. (At least not yet!) -However, you can export a position to EPS and include this EPS file in -your LaTeX document. + You can not export a position to LaTeX. (At least not yet!) However, +you can export a position to EPS and include this EPS file in your LaTeX +document. -File: gnubg.info, Node: Entering live tournament matches, Next: Analyzing matches, Prev: Retrieving and storing backgammon files, Up: Working with matches +File: gnubg.info, Node: Entering live tournament matches, Next: Analysing matches, Prev: Retrieving and storing backgammon files, Up: Working with matches 7.2 Entering live tournament matches ==================================== -It's possible to enter match transcriptions into GNU Backgammon. It's -not very difficult. Presuming you're using the GUI, do this: +It's possible to enter match transcriptions into GNU Backgammon. It's +not very difficult. Presuming you're using the GUI, do this: 1. Start a match of any length, pressing the New button, and select Human-Human and manual dice. 2. To select the opening roll, click on the right dice pair in the - dice selection window that appears. The left die in the dice pair - is the die that's rolled by player 0, or the player at the top. The - right die is the die that will be rolled by player 1 or the bottom - player. So if you select for example the 53 dice combination it - means that player 0 rolls a 5 and player 1 rolls a 3, and player 0 - is therefore beginning this game. However, if you select the 35 - dice combination it means that player 0 rolls a 3 and player 1 - rolls a 5. Player 1 will therefore begin when you select 53 - instead of 35. - - 3. To change the names, use the Edit button at the top. If you want + dice selection window that appears. The left die in the dice pair + is the die that's rolled by player 0, or the player at the top. + The right die is the die that will be rolled by player 1 or the + bottom player. So if you select for example the 53 dice + combination it means that player 0 rolls a 5 and player 1 rolls a + 3, and player 0 is therefore beginning this game. However, if you + select the 35 dice combination it means that player 0 rolls a 3 and + player 1 rolls a 5. Player 1 will therefore begin when you select + 53 instead of 35. + + 3. To change the names, use the Edit button at the top. If you want to enter information such as the name of the Annotator, date, - locale, etc. go to the Game menu and choose Match Information. + locale, etc. go to the Game menu and choose Match Information. 4. To enter written comments, you first have to play the move, and then go back to the move in the move list to be able to use the Commentary pane (feel free to close the Messages pane from the - Windows menu). Don't forget to save the match every once in a + Windows menu). Don't forget to save the match every once in a while. 5. One comment: when entering the Cube commentary of a cube play (meaning it was turned), select the Take/Pass decision to enter the - commentary. The reason is that if you export it after, and didn't + commentary. The reason is that if you export it after, and didn't do this, the commentary appears before the cube decision and not after as it should. Tip: while entering the match, if you wish to see GNU Backgammon's -opinion while you are entering the moves, play the move on the board -and press the Hint button in the tool bar. In the latest builds, if you -have done this, the results will then be placed with the move so that -it means it is already analyzed when you run the full match analysis. -Mind you, it will preserve the information even if you ran a deeper -3-ply or 4-ply from the Hint window. After playing the move and -confirming the dice, go back in the move list and click on the move, -and you'll see the analysis appear in the Analysis pane as it should. +opinion while you are entering the moves, play the move on the board and +press the Hint button in the tool bar. In the latest builds, if you +have done this, the results will then be placed with the move so that it +means it is already analysed when you run the full match analysis. Mind +you, it will preserve the information even if you ran a deeper 3-ply or +4-ply from the Hint window. After playing the move and confirming the +dice, go back in the move list and click on the move, and you'll see the +analysis appear in the Analysis pane as it should. * Menu: @@ -1682,11 +1705,11 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Entering illegal moves, Up: Entering live tournament m 7.2.1 Entering illegal moves ---------------------------- -It's possible to enter illegal moves with a little trick. This is a +It's possible to enter illegal moves with a little trick. This is a step by step guide for the example: If a player rolls 41 and the player makes an illegal move as the dice showed 31. - 1. Manually enter the roll which was rolled. 41. + 1. Manually enter the roll which was rolled. 41. 2. Do a legal move with 41 (this is just to get the analysis of the roll, and the best legal move.) @@ -1707,47 +1730,48 @@ makes an illegal move as the dice showed 31. 8. Continue to enter the rest of the game. -File: gnubg.info, Node: Analyzing matches, Next: Reviewing matches, Prev: Entering live tournament matches, Up: Working with matches +File: gnubg.info, Node: Analysing matches, Next: Reviewing matches, Prev: Entering live tournament matches, Up: Working with matches -7.3 Analyzing matches +7.3 Analysing matches ===================== -GNU Backgammon can analyze your matches for skill and luck. If you have +GNU Backgammon can analyse your matches for skill and luck. If you have an open match (as a result of playing, loading or importing), the -analysis is started by choosing Analyze->Analyze match. You should now +analysis is started by choosing Analyse->Analyse match. You should now see a progress bar at the bottom right corner of the main interface -window while the computer is busy analyzing. During this time you won't +window while the computer is busy analysing. During this time you won't be able to interact with the program other than to quit the analysis. -The analysis is complete when the progress bar disappears and you hear -a small sound. Now, you would probably like to view the result of the -analysis. This can be done in terms of overall statistics by choosing -Analyze->Match statistics, or in detail by browsing through the match. +The analysis is complete when the progress bar disappears and you hear a +small sound. Now, you would probably like to view the result of the +analysis. This can be done in terms of overall statistics by choosing +Analyse->Match statistics, or in detail by browsing through the match. More on these subjects in the upcoming sections. - You can also analyze just the current game, by choosing -Analyze->Analyze game. If you're only interested in the analysis of the -current move, you can select Analyze->Analyze move. + You can also analyse just the current game, by choosing +Analyse->Analyse game. If you're only interested in the analysis of the +current move, you can select Analyse->Analyse move. * Menu: * Analysis settings:: -File: gnubg.info, Node: Analysis settings, Up: Analyzing matches +File: gnubg.info, Node: Analysis settings, Up: Analysing matches 7.3.1 Analysis settings ----------------------- -You can configure how GNU Backgammon analysis the match or game for -you. This can be configured in the dialog box that appears when choose +You can configure how GNU Backgammon analysis the match or game for you. +This can be configured in the dialog box that appears when choose Settings->Analysis. -*Analyze settings dialog* + + *Analyse settings dialog* [[analysesettings.png]] In the top left frame in this dialog box, you can select what to -analyze. GNU Backgammon is able to analyze three different properties +analyse. GNU Backgammon is able to analyse three different properties in a match. 1. Checker play @@ -1756,32 +1780,33 @@ in a match. 3. Luck of each roll - In addition you can have the analysis to analyze just one of the -players, or both. There is also possible to set a limit of how many -moves to be analyzed at each position. When you're reviewing your match, -the number of analyzed moves will be limited to number in this field. -However, if you want to analyze further moves in a particular position, -it's not a problem to do that later. The move that was actually done in -the match will be analyzed even if it is ranked below the number of -moves limit. + In addition you can have the analysis to analyse just one of the +players, or both. There is also possible to set a limit of how many +moves to be analysed at each position. When you're reviewing your +match, the number of analysed moves will be limited to number in this +field. However, if you want to analyse further moves in a particular +position, it's not a problem to do that later. The move that was +actually done in the match will be analysed even if it is ranked below +the number of moves limit. GNU Backgammon will also mark each move or cube decision with -Doubtful, Bad and Very bad. You can adjust the limits in equity -difference for which label to assign. This is done in the frame box to -the left. Notice, currently the Good and Very good classes are not used. +Doubtful, Bad and Very bad. You can adjust the limits in equity +difference for which label to assign. This is done in the frame box to +the left. Notice, currently the Good and Very good classes are not +used. You can also adjust the classes for what GNU Backgammon considers -lucky and unlucky rolls. The luck of a roll is defined as the +lucky and unlucky rolls. The luck of a roll is defined as the difference of equity after the best move after rolled dice and the equity after best move averaged over all possible rolls. The right part of the dialog box is an evaluation setting for how -each move or cube decision should be evaluated in the analysis. For an +each move or cube decision should be evaluated in the analysis. For an explanation of this settings, see the chapter called "[[Evaluation settings]]". -File: gnubg.info, Node: Reviewing matches, Prev: Analyzing matches, Up: Working with matches +File: gnubg.info, Node: Reviewing matches, Prev: Analysing matches, Up: Working with matches 7.4 Reviewing matches ===================== @@ -1798,45 +1823,46 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Game record, Next: Analysis panel, Up: Reviewing matc 7.4.1 Game record ----------------- -When a match is analyzed in GNU Backgammon you should open the _game -record_ window. Open this by checking Window->Game record on from the -main menu. The game record window can also be docked into the right -side panel. If you want it docked into the right side panel you should -check on Window->Dock panels. The game record window shows a list of -all the moves in the game. You can also navigate between the games and +When a match is analysed in GNU Backgammon you should open the _game +record_ window. Open this by checking Window->Game record on from the +main menu. The game record window can also be docked into the right +side panel. If you want it docked into the right side panel you should +check on Window->Dock panels. The game record window shows a list of +all the moves in the game. You can also navigate between the games and moves. -*The Game record pane* + + *The Game record pane* [[gamerecord.png]] - The figure shows a typical game record list. The moves are shown in -two columns. The left column shows the moves for player 0,the to + The figure shows a typical game record list. The moves are shown in +two columns. The left column shows the moves for player 0,the to player, and the right column shows the moves of player 1, the bottom -player. You can navigate through the game with the arrow buttons at the -top of the game record. The red buttons with the double arrows take you -to the previous game or the next match. (Arrow pointing to the left +player. You can navigate through the game with the arrow buttons at the +top of the game record. The red buttons with the double arrows take you +to the previous game or the next match. (Arrow pointing to the left takes you to the previous game, and the red arrow pointing to the right -takes you to the next game.) The green buttons take you one move ahead -in the game or one move back. The green arrow button pointing to the -right take you to the previous move. The green arrow button pointing to -the right take you to the next move or to the next dice roll. If your +takes you to the next game.) The green buttons take you one move ahead +in the game or one move back. The green arrow button pointing to the +right take you to the previous move. The green arrow button pointing to +the right take you to the next move or to the next dice roll. If your in the move list where the dice is not rolled, a click on this green -Next button will show you the same position with the dice rolled. The +Next button will show you the same position with the dice rolled. The last two buttons take you to the next marked move, or to the previous -marked move. The green arrow button with a question mark pointing to -the left will take you to the previous marked move. The green arrow +marked move. The green arrow button with a question mark pointing to +the left will take you to the previous marked move. The green arrow button with a question mark pointing to the right will take you to the -next marked move. You can also go to other games in the match or -session by selecting the game in the game drop down menu. You can also +next marked move. You can also go to other games in the match or +session by selecting the game in the game drop down menu. You can also go to a move directly by clicking that move in the game record list. There is also some keyboard shortcuts for navigating through the -match. Page Down till take you to the next move and Page up will take +match. Page Down till take you to the next move and Page up will take you to the previous move. After a analysis some of the move in the game list will be marked. -You will see some moves marked with _?_ and some with _?!_ and some +You will see some moves marked with _?_ and some with _?!_ and some with _??_. These marks means the same as the marks in normal chess notation. @@ -1845,12 +1871,12 @@ notation. ?! a doubtful move Note that it is the same marks for cube decisions as for checker -moves. Nevertheless, checker moves marks are before the cube decisions -marks. If no mark exists for checker move, the cube mark is separated +moves. Nevertheless, checker moves marks are before the cube decisions +marks. If no mark exists for checker move, the cube mark is separated by two spaces. In newer builds of GNU Backgammon the various moves also get a color -code. The cube decisions are shown by the background color. The +code. The cube decisions are shown by the background color. The checkers move decisions are shown by the font color. Cube(background) Move(font) @@ -1872,59 +1898,60 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Analysis panel, Next: Statistics, Prev: Game record, You can also study your moves and cube decisions in more detail in the analysis window, or analysis panel if you have checked Dock panels in -the Window menu. You can open this window by checking on -Window->Analysis. If you have docked panels the analysis panel will -appear under the game record. The analysis window is basically the same +the Window menu. You can open this window by checking on +Window->Analysis. If you have docked panels the analysis panel will +appear under the game record. The analysis window is basically the same as the Hint window described in the "[[Playing a game or match]]" chapter. -*The Analyze pane* + + *The Analyse pane* [[analasyepane.png]] - In the figure you can see the analysis panel. At the top of the -analysis panel you will see three pull-down menus. The leftmost -pull-down menu is a comment on the cube decision. In the figure it is a + In the figure you can see the analysis panel. At the top of the +analysis panel you will see three pull-down menus. The leftmost +pull-down menu is a comment on the cube decision. In the figure it is a position where the player didn't double and the GNU Backgammon's -analysis of this is empty. There was nothing wrong with not doubling in -this position. The user can also override GNU Backgammon's evaluation -and mark the cube decision as 'Doubtful', 'Bad' or 'Very bad'. Note that -the cube decision pull-down menu will only be visible when the player -has the cube available. - - The next pull-down menu shows a simple analysis of the roll. The -roll in this position was 32. GNU Backgammon's evaluation of this dice -roll is also empty. It shows that this particular roll was -.162 -equity worse than the average roll. This means that the roll is a bit -unlucky, but does not qualify for being marked as an unlucky roll. The -rolls are marked in these categories: 'Very lucky', 'Lucky', 'Unlucky' -and 'Very unlucky'. - - The rightmost pull-down menu, shows the move which was done. In this -situation the move that was done was 3/off 2/off. This move did not -qualify for any mark. Moves that GNU Backgammon don't like will be -marked as 'Doubtful', 'Bad' or 'Very bad'. The user can also override +analysis of this is empty. There was nothing wrong with not doubling in +this position. The user can also override GNU Backgammon's evaluation +and mark the cube decision as 'Doubtful', 'Bad' or 'Very bad'. Note +that the cube decision pull-down menu will only be visible when the +player has the cube available. + + The next pull-down menu shows a simple analysis of the roll. The +roll in this position was 32. GNU Backgammon's evaluation of this dice +roll is also empty. It shows that this particular roll was -.162 equity +worse than the average roll. This means that the roll is a bit unlucky, +but does not qualify for being marked as an unlucky roll. The rolls are +marked in these categories: 'Very lucky', 'Lucky', 'Unlucky' and 'Very +unlucky'. + + The rightmost pull-down menu, shows the move which was done. In this +situation the move that was done was 3/off 2/off. This move did not +qualify for any mark. Moves that GNU Backgammon don't like will be +marked as 'Doubtful', 'Bad' or 'Very bad'. The user can also override GNU Backgammon's evaluation and mark the move manually with the pull-down menu. - The rest of the analysis window is a notebook of two pages. The -first page is the list of possible moves. The list is sorted in the -ranked order with the best considered move at the top. The moves are + The rest of the analysis window is a notebook of two pages. The +first page is the list of possible moves. The list is sorted in the +ranked order with the best considered move at the top. The moves are sorted by equity or EMG. In the list in the figure there is only two -possible moves. The move that was actually done in the match, is marked -with red color. The only difference of this list of moves and the list +possible moves. The move that was actually done in the match, is marked +with red color. The only difference of this list of moves and the list of moves in the hint window, is that this list does not show the -probabilities for each outcome of the game. If you want to see the +probabilities for each outcome of the game. If you want to see the probabilities of the different outcomes, you can click on the button -labeled Details. This will then show you a list with these numbers. +labeled Details. This will then show you a list with these numbers. - The other page of the notebook is the cube decision analysis. This + The other page of the notebook is the cube decision analysis. This analysis show exactly the same as in the Hint window described in the -chapter called "[[Playing a game or match]]". Note that the cube -decision page will only be available if there is a cube decision. It +chapter called "[[Playing a game or match]]". Note that the cube +decision page will only be available if there is a cube decision. It will not be visible if the cube is not available to the player. - There is also a set of tool buttons in the analysis panel. These + There is also a set of tool buttons in the analysis panel. These buttons does exactly the same as the tool buttons in the Hint window, which is described in the the chapter called "[[Playing a game or match]]". @@ -1936,10 +1963,10 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Statistics, Prev: Analysis panel, Up: Reviewing match ---------------- You can get a summary of the analysis from the game, match, or session -analysis. The game analysis is a summary for the current game whereas +analysis. The game analysis is a summary for the current game whereas the match or session statistics is a summary of all the games in the -match or session. The match analysis is available in the GUI from -Analyze->Match Statistics or at the bottom of exported files. +match or session. The match analysis is available in the GUI from +Analyse->Match Statistics or at the bottom of exported files. * Menu: @@ -1963,28 +1990,28 @@ following information is available play decisions which had more than one legal move. 3. Moves marked _xxx_: The number of moves marked _very good_, _very - bad_ etc. The analysis will mark moves _very bad_, _bad_ etc. + bad_ etc. The analysis will mark moves _very bad_, _bad_ etc. based on the threshold you've defined in the analysis settings. GNU Backgammon can currently not automatically mark moves, e.g., _good_, but you can mark moves _good_ yourself. 4. Error rate (total): The first number is the total amount of normalized equity that the player gave up during this game or - match. The number in parenthesis is the un-normalized counterpart; + match. The number in parenthesis is the un-normalized counterpart; for money play the all errors are multiplied with the value of the - cube, and for match play the total match winning chance given up - by the player is reported. + cube, and for match play the total match winning chance given up by + the player is reported. 5. Error rate (per move): The error rate per move is the total error - rate divided by the number of _unforced moves_. Note that is - different from Snowie 4 that defines the error rate per move as - the total error rate divided by the total number of moves for both - players, i.e., the sum of _total moves_ for both players. In + rate divided by the number of _unforced moves_. Note that is + different from Snowie 4 that defines the error rate per move as the + total error rate divided by the total number of moves for both + players, i.e., the sum of _total moves_ for both players. In general, your error rate per move will be lower in Snowie than in GNU Backgammon. 6. Checker play rating: GNU Backgammon will assign a rating for your - checker play ranging from _Awful!_ to _Supernatural_. See the + checker play ranging from _Awful!_ to _Supernatural_. See the description for the overall rating below. @@ -1993,15 +2020,15 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Luck analysis, Next: Cube statistics, Prev: Checker p 7.4.3.2 Luck analysis ..................... -This section provides information about how Ms. Fortuna distributed her -luck. The following information is available: +This section provides information about how Ms. Fortuna distributed her +luck. The following information is available: 1. Rolls marked _xxx_: The number of moves marked _very lucky_, - _lucky_ etc. Moves marked _very lucky_ are huge jokers that + _lucky_ etc. Moves marked _very lucky_ are huge jokers that improve your equity with more the +0.6 relative to the average - equity. GNU Backgammon normally uses cubeful 0-ply evaluations to + equity. GNU Backgammon normally uses cubeful 0-ply evaluations to calculate the luck, but you can change that under the analysis - settings. See below for a complete overview of what is considered + settings. See below for a complete overview of what is considered _very lucky_, _lucky_, etc. 2. Luck rate (total): The total luck for this game or match reported @@ -2011,7 +2038,7 @@ luck. The following information is available: normalized and unnormalized. 4. Luck rating: Based on the luck rate per move GNU Backgammon will - assign you a humorous luck rating. See below for the possible + assign you a humorous luck rating. See below for the possible ratings. Thresholds for marking of rolls: @@ -2043,12 +2070,12 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Cube statistics, Next: Overall rating, Prev: Luck ana This section provides a summary of the cube decision statistics: the number of cube decisions, missed doubles, etc. - 1. Total cube decisions: The total number of cube decisions, i.e., - the sum of no-doubles, doubles, takes, and passes. + 1. Total cube decisions: The total number of cube decisions, i.e., the + sum of no-doubles, doubles, takes, and passes. 2. Close or actual cube decisions: Similar to Total cube decisions, except that no-doubles are only included if they're considered - _close_. GNU Backgammon considers a cube decision close if the + _close_. GNU Backgammon considers a cube decision close if the relevant equities are within 0.16 from each other or if the position is too good. @@ -2057,16 +2084,16 @@ number of cube decisions, missed doubles, etc. 4. Missed doubles around DP, Missed doubles around TG: The number of missed doubles around the double point and too good point - respectively. If the equity is below 0.95 the position is + respectively. If the equity is below 0.95 the position is considered to be around the double point else it considered to be - around the too good point. If you miss doubles around the double + around the too good point. If you miss doubles around the double point, it usually means that you double too late, whereas missed doubles around the too good point means that you're too greedy and play on for gammon when the position is _not_ too good. 5. Wrong doubles around DP, Wrong doubles around TG: The number of wrong doubles around the double point and too good point, - respectively. If you have wrong doubles around the double point + respectively. If you have wrong doubles around the double point that generally means that you double too early where you really should hold the cube, whereas wrong doubles around the too good point means that you double positions where you really should play @@ -2078,17 +2105,17 @@ number of cube decisions, missed doubles, etc. 7. Error rate (total): The accumulated cube errors for this game or match reported both normalized and unnormalized. - 8. Error rate (per cube decision): The error rate per cube decision - is the total error rate divided by the number of _close or actual - cube decisions_. Note that is different from Snowie 4 that defines - the error rate per cube decision as the total error rate divided - by the total number of moves for both players. In general, your - error rate per cube decision will be lower in Snowie than in GNU - Backgammon. Note that the reported number is multiplied by 1000 in + 8. Error rate (per cube decision): The error rate per cube decision is + the total error rate divided by the number of _close or actual cube + decisions_. Note that is different from Snowie 4 that defines the + error rate per cube decision as the total error rate divided by the + total number of moves for both players. In general, your error + rate per cube decision will be lower in Snowie than in GNU + Backgammon. Note that the reported number is multiplied by 1000 in the default settings. 9. Cube decision rating: GNU Backgammon will assign a rating for your - cube decisions ranging from _Awful!_ to _Supernatural_. See the + cube decisions ranging from _Awful!_ to _Supernatural_. See the description for the overall rating below. @@ -2102,57 +2129,58 @@ The last section is the overall summary. 1. Error rate (total): The accumulated checker play and cube decision errors reported by normalized and unnormalized. - 2. Error rate (per decision): The error rate per decision is the - total error rate divided by the number of non-trivial decisions - (i.e., the sum of _unforced moves_ and _close or actual cube - decisions_). Again, please note that is different from Snowie 4 - that defines the error rate per decision as the total error rate - divided by the total number of moves for both players. In general, - your error rate per move will be lower in Snowie than in GNU - Backgammon. An investigation of approximately 300 matches showed - the on average the GNU Backgammon error rate with be 1.4 times - higher than your Snowie 4 error rate. + 2. Error rate (per decision): The error rate per decision is the total + error rate divided by the number of non-trivial decisions (i.e., + the sum of _unforced moves_ and _close or actual cube decisions_). + Again, please note that is different from Snowie 4 that defines the + error rate per decision as the total error rate divided by the + total number of moves for both players. In general, your error + rate per move will be lower in Snowie than in GNU Backgammon. An + investigation of approximately 300 matches showed the on average + the GNU Backgammon error rate with be 1.4 times higher than your + Snowie 4 error rate. 3. Equivalent Snowie error rate: For easy comparison GNU Backgammon - will also print the total error rate calculated by the same - formula as Snowie 4. + will also print the total error rate calculated by the same formula + as Snowie 4. 4. Overall rating: Based on your normalized error rate per move GNU - Backgammon will assign you a rating ranging from _Awful!_ to - _Supernatural_. See the table below for the thresholds. + Backgammon will assign you a rating ranging from _Awful!_ to + _Supernatural_. See the table below for the thresholds. - 5. Actual result: The actual result of the game or match. For money + 5. Actual result: The actual result of the game or match. For money game this is simply the number of points won or lost during the - game or match. For match play the number is calculated as 50% + game or match. For match play the number is calculated as 50% added to the result of the game or match in MWC. For example, losing a match or winning a match corresponds to an actual result - of 0% and 100%, respectively. Winning 1 point in the first game of + of 0% and 100%, respectively. Winning 1 point in the first game of 7 point match is worth 6% using Kit Woolsey's match equity table, hence the actual result is 56%. - 6. Luck adjusted result: The luck adjusted result is calculated as - the _actual result_ plus the total unnormalized luck rate. This is + 6. Luck adjusted result: The luck adjusted result is calculated as the + _actual result_ plus the total unnormalized luck rate. This is also called _variance reduction of skill_ as described in Douglas Zare's excellent article Hedging Toward Skill - (http://www.bkgm.com/articles/Zare/HedgingTowardSkill.html). This + (http://www.bkgm.com/articles/Zare/HedgingTowardSkill.html). This should give an unbiased measure of the strengths of the players. 7. MWC against current opponent: For match play GNU Backgammon will - calculate your MWC against the current opponent. The number is + calculate your MWC against the current opponent. The number is calculated as 50% - your total unnormalized error rate + your - opponent's total unnormalized error rate. If your opponent is + opponent's total unnormalized error rate. If your opponent is really lucky but plays rather bad, this number can become larger than 100%, since he due to the extra luck has the possibly to give up even more MWC. However, GNU Backgammon will report this number as 100%, and 0% for the opposite situation. Note that this number - is biased towards the analyzing bot, e.g., a 0-ply analysis a game - between GNU Backgammon 2-ply and 0-ply will suggest that 0-ply is - a favorite, which it is clearly not. For an unbiased measure use - the _luck adjusted result_ above. + is biased towards the analysing bot, e.g., a 0-ply analysis a game + between GNU Backgammon 2-ply and 0-ply will suggest that 0-ply is a + favorite, which it is clearly not. For an unbiased measure use the + _luck adjusted result_ above. Threshold for ratings: -Normalized total error rate per move Rating +Normalized total error rate per Rating +move 0.000 - 0.002 Supernatural 0.002 - 0.005 World Class 0.005 - 0.008 Expert @@ -2185,33 +2213,33 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Introduction to rollouts, Next: Rollouts in GNU Backga The million dollar question is simple enough: out of all the games that could result from playing this position, how many do we win (and how many of our wins and losses are gammons, and how many are backgammons)? -The model is exactly the same as if we had an urn with a googol balls -in it (it's a big urn), and many of the balls have win written on them, -and some say gammon loss, and if we look hard enough there are a few -that read backgammon win, and so on. (Balls and urns are to probability +The model is exactly the same as if we had an urn with a googol balls in +it (it's a big urn), and many of the balls have win written on them, and +some say gammon loss, and if we look hard enough there are a few that +read backgammon win, and so on. (Balls and urns are to probability theorists what teapots and checkerboards are to computer graphics -researchers, or _squeamish ossifrage_ is to cryptographers; they seem -to come with the territory.) Instead of having the patience to count -the googol balls, we just give the urn a really good shake and then -pull 100 balls out without looking, and say for instance "Well, I got -53 wins, 31 losses, 9 gammon wins, 6 gammon losses, and a backgammon -win. It looks like my equity's roughly +0.26." and go home. If we were -a bit more thorough, we could go a bit further and figure out that by -cheating and measuring the sample proportions instead of the population -proportions, we introduced a standard error of 0.06 into our result. -(Of course, the trick is to select a sample size that's big enough that -you reduce the standard error to a tolerable level, but small enough -that the answer arrives before you get bored.) +researchers, or _squeamish ossifrage_ is to cryptographers; they seem to +come with the territory.) Instead of having the patience to count the +googol balls, we just give the urn a really good shake and then pull 100 +balls out without looking, and say for instance "Well, I got 53 wins, 31 +losses, 9 gammon wins, 6 gammon losses, and a backgammon win. It looks +like my equity's roughly +0.26." and go home. If we were a bit more +thorough, we could go a bit further and figure out that by cheating and +measuring the sample proportions instead of the population proportions, +we introduced a standard error of 0.06 into our result. (Of course, the +trick is to select a sample size that's big enough that you reduce the +standard error to a tolerable level, but small enough that the answer +arrives before you get bored.) It will come as no surprise that a rollout with a limited number of -trials follows exactly the same procedure. It's sufficient to say that -the proportion of wins/gammons etc. that come up when GNU Backgammon +trials follows exactly the same procedure. It's sufficient to say that +the proportion of wins/gammons etc. that come up when GNU Backgammon plays against itself (say) 1296 times, aren't likely to vary all that much from the proportion we would get if we measured the proportion of results in every game we could possibly get of GNU Backgammon playing -against itself. (Of course, there may still be some doubt whether the -results of GNU Backgammon vs. GNU Backgammon are representative of the -results of a perfect player vs. a perfect player, or of you vs. Joe +against itself. (Of course, there may still be some doubt whether the +results of GNU Backgammon vs. GNU Backgammon are representative of the +results of a perfect player vs. a perfect player, or of you vs. Joe Average, but that's another story.) @@ -2225,7 +2253,7 @@ described above, with the following improvements: 1. Truncation: instead of rolling out all the way to the end of the game, it can stop and pretend its evaluation after a few plies is - perfect. This may obviously introduce some amount of systematic + perfect. This may obviously introduce some amount of systematic error, but in practice this may not matter because: 2. it makes rollouts much faster, which means you can do more of them @@ -2237,12 +2265,12 @@ described above, with the following improvements: 4. if you are rolling out the positions after making different plays, then any remaining systematic error between the two rollouts is - likely to be somewhat correlated and so the error in the - comparison between the plays is hopefully small. This implies that - truncated rollouts are better for estimating _relative_ equity - (_which is the better move here, 13/10*/9 or 13/10* 6/5*?_) than - _absolute_ equity (_at this match score I need 29% wins to accept - a dead cube; can I take in this position?_). + likely to be somewhat correlated and so the error in the comparison + between the plays is hopefully small. This implies that truncated + rollouts are better for estimating _relative_ equity (_which is the + better move here, 13/10*/9 or 13/10* 6/5*?_) than _absolute_ + equity (_at this match score I need 29% wins to accept a dead cube; + can I take in this position?_). 5. Race database truncation: when the game enters its 2-sided bearoff database, GNU Backgammon can estimate the probability of winning @@ -2251,20 +2279,20 @@ described above, with the following improvements: introducing the errors that can result from large equity variances at the end of the game. - 6. Variance reduction: when using lookahead evaluations, it can - reduce errors by making use of the equity difference from one ply - to the next. (This can be interpreted as either canceling out the - estimated _luck_ (i.e. the difference in equity evaluations before + 6. Variance reduction: when using lookahead evaluations, it can reduce + errors by making use of the equity difference from one ply to the + next. (This can be interpreted as either canceling out the + estimated _luck_ (i.e. the difference in equity evaluations before and after rolling) or using subsequent evaluations to estimate the - error in prior ones; the two views are equivalent). GNU Backgammon + error in prior ones; the two views are equivalent). GNU Backgammon automatically performs variance reduction when looking ahead at least one ply. - 7. Stratified sampling: uses quasi-random number generation instead - of pseudo-random number generation (this is a standard technique in + 7. Stratified sampling: uses quasi-random number generation instead of + pseudo-random number generation (this is a standard technique in Monte Carlo simulations where having a near-perfect uniform distribution in your sample is more important than - unpredictability). GNU Backgammon only stratifies the first 2 + unpredictability). GNU Backgammon only stratifies the first 2 plies of a rollout, though it would be easy enough to extend it to the remainder. @@ -2280,50 +2308,50 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Quasi-Random Dice, Up: Rollouts in GNU Backgammon Quasi-Random Dice are used to reduce the element of luck in rollouts. Instead of selecting purely random dice, GNU Backgammon will ensure a -uniform distribution of the first roll of the rollout. If 36 trials are +uniform distribution of the first roll of the rollout. If 36 trials are requested, one game will start with 11, two games with 21, two games -with 31, etc. In general, if n * 36 games is requested, n games will -start with 11, 2*n games with 21 etc. This is called _rotation_ of the +with 31, etc. In general, if n * 36 games is requested, n games will +start with 11, 2*n games with 21 etc. This is called _rotation_ of the first roll. Similarly, if n*1296 trials is requested, the second roll will be rotated, such that n games will start with 11-11, n games with -11-21, n games with 21-21, etc. The third roll be also be rotated if +11-21, n games with 21-21, etc. The third roll be also be rotated if the number of trials is proportional to 46656. - Suppose a user stops a 1296 trial rollout after 36 games. The 36 + Suppose a user stops a 1296 trial rollout after 36 games. The 36 games would have had the following rolls for the first two rolls of each game: 11-11, 21-11, 12-11, 31-11, 13-11, ..., 66-11 Obviously such a rollout will give skewed results since the second roll was 11 for all -games! To avoid this problem GNU Backgammon will randomize the sequence +games! To avoid this problem GNU Backgammon will randomize the sequence of rolls such that it is guaranteed that for any sample of 36 games you have exactly one game with first roll 11, exactly one game with second -roll 11, etc. This is called _stratification_. +roll 11, etc. This is called _stratification_. GNU Backgammon will actually also rotate and stratify rollouts where -the number of trials are not multiples of 36, 1296, etc. The +the number of trials are not multiples of 36, 1296, etc. The distribution of rolls is obviously not uniform any longer in this case, but it will still provide some reduction of the luck, i.e., no 37 trial rollout will have 3 games with a initial 66. Before the first game of a rollout, GNU Backgammon creates a pseudo -random array which it will use for all the games in the rollout. In +random array which it will use for all the games in the rollout. In effect it has already decided the roll sequence it will use for up to -128 rolls in every game of the rollout. In other words, for a normal +128 rolls in every game of the rollout. In other words, for a normal rollout where games don't go over 64 moves, every single game of every possible rollout length has already had its dice sequence determined. During the rollout of game n, sequence n will be used, for game n+1 -sequence n+1, etc. If it's a _rollout as initial position_, then +sequence n+1, etc. If it's a _rollout as initial position_, then whenever the current sequence starts with a double, the sequence is -skipped and the dice routine moves on to the next sequence. Say an +skipped and the dice routine moves on to the next sequence. Say an _rollout as initial position_ is about to start using sequence 275, but -that sequence begins with a double. The dice routine moves to sequence -276. On the following game, it will use sequence 277 (it remembers how +that sequence begins with a double. The dice routine moves to sequence +276. On the following game, it will use sequence 277 (it remembers how many it has already skipped). So, if you select _rollout as initial position_ and 36 games, then you will get a prefect set of rolls for games 1..30 and the first 6 rolls of the next perfect set (the same rolls you would have gotten for -games 31..36 if you'd asked for 1080 games or 10800 games or 92 games -or whatever. +games 31..36 if you'd asked for 1080 games or 10800 games or 92 games or +whatever. The dice sequence doesn't know how many trials it will be asked for, it simply generates sequences such that for a normal rollout (_rollout @@ -2371,13 +2399,13 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Introduction to evaluation settings, Next: The depth t ----------------------------------------- GNU Backgammon evaluation functionality is driven by 3 separate neural -networks. The neural nets evaluates each position statically, and +networks. The neural nets evaluates each position statically, and returns the outcome probabilities of the game at the given position. However, there are several different methods and techniques that an -evaluation can use, and these can be adjusted. It's possible to set +evaluation can use, and these can be adjusted. It's possible to set different levels of lookahead, it's possible to add noise to the -evaluation, and each evaluation can be done cubeful or cubeless. All -these setting together form a total _evaluation setting_. In GNU +evaluation, and each evaluation can be done cubeful or cubeless. All +these setting together form a total _evaluation setting_. In GNU Backgammon there are several of these evaluations setting for each operation GNU Backgammon does. @@ -2395,32 +2423,33 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: The depth to search and plies, Next: Defining evaluati 9.1.2 The depth to search and plies ----------------------------------- -A _ply_ is simply considered to be one turn by a player. Any position -can be evaluated at 0-ply. That means that GNU Backgammon does not look +A _ply_ is simply considered to be one turn by a player. Any position +can be evaluated at 0-ply. That means that GNU Backgammon does not look ahead in the game to evaluate the position. When GNU Backgammon is evaluating a checker play decision, it looks at all resulting positions after all the legal moves with the given dice roll, and evaluates these -position at the given ply. It's possible to set the search depth by +position at the given ply. It's possible to set the search depth by specifying the plies lookahead in any evaluation settings dialog. - Snowie users: GNU Backgammon differs from some other software, -notably Snowie in that GNU Backgammon zero ply is the same as Snowie 1 -ply. In the same way what is called 2-ply in GNU Backgammon will -therefore be similar to a Snowie 3-ply. + Snowie and XG users: GNU Backgammon differs from most other software, +notably Snowie and eXtreme Gammon in that GNU Backgammon starts counting +plies at 0 (no lookahead) while other start at 1 ply. In the same way +what is called 2-ply in GNU Backgammon will be similar to a Snowie +3-ply. For GNU Backgammon, a 0-ply evaluation of a move would be done by: - Build a list of all legal moves. For each move, take the resulting + Build a list of all legal moves. For each move, take the resulting board position and use the neural net to estimate the expected percentage of wins/gammons/backgammons/losses/gammon losses/backgammon -losses. Rank the moves based on this evaluation. +losses. Rank the moves based on this evaluation. For one ply, after doing the above step, GNU Backgammon chooses the -best n moves (where n is set by the move filters). For each one, it +best n moves (where n is set by the move filters). For each one, it takes the resulting position for that move and goes through all 21 -possible dice rolls for the opponent. From these results, it works out -the average expectation for the initial move and ranks them. This is -the same as Snowie 2 ply. You can think of it as asking "what's my best +possible dice rolls for the opponent. From these results, it works out +the average expectation for the initial move and ranks them. This is +the same as Snowie 2 ply. You can think of it as asking "what's my best move if I also consider every possible dice roll and move my opponent might make?" @@ -2436,14 +2465,16 @@ the move filter, GNU Backgammon needs to consider 21 rolls by the opponent, 20 and possible legal moves per roll) = 420 positions to evaluate. - Every additional ply will multiply the previous number of -evaluations by about 400 odd, which explains the huge difference in -playing speed/analysis speed between 0 ply and 2 ply settings. I don't -think many people would enjoy playing against GNU Backgammon at 3 ply -settings, where moves could take minutes to be selected. It's also not -clear that using much deeper lookahead actually gains a lot in terms of -playing strength - if you really need better answers than 2 ply, -rollouts are probably a lot better. + Every additional ply will multiply the previous number of evaluations +by about 400 odd, which explains the huge difference in playing +speed/analysis speed between 0 ply and 2 ply settings. I don't think +many people would enjoy playing against GNU Backgammon at 4 ply +settings, where moves could take tens of seconds to be selected. Deeper +lookahead than 2 ply actually gains relatively little in terms of +playing strength and are not very interesting as settings for GNU +Backgammon as an opponent or for rollouts (although 3 ply is quite fast +on current computers). On the other hand, 4 ply analysis is reasonably +fast on modern multi-cores machines. File: gnubg.info, Node: Defining evaluation settings, Next: Playing skill;, Prev: The depth to search and plies, Up: Evaluation settings @@ -2461,9 +2492,11 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Playing skill;, Next: Hints;, Prev: Defining evaluati 9.1.4 Playing skill: -------------------- -Settings->Players->Player 0 - choose Supremo or World Class. GNU -Backgammon will take longer choosing its moves, but they will be very -strong. At this setting, it is much stronger than Jellyfish level 7. +Settings->Players->Player 0 - choose Supremo or World Class. GNU +Backgammon will take at most a few seconds choosing its moves and they +will be very strong. At this setting, it is significantly stronger than +any human player (on average, some classes of positions are evaluated +less accurately). File: gnubg.info, Node: Hints;, Next: Analysis;, Prev: Playing skill;, Up: Evaluation settings @@ -2472,14 +2505,8 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Hints;, Next: Analysis;, Prev: Playing skill;, Up: E ------------ Settings->Evaluation - choose Supremo or World Class if you want hints -to be very accurate, but, like the playing skill setting, you may find -that it can take as long as 15 seconds to get an answer on a 1GHz PC. -Expert will be very fast, but for some positions where you need to -consider what your opponent may do on his roll and how you will follow -it up, the results will be less accurate. A wild guess would be -somewhere around 2 or 3 percent of the time, World Class or stronger -settings would give a different best move and maybe less than 1/2 -percent of the time, the Expert result would be seriously wrong. +to be accurate and fast. Anything lower doesn't really makes sense on +current PCs. File: gnubg.info, Node: Analysis;, Next: Rollouts;, Prev: Hints;, Up: Evaluation settings @@ -2487,12 +2514,16 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Analysis;, Next: Rollouts;, Prev: Hints;, Up: Evalua 9.1.6 Analysis: --------------- -Settings->Analysis - these settings are used by the Analyze -Move/Game/Match or Session command. Note that this is totally different -to what is used in the Hint command, which uses the above settings. You -probably want at least World Class here. My experience on a 700MHz PC -is that a 7 point match takes about 15 to 20 minutes to analyze on the -Supremo settings. But the results tend to be very accurate. +Settings->Analysis - these settings are used by the Analyse +Move/Game/Match or Session command. Note that this is totally different +to what is used in the Hint command, which uses the above settings. You +probably want at least Supremo here. A 7 point match will take at most +1 minute to analyse on the Supremo settings. This could be used to get +immediate feedback after completing a match. An alternative is to use +the more accurate 4 ply level. The same analysis would take maybe 15 +minutes on a 4-cores computer and longer on more limited hardware. This +would be more suitable to delayed, overnight for instance, processing of +a batch of matches. File: gnubg.info, Node: Rollouts;, Next: Changing evaluation settings, Prev: Analysis;, Up: Evaluation settings @@ -2504,16 +2535,16 @@ Settings->Rollouts->General Settings tick the boxes for 'Cube decisions use same settings same as checker play' and 'Use same settings for both players' - Settings->Rollouts->First Play Both - select Expert here (this is my -opinion). When doing rollouts, most of the time Expert play will be -more than strong enough if you do say 1296 trials with no truncation. -The rollout function has an enormous number of options, most of which -are only useful when trying to investigate special positions. The -simple expert setting for both players is probably more accurate than -any of the Analysis functions. The downside is that rolling out 1296 -trials of an early move in a game can take a couple of hours. On World -Class or Supremo rollout settings, it can take more than 24 hours of -computing time. + Settings->Rollouts->First Play Both - select Expert here for fast +rollouts or World Class for slower but more accurate ones. When doing +rollouts, most of the time Expert play will be more than strong enough +if you do say 1296 trials with no truncation. The rollout function has +an enormous number of options, most of which are only useful when trying +to investigate special positions. The simple Expert setting for both +players is more accurate than any of the Analysis functions. The +downside is that rolling out 1296 trials of an early move in a game can +take from a couple of minutes at Expert level to hours at World Class or +Supremo rollout settings. File: gnubg.info, Node: Changing evaluation settings, Next: Predefined settings, Prev: Rollouts;, Up: Evaluation settings @@ -2523,7 +2554,8 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Changing evaluation settings, Next: Predefined setting A typical evaluation settings dialog is shown in this figure. -*The evaluation settings dialog* + + *The evaluation settings dialog* [[evalsettings.png]] @@ -2534,24 +2566,24 @@ column is for setting the cube decision evaluation settings. For each column you can select some predefined settings, or you can define your own settings. - In the lookahead box, you can adjust the lookahead of each -evaluation by specifying the plies to be evaluated. Each ply costs -approximately a factor of 21 in computational time. Also note that -2-ply is equivalent to Snowie's 3-ply setting. + In the lookahead box, you can adjust the lookahead of each evaluation +by specifying the plies to be evaluated. Each ply costs approximately a +factor of 21 in computational time. Also note that 2-ply is equivalent +to Snowie's 3-ply setting. In the box for Cubeful evaluations, you can specify if you want GNU -Backgammon to evaluate the cube ownership in its evaluations. With -this option turned on it generally improves the evaluation, specially -when it's close to cube decisions, so we recommend that this option is -turned on. +Backgammon to evaluate the cube ownership in its evaluations. With this +option turned on it generally improves the evaluation, specially when +it's close to cube decisions, so we recommend that this option is turned +on. - In the Noise box, you can add noise to the evaluation. This can be -smart if you think the program plays to strong. You can use the Noise -box option to introduce noise or errors in the evaluations. This is -useful for introducing levels below 0-ply. The lower rated bots (e.g., -GGotter) on the GamesGrid backgammon server uses this technique. The -introduced noise can be deterministic, i.e., always the same noise for -the same position, or it can be random. + In the Noise box, you can add noise to the evaluation. This can be +smart if you think the program plays to strong. You can use the Noise +box option to introduce noise or errors in the evaluations. This is +useful for introducing levels below 0-ply. The lower rated bots (e.g., +BlunderBot on FIBS) use this technique. The introduced noise can be +deterministic, i.e., always the same noise for the same position, or it +can be random. File: gnubg.info, Node: Predefined settings, Next: Move filters, Prev: Changing evaluation settings, Up: Evaluation settings @@ -2563,36 +2595,36 @@ At the top of each evaluation settings column, it's possible to set a predefined setting. 1. Beginner This setting uses no lookahead and add up to 0.060 noise - to the evaluation. With this setting GNU Backgammon will evaluate + to the evaluation. With this setting GNU Backgammon will evaluate like a beginner. 2. Casual play This setting uses no lookahead and add up to 0.050 - noise to the evaluation. With this setting GNU Backgammon will + noise to the evaluation. With this setting GNU Backgammon will evaluate a bit better than the beginner setting but not much. 3. Intermediate This setting uses no lookahead and add up to 0.030 - noise to each evaluation. It still plays a intermediate game. + noise to each evaluation. It still plays a intermediate game. 4. Advanced This setting uses no lookahead and add up to 0.015 noise - to each evaluation. This setting plays a good game. + to each evaluation. This setting plays a good game. - 5. Expert This setting uses no lookahead but does not add any noise - to the evaluations. This settings play a strong game. + 5. Expert This setting uses no lookahead but does not add any noise to + the evaluations. This settings play a strong game. - 6. World class This setting uses 2-ply lookahead, it uses no noise - and it uses a normal move filter. This plays a really strong game, - on par with the very best humans players. + 6. World class This setting uses 2-ply lookahead, it uses no noise and + it uses a normal move filter. This plays a really strong game, on + par with the very best humans players. 7. Supremo This is basically the same as the World Class setting, but it uses a larger move filter. - 8. Grandmaster This setting uses 3-ply lookahead, no noise and a - large move filter. This setting is extremely strong and still fast - on current computers. + 8. Grandmaster This setting uses 3-ply lookahead, no noise and a large + move filter. This setting is extremely strong and still fast on + current computers. 9. 4ply This setting uses 4-ply lookahead, no noise and a large move - filter. This setting is extremely strong, but it's also quite - slow. It is more suitable to analysis than to actual play. + filter. This setting is extremely strong, but it's also quite + slow. It is more suitable to analysis than to actual play. File: gnubg.info, Node: Move filters, Next: Cubeful vs Cubeless, Prev: Predefined settings, Up: Evaluation settings @@ -2612,12 +2644,12 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Introduction to move filters, Next: Defining move filt ..................................... GNU Backgammon uses a technique called move filters in order to prune -the complete list of legal moves when analyzing checker play decisions. +the complete list of legal moves when analysing checker play decisions. A move filter for a given ply, say, 2-ply, consists of four parameters for each sub ply: - 1. whether to analyze at all at this sub ply, + 1. whether to analyse at all at this sub ply, 2. the number of moves always accepted at the given level, @@ -2628,47 +2660,52 @@ parameters for each sub ply: A move filter for a given ply, say, 2-ply, consists of four parameters for each sub ply: - whether to analyze at all at this sub ply, the number of moves -always accepted at the given level, the number of extra moves to add, -the threshold for adding extra moves. For example, for 2-ply checker -play decisions there are two move filters: one for pruning at 0-ply, -and another for pruning at 1-ply. The predefined setting _Normal_ has: + whether to analyse at all at this sub ply, the number of moves always +accepted at the given level, the number of extra moves to add, the +threshold for adding extra moves. For example, for 2-ply checker play +decisions there are two move filters: one for pruning at 0-ply, and +another for pruning at 1-ply. The predefined setting _Normal_ has: accept 0 moves and add up to 8 moves within 0.16 at 0-ply, and no pruning at 1-ply. Consider the opening position where 4-2 has been rolled: -*Example of move filter settings* + + *Example of move filter settings* [[movefilterex.png]] GNU Backgammon starts by finding all possible moves and evaluate those at 0-ply: -1. Cubeful 0-ply 8/4 6/4 Eq.:+0.189 -2. Cubeful 0-ply 24/20 13/11 Eq.:+0.046 (-0.143) +1. Cubeful 0-ply 8/4 6/4 Eq.:+0.189 +2. Cubeful 0-ply 24/20 Eq.:+0.046 (-0.143) + 13/11 3. Cubeful 0-ply 13/11 13/9 Eq.:+0.044 (-0.145) 4. Cubeful 0-ply 24/22 13/9 Eq.:+0.034 (-0.155) -5. Cubeful 0-ply 24/22 24/20 Eq.:-0.006 (-0.194) +5. Cubeful 0-ply 24/22 Eq.:-0.006 (-0.194) + 24/20 6. Cubeful 0-ply 24/18 Eq.:-0.009 (-0.198) 7. Cubeful 0-ply 24/20 6/4 Eq.:-0.019 (-0.208) 8. Cubeful 0-ply 13/9 6/4 Eq.:-0.024 (-0.213) 9. Cubeful 0-ply 13/7 Eq.:-0.052 (-0.241) 10. Cubeful 0-ply 24/20 8/6 Eq.:-0.053 (-0.242) - According to the move filter the first 0 moves are accepted. The + According to the move filter the first 0 moves are accepted. The equity of the best move is +0.189, and according to the move filter we add up to 8 extra moves if they're within 0.160, that is, if they have -equity higher than 0.029. Moves 5 through 18 all have equity lower +equity higher than 0.029. Moves 5 through 18 all have equity lower that, so the move list after pruning at 0-ply consists of moves 1 -through 4. According to the move filter we do not perform any pruning +through 4. According to the move filter we do not perform any pruning at 1-ply, so moves 1 through 4 are submitted for evaluation at 2-ply; -1. Cubeful 2-ply 8/4 6/4 Eq.:+0.180 -2. Cubeful 2-ply 24/20 13/11 Eq.:+0.052 (-0.127) +1. Cubeful 2-ply 8/4 6/4 Eq.:+0.180 +2. Cubeful 2-ply 24/20 Eq.:+0.052 (-0.127) + 13/11 3. Cubeful 2-ply 13/11 13/9 Eq.:+0.043 (-0.137) 4. Cubeful 2-ply 24/22 13/9 Eq.:+0.035 (-0.145) -5. Cubeful 0-ply 24/22 24/20 Eq.:-0.006 (-0.185) +5. Cubeful 0-ply 24/22 Eq.:-0.006 (-0.185) + 24/20 6. Cubeful 0-ply 24/18 Eq.:-0.009 (-0.189) 7. Cubeful 0-ply 24/20 6/4 Eq.:-0.019 (-0.199) 8. Cubeful 0-ply 13/9 6/4 Eq.:-0.024 (-0.203) @@ -2681,30 +2718,30 @@ will use the move filters defined for 4-ply: Ply Accept moves Extra moves Threshold for extra moves 0 0 8 0.160 -1 no pruning +1 no pruning 2 0 2 0.040 -3 no pruning +3 no pruning - The 4-ply move filter is identical to the 2-ply for pruning at -0-ply, so after 0-ply we have the same three moves as above. Since -there is no pruning at 1-ply these three moves are evaluated at 2-ply -as above. There is no pruning at 3-ply. + The 4-ply move filter is identical to the 2-ply for pruning at 0-ply, +so after 0-ply we have the same three moves as above. Since there is no +pruning at 1-ply these three moves are evaluated at 2-ply as above. +There is no pruning at 3-ply. - At 4-ply we do not accept any moves, but add up to two moves if -there within 0.040 from the best move. Since the second best move is --0.138 worse than the best move, we do not accept any moves to be -evaluated at 4-ply. Hence GNU Backgammon will actually not evaluate any -moves on 4-ply. + At 4-ply we do not accept any moves, but add up to two moves if there +within 0.040 from the best move. Since the second best move is -0.138 +worse than the best move, we do not accept any moves to be evaluated at +4-ply. Hence GNU Backgammon will actually not evaluate any moves on +4-ply. The predefined move filters all have accept 0 moves, in order to -facilitate fast decisions and analysis, i.e., no need to waste much -time over obvious moves. +facilitate fast decisions and analysis, i.e., no need to waste much time +over obvious moves. For post-mortem analysis it may be worthwhile to ensure that GNU -Backgammon analyzes at least two moves at the specified ply. To do +Backgammon analyses at least two moves at the specified ply. To do this, specify accept 2 moves in the move filters you use for analysis. However, do note that GNU Backgammon will force evaluation at the -specified ply if the actual move made is doubtful. This ensures that +specified ply if the actual move made is doubtful. This ensures that all errors and blunders are evaluated at the same level. @@ -2714,69 +2751,72 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Defining move filters, Prev: Introduction to move filt .............................. The move filter allows you to control exactly how many moves GNU is -examining at each ply. A ply is basically one move played by one side, +examining at each ply. A ply is basically one move played by one side, thus if both sides played a move, it would be one whole move, but two -plies, one for each side. To change the specific settings, press the -Modify... button. +plies, one for each side. To change the specific settings, press the +Modify... button. Although the predefined levels, such as World Class, Supremo, etc. -are tested and good, you may want to know or control how GNU filters -its moves to analyze and how many. +are tested and good, you may want to know or control how GNU filters its +moves to analyse and how many. + -*Move filter 1* + *Move filter 1* [[movefilter1.png]] - If you are playing Expert level (this is what GGRaccoon is set at) -or another 0-ply setting, the Move Filter settings will not change a -thing, as Expert level automatically examines all moves. At Supremo -level, this changes though, as it takes a selection of the best moves -from 0-ply and examines them at 2-ply. This means that for those -selected moves it will calculate all the possibilities 2 plies ahead -and evaluate them, allowing it to find better moves. Since Supremo is -a 2-ply setting, we are only interested in the 2-ply settings of Large -as in the figure above. 3-ply or 4-ply settings will have no effect -here because Supremo doesn't examine at that depth. + If you are playing Expert level or another 0-ply setting, the Move +Filter settings will not change a thing, as Expert level automatically +examines all moves. At Supremo level, this changes though, as it takes +a selection of the best moves from 0-ply and examines them at 2-ply. +This means that for those selected moves it will calculate all the +possibilities 2 plies ahead and evaluate them, allowing it to find +better moves. Since Supremo is a 2-ply setting, we are only interested +in the 2-ply settings of Large as in the figure above. 3-ply or 4-ply +settings will have no effect here because Supremo doesn't examine at +that depth. In the figure above, we can see it first will Always accept 0 moves. -This first line means that it won't force any moves to be analyzed at -2-ply, it will only analyze moves according to the second line. If it -had said it would always analyze 2 moves, this would mean that no -matter how ridiculously bad the 2nd move was compared to the 1st, it -would analyze both at 2-ply. +This first line means that it won't force any moves to be analysed at +2-ply, it will only analyse moves according to the second line. If it +had said it would always analyse 2 moves, this would mean that no matter +how ridiculously bad the 2nd move was compared to the 1st, it would +analyse both at 2-ply. The second line says it will Add extra 16 moves within 0.320. This means that provided they aren't more than 0.320 equity worse than the -top move, it will select a maximum of 16 moves to analyze at 2-ply. For +top move, it will select a maximum of 16 moves to analyse at 2-ply. For example, in the figure below, the 2nd best move is no less than 0.453 -equity worse than the top choice, so it didn't bother analyzing them at +equity worse than the top choice, so it didn't bother analysing them at 2-ply as it is unlikely to change its mind on what the best move is. -*Move filter 2* + + *Move filter 2* [[movefilter2.png]] Take a look at next figure. -*Move filter 3* + + *Move filter 3* [[movefilter3.png]] Here, the exact same settings were maintained, but the 1-ply filter -was activated. This just means that those 16 moves selected from the -0-ply are sent instead to be analyzed at 1-ply, and then up to 5 moves -from 1-ply will be sent to be analyzed at 2-ply. So this would actually +was activated. This just means that those 16 moves selected from the +0-ply are sent instead to be analysed at 1-ply, and then up to 5 moves +from 1-ply will be sent to be analysed at 2-ply. So this would actually be faster than the previous setting (and weaker), since a maximum of -only 5 moves would be analyzed at 2-ply depth. +only 5 moves would be analysed at 2-ply depth. Tip: Feel free to experiment with the settings, as you can always -reset them by simply choosing one of the predefined levels. In order -to see if they are better, or as good but faster, I'd suggest comparing -the results with Supremo. One setting I have that works quite well, is -to take the basic Supremo setting and in the Move filter reduce the 16 -to 12. It cuts down on the thinking time by 20-25% more or less, and I -haven't seen more than one case in over 10,000 moves where it missed -the best move. +reset them by simply choosing one of the predefined levels. In order to +see if they are better, or as good but faster, I'd suggest comparing the +results with Supremo. One setting I have that works quite well, is to +take the basic Supremo setting and in the Move filter reduce the 16 to +12. It cuts down on the thinking time by 20-25% more or less, and I +haven't seen more than one case in over 10,000 moves where it missed the +best move. File: gnubg.info, Node: Cubeful vs Cubeless, Next: Pruning neural networks, Prev: Move filters, Up: Evaluation settings @@ -2785,39 +2825,41 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Cubeful vs Cubeless, Next: Pruning neural networks, P -------------------------- In the evaluation settings dialog box you can specify whether or not -checker play should be evaluated cubeful. It's recommended that you use -cubeful evaluation. To get an understanding of what cubeful checker +checker play should be evaluated cubeful. It's recommended that you use +cubeful evaluation. To get an understanding of what cubeful checker play evaluations are, you can take a look at this position: -*Cubeful example* + + *Cubeful example* [[cubeful-ex1.png]] In this position black has rolled 51 and he has a good position. If -the position is evaluated cubeless the best move is 13/7. Black can -hope white does not roll 34 or 35 form the bar and has now a good -chance to close white out in the next few rolls. However if white rolls -one of the four hitting numbers from the bar, white will quite soon -have a really hot redouble. This redouble increases whites equity so -much that black actually should play this move safe. He should play -13/8 6/5. However if the evaluation was set to cubeless, an setting -which assumes white will never redouble, black should play 13/8. +the position is evaluated cubeless the best move is 13/7. Black can +hope white does not roll 34 or 35 form the bar and has now a good chance +to close white out in the next few rolls. However if white rolls one of +the four hitting numbers from the bar, white will quite soon have a +really hot redouble. This redouble increases whites equity so much that +black actually should play this move safe. He should play 13/8 6/5. +However if the evaluation was set to cubeless, an setting which assumes +white will never redouble, black should play 13/8. Here's another example: -*Cubeful example 2* + + *Cubeful example 2* [[cubeful-ex2.png]] This is from a 5 point match where black has 1 point and white has 3 -points. Black wins the opening roll and considers playing 13/11 6/5 or +points. Black wins the opening roll and considers playing 13/11 6/5 or 24/23 13/11. If GNU Backgammon uses a cubeless evaluation it will play 24/23 -13/11. But if you're using a cubeful evaluation it will play 13/11 6/5. +13/11. But if you're using a cubeful evaluation it will play 13/11 6/5. Slotting with 6/5 is at this score a better move even though it loses -more gammons. The gammons black are losing won't matter anyway, since -black will turn the cube in the next few rolls anyway. The slotting +more gammons. The gammons black are losing won't matter anyway, since +black will turn the cube in the next few rolls anyway. The slotting play also wins more gammons, and with the cube tuned to 2, black should play towards gammonish positions at this score. @@ -2832,13 +2874,13 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Pruning neural networks, Next: Noise, Prev: Cubeful v ------------------------------ A feature in the evaluation is the use of a set of neural networks just -to prune away move candidates within a deeper ply search. This +to prune away move candidates within a deeper ply search. This increases the speed considerably and it doesn't lose much playing -strength compared to evaluation without these pruning neural nets. Jim -Segrave has just done an analysis of this and found that less than 1% -of all moves come out different with the pruning nets activated. In -most of these positions the move would not have made any difference to -the game at all. +strength compared to evaluation without these pruning neural nets. Jim +Segrave did an analysis of this and found that less than 1% of all moves +come out different with the pruning nets activated. In most of these +positions the move would not have made any difference to the game at +all. File: gnubg.info, Node: Noise, Prev: Pruning neural networks, Up: Evaluation settings @@ -2847,23 +2889,23 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Noise, Prev: Pruning neural networks, Up: Evaluation ------------ If you think GNU Backgammon plays too strong for you, you can add some -noise to its evaluation. The number you add into the field in the +noise to its evaluation. The number you add into the field in the evaluations setting is the limit amount of noise that will be added to the evaluation. If noise is added to the evaluations GNU Backgammon will take a Box Müller transform of a point in the unit circle and add to each possible -outcome probability. This means that the addition is random, but +outcome probability. This means that the addition is random, but distributed so that it's more likely to have an noise addition close to -zero than a noise addition close to the limit. The noise addition is +zero than a noise addition close to the limit. The noise addition is limited to the number you put into the noise field in the dialog box. If you check the box Deterministic noise, the noise added to each evaluation will be based on a sum of the bytes in the hash of the board position, which (by the central limit theorem) should have a normal -distribution. In that way you will always have that same noise amount -to a position, since the noise added to the evaluation is only -depending on the position itself. +distribution. In that way you will always have that same noise amount +to a position, since the noise added to the evaluation is only depending +on the position itself. If you want GNU Backgammon to evaluate and play as strong as possible, you should not add any noise. @@ -2874,15 +2916,16 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Appearance, Prev: Evaluation settings, Up: Customizin 9.2 Appearance ============== -You can change the appearance of GNU Backgammon. There is a lot of +You can change the appearance of GNU Backgammon. There is a lot of options to choose among and you can have the board look like nearly -anything. This section will help you through some on the appearance +anything. This section will help you through some on the appearance customization. To change the look of the board, you should click -Settings->Appearance. This will open a dialog box like this: +Settings->Appearance. This will open a dialog box like this: + -*The appearance dialog* + *The appearance dialog* [[appearance.png]] @@ -2891,25 +2934,20 @@ right side, and you have notebook with options to the left. There are two different board rendering engines in GNU Backgammon. It's a 2 dimensional rendering engine which is simple and fast, but -still makes really good board images. The moves can be animated. +still makes really good board images. The moves can be animated. The other board rendering type is a 3 dimensional board engine based on OpenGL. This board rendering engine makes astonishing fine board -graphics, and animates the rolls and moves beautifully. You can even add -textures to your boards and checkers. However, the 3D rendering type -need a good modern graphic card which can take 3D hardware acceleration. +graphics, and animates the rolls and moves beautifully. You can even +add textures to your boards and checkers. However, the 3D rendering +type need a good modern graphic card which can take 3D hardware +acceleration. The leftmost tab in the appearance settings notebook is the General -option. You can here select between the 2D board or the 3D board. You -can also choose between different other settings. Most of the settings +option. You can here select between the 2D board or the 3D board. You +can also choose between different other settings. Most of the settings here are self explanatory. - *Warning* - - Don't forget to save your settings!! A lovely and painstakingly - crafted board setup can be lost if you don't faithfully do your - Settings->Save settings. - File: gnubg.info, Node: Technical Notes, Next: Frequently Asked Questions, Prev: Customizing GNU Backgammon, Up: Top @@ -2949,22 +2987,26 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Generate your own, Next: Download, Up: Obtaining bear ------------------------ GNU Backgammon is supplied with a program makebearoff that is used to -generate bearoff databases. Due to various limitations it is only +generate bearoff databases. Due to various limitations it is only possible to generate bearoff databases with a size less than 2GB, i.e., the 13pt one-sided database and the 11 checker two-sided database are the largest databases that can be generated with makebearoff. + On current (2014) hardware the creation of the 11 checker two-sided +database will take a few hours. It is approximately 3 times longer for +each additional checker or each additional point. + To generate one sided database issue makebearoff -o 10 -f gnubg_os.bd - to generate the one sided 10 point database. The program makebearoff -uses a cache to store previously generated positions. You may set the + to generate the one sided 10 point database. The program makebearoff +uses a cache to store previously generated positions. You may set the cache size with the -s size option, e.g., makebearoff -o 10 -s 123456789 -f gnubg_os.bd - to use 123,456,789 bytes of memory for cache size. In general, if + to use 123,456,789 bytes of memory for cache size. In general, if the cache size is less than the size of the database to be generated, then extra time is needed to generate the bearoff database because some positions may have to be calculated several times. @@ -2977,7 +3019,7 @@ already had generated the 9 point database you can reuse it: makebearoff -o 10 -O gnubg_os9.bd -f gnubg_os.bd Note that makebearoff requires temporary disk space to generate both -one sided and two sided databases. In general, twice the disk space of +one sided and two sided databases. In general, twice the disk space of the database to be generated is needed. To generate a two sided database issue @@ -2994,19 +3036,19 @@ bearoff database to be generated). for the complete set. The accompanying program makehyper is used to generate databases for -Hypergammon. For example, to generate the 3-checker database issue the +Hypergammon. For example, to generate the 3-checker database issue the command makehyper -c 3 -f hyper3.bd - Since the generation is _very_ time consuming makehyper will -generate a checkpoint file (in the example above: hyper1.bd.tmp) that -can be used to restart the calculation if needed by using the -r -option. You can also change the default convergence threshold of -0.00001 if you're happy with less accurate equities. To generate the 3 -checker database you need approximately 400 MB of free memory. On a 2.4 -GHz box with 512 MB of RAM the calculation ran for 58 iterations of -3000 seconds each, i.e., a total of 48 hours! + Since the generation can be time consuming, makehyper will generate a +checkpoint file (in the example above: hyper3.bd.tmp) that can be used +to restart the calculation if needed by using the -r option. You can +also change the default convergence threshold of 0.00001 if you're happy +with less accurate equities. To generate the 3 checker database you +need approximately 400 MB of free memory. On current (2014) hardware +the calculation for the 3-checker database will take a few hours (1- and +2-checker are much faster). See makehyper -help for the complete set of available options. @@ -3016,8 +3058,8 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Download, Next: Installation of the databases, Prev: 10.1.2 Download --------------- -You may download the two sided database with 6 checkers on 6 points -from ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/gnubg_ts0.bd.gz +You may download the two sided database with 6 checkers on 6 points from +ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/gnubg_ts0.bd.gz (ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/gnubg_ts0.bd.gz) and the one sided database with 15 checkers 6 points from ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gnubg/gnubg_os0.bd.gz @@ -3043,9 +3085,9 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Verification of the databases, Next: One-sided bearoff 10.1.4 Verification of the databases ------------------------------------ -To verify that your generated or downloaded bearoff database is -correct, the table below lists the MD5 checksums for a number of -possible databases. +To verify that your generated or downloaded bearoff database is correct, +the table below lists the MD5 checksums for a number of possible +databases. File: gnubg.info, Node: One-sided bearoff databases [compressed], Next: Two-sided bearoff databases [with cubeless and cubeful equities], Prev: Verification of the databases, Up: Obtaining bearoff databases @@ -3096,7 +3138,7 @@ Checkers Points MD5 checksum 8 6 fcdbbc80b7ef84ddc81b839d0f26bed1 9 6 a11b2d410d51401143d05e73f9ffac15 10 6 12dc70c86f356d06bc96ee38dee40c62 -11 6 not available +11 6 68a0fa972bdde7b14a6b911d1dc80a30 12 6 not available 13 6 not available 14 6 not available @@ -3113,13 +3155,14 @@ it's not possible to give MD5 checksum for these, as it depend heavily on your convergence threshold, the number of restarts, and rounding errors. - A random position from the database is found in *note Random -position from hypergammon database::. The equities and percentages in -your own database should be very similar (if not identical): + A random position from the database is found in *note Random position +from hypergammon database::. The equities and percentages in your own +database should be very similar (if not identical): GNU Backgammon Position ID: ADAAAQAkIAAAAA -*Random position from hypergammon database* + + *Random position from hypergammon database* GNU Backgammon Position ID: ADAAAQAkIAAAAA @@ -3171,13 +3214,12 @@ most of them are only of marginal or historical interest. estimations of the match equities for a strong bot playing itself. * _g11_, _snowie_ and _woolsey_ are the tables that were used by - earlier versions of GNU Backgammon, Snowie or for hand - calculations back when bots didn't do match equity calculations - (or there was no bot at all). All of them are now considered - obsolete. Analyses or rollouts using them can still be found in - books, magazines or web sites so it can occasionally be - interesting to use them in GNU Backgammon for comparison to these - older results. + earlier versions of GNU Backgammon, Snowie or for hand calculations + back when bots didn't do match equity calculations (or there was no + bot at all). All of them are now considered obsolete. Analyses or + rollouts using them can still be found in books, magazines or web + sites so it can occasionally be interesting to use them in GNU + Backgammon for comparison to these older results. * _jacobs_, _jac050_ and _jac100_ are from the book __Can a Fish Taste Twice as Good__ by Jake Jacobs and Walter Trice and give @@ -3196,7 +3238,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Python scripting, Next: Equities explained, Prev: Mat Accessing the GNU Backgammon Python shell - To access the Python shell, either type `>' from the command line or + To access the Python shell, either type '>' from the command line or select Window->Python Shell(IDLE...) from the GUI. * Menu: @@ -3253,12 +3295,12 @@ board() Navigate never wraps around. - On success, returns None. If unable to complete the requested number + On success, returns None. If unable to complete the requested number of moves, returns a pair of (next-remaining,game-remaining). match([analysis=1/0, boards=1/0, statistics=0/1, verbose=0/1]) - Return the current match. For example, + Return the current match. For example, > m = gnubg.match() @@ -3266,19 +3308,19 @@ of moves, returns a pair of (next-remaining,game-remaining). analysis - When 0, discard analysis data. default is 1. + When 0, discard analysis data. default is 1. boards - When 1, add current board to move/double records. Default is 1. + When 1, add current board to move/double records. Default is 1. statistics - When 1, include game and match statistics. Default is 0. + When 1, include game and match statistics. Default is 0. verbose - When 1, include derived analysis values. Default is 0. + When 1, include derived analysis values. Default is 0. File: gnubg.info, Node: Match description, Next: Match info, Prev: gnubg module functions, Up: Python scripting @@ -3317,13 +3359,14 @@ Hypergammon3. rules (optional) - Additional rules used. A subset of NoCube, Crawford and Jacoby. + Additional rules used. A subset of NoCube, Crawford and Jacoby. X O - Per player information. Each a dictionary containing rating and name. + Per player information. Each a dictionary containing rating and +name. annotator (optional) @@ -3339,7 +3382,7 @@ Hypergammon3. default-eval-context - Default evaluation context. A dictionary in the same format as + Default evaluation context. A dictionary in the same format as returned by evalcontext(). default-rollout-context @@ -3372,7 +3415,7 @@ A dictionary containing the following items: info - General game info. For example, + General game info. For example, >>> m['games'][0]['info'] @@ -3391,7 +3434,7 @@ A dictionary containing the following items: stats (optional) - Game statistics. Similar entries to Analyze->Game statistics from + Game statistics. Similar entries to Analyse->Game statistics from the GUI. @@ -3422,12 +3465,12 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Introduction to equities, Next: Money equity, Up: Equ 10.4.1 Introduction to equities ------------------------------- -GNU Backgammon works with many different kinds of equities. The equity -is defined as the expected value of the position. However, this value -can be expressed in several different metrics and may be calculated -with or without taking the effect of the cube into consideration. In -the following section we will describe the equities used and calculated -by GNU Backgammon. +GNU Backgammon works with many different kinds of equities. The equity +is defined as the expected value of the position. However, this value +can be expressed in several different metrics and may be calculated with +or without taking the effect of the cube into consideration. In the +following section we will describe the equities used and calculated by +GNU Backgammon. File: gnubg.info, Node: Money equity, Next: Match Winning Chance, Prev: Introduction to equities, Up: Equities explained @@ -3435,16 +3478,16 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Money equity, Next: Match Winning Chance, Prev: Intro 10.4.2 Money equity ------------------- -This is the value of the position in money game, e.g., if your equity -is +0.4 an you are playing money game with a $1 stake, you will win -$0.40 on average. The money equity can be calculated with or without -taking the effect of the doubling cube into consideration, or _cubeful_ -or _cubeless_. The cubeless equity can be calculated from the basic -formula: 2*p(w)-1+2(p(wg)-p(lg))+3(p(wbg)-p(lbg)). Evaluating the +This is the value of the position in money game, e.g., if your equity is ++0.4 an you are playing money game with a $1 stake, you will win $0.40 +on average. The money equity can be calculated with or without taking +the effect of the doubling cube into consideration, or _cubeful_ or +_cubeless_. The cubeless equity can be calculated from the basic +formula: 2*p(w)-1+2(p(wg)-p(lg))+3(p(wbg)-p(lbg)). Evaluating the cubeful equity is much more difficult; it can either be estimated from the cubeless equity by using transformations as outlined by Rick Janowski or by constructing a neural net that directly outputs cubeful -equities. GNU Backgammon uses the former approach (*note Cubeful +equities. GNU Backgammon uses the former approach (*note Cubeful equities::). @@ -3455,13 +3498,13 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Match Winning Chance, Next: Normalized equity, Prev: In match play we're generally not particular interested in the outcome of the individual games as much as the outcome of the entire match, so -the interesting quantity for match play is _match winning chance_ -(MWC). As for the money equity the MWC can be calculated with and -without the effect of the doubling cube. The MWCs are generally -calculated with the use of a match equity table, which contains the -chance of winning the match before a game starts, e.g., if the score is -0-0 in a 1pt match each player has 50% chance of winning the match -before the game starts assuming they're of equal skill. +the interesting quantity for match play is _match winning chance_ (MWC). +As for the money equity the MWC can be calculated with and without the +effect of the doubling cube. The MWCs are generally calculated with the +use of a match equity table, which contains the chance of winning the +match before a game starts, e.g., if the score is 0-0 in a 1pt match +each player has 50% chance of winning the match before the game starts +assuming they're of equal skill. The cubeless MWC is calculated as: MWC(cubeless) = p(w) * MWC(w) + p(l) * MWC(l) + p(wg) * MWC(wg) + p(lg) * MWC(lg) + p(wbg) * MWC(wbg) * @@ -3487,14 +3530,14 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Normalized equity, Next: Cubeful equities, Prev: Matc 10.4.4 Normalized equity ------------------------ -It's generally very difficult to compare MWCs. For example, it's hardly +It's generally very difficult to compare MWCs. For example, it's hardly worth mentioning a 0.5% MWC error at DMP where as it's a huge error at -0-0 to 7. It is therefore of interesting to normalize the MWCs to some -common scale. The most often used normalization is Normalized Money +0-0 to 7. It is therefore of interesting to normalize the MWCs to some +common scale. The most often used normalization is Normalized Money Game Equity (NEMG) where the MWC for any game is transformed into the -same interval as money game, i.e., -3 to +3 (due to anomalies at -certain match scores the NEMG can go below -3 and above +3). The -transformation is linear: +same interval as money game, i.e., -3 to +3 (due to anomalies at certain +match scores the NEMG can go below -3 and above +3). The transformation +is linear: NEMG = 2 * (MWC-MWC(l))/(MWC(w)-MWC(l)) - 1 @@ -3504,24 +3547,24 @@ points: (MWC(w),+1) and (MWC(l),-1). For example, suppose the score is 3-1 to 5 with the cube on 2: MWC(l)=0% and MWC(w)=50%: -MWC NEMG -0% -1 -25% 0 -50% +1 -75% +2 -100% +3 +MWC NEMG +0% -1 +25% 0 +50% +1 +75% +2 +100% +3 Note that a w/g/bg distribution of 0 100 100 - 0 0 0 gives a NEMG of -+3 whereas the corresponding money equity is only +2. This is because -the gammon price is high for that particular score. When both players ++3 whereas the corresponding money equity is only +2. This is because +the gammon price is high for that particular score. When both players are far from winning the match, e.g., 0-0 to 17 or 1-0 to 17, NEMG is very close to the usual money equity. NEMG can be calculated from both cubeless and cubeful MWCs. A word of caution: A cubeless NEMG calculated from a cubeless MWC -could be named _cubeless equity_, but in most backgammon literature -this term seems to be reserved for the cubeless money equity. +could be named _cubeless equity_, but in most backgammon literature this +term seems to be reserved for the cubeless money equity. File: gnubg.info, Node: Cubeful equities, Prev: Normalized equity, Up: Equities explained @@ -3530,7 +3573,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Cubeful equities, Prev: Normalized equity, Up: Equiti ----------------------- This chapter is a brief description of how GNU Backgammon calculates -cubeful equities. The formula build directly on the work by Rick +cubeful equities. The formula build directly on the work by Rick Janowski Take-Points in Money Games (http://www.bkgm.com/articles/Janowski/cubeformulae.pdf) from 1993. @@ -3555,10 +3598,10 @@ The basic formula for cubeful equities as derived by Janowski is E(cubeful) = E(dead) * (1-x) + E(live) * x, where E(dead) is the dead cube equity (cubeless equity) calculated -from the standard formula. E(live) is the cubeful equity assuming a -fully live cube. We'll return to that in the next section. x is the -cube efficiency. x=0 gives E(cubeful)=E(dead) as one extreme and x=1 -gives E(cubeful)=E(live) as the other extreme. In reality x is +from the standard formula. E(live) is the cubeful equity assuming a +fully live cube. We'll return to that in the next section. x is the +cube efficiency. x=0 gives E(cubeful)=E(dead) as one extreme and x=1 +gives E(cubeful)=E(live) as the other extreme. In reality x is somewhere in between, which typical values around 0.6 - 0.8. Janowski's article doesn't mention cubeful equities, so we use the @@ -3576,16 +3619,17 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Live cube equities, Next: 0-ply Cubeful equities, Pre The live cube equity is the equity assuming that the equity changes continuously, so that doubles and takes occurs exactly at the double -point and take point. For gammon-free play this is the well-known take -point of 20%. Janowski derives the more general formula +point and take point. For gammon-free play this is the well-known take +point of 20%. Janowski derives the more general formula TP = (L-0.5)/(W+L+0.5) where W is the average cubeless value of games ultimately won, and L -is the average cubeless value of games ultimately lost. For example, +is the average cubeless value of games ultimately lost. For example, for the following position -*Cubeful example 1* + + *Cubeful example 1* [[cubefuleq-ex1.png]] @@ -3595,16 +3639,17 @@ for the following position static: 0.454 0.103 0.001 0.106 0.003 and hence W=(0.454 + 0.103 + 0.001)/0.454=1.229 and -L=(0.556+0.106+0.003)/0.556) = 1.196. For gammon-free positions, e.g., +L=(0.556+0.106+0.003)/0.556) = 1.196. For gammon-free positions, e.g., a race, W=1 and L=1. The live cube equity is now based on piecewise linear interpolation between the points (0%,-L), (TP,-1), (CP,+1), and (100%,+W): if my -winning chance is 0 I lose L points, at my take point I lose 1 point, -at my cash point I cash 1 point, and when I have a certain win I win W +winning chance is 0 I lose L points, at my take point I lose 1 point, at +my cash point I cash 1 point, and when I have a certain win I win W points: -*mgtp* + + *mgtp* Equity @@ -3631,17 +3676,18 @@ points: 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 Wins + For match play there is no simple formula, since redoubles can only occur a limited number of times. The live cube take point is generally calculated as - TP(live, n Cube)=TP(dead, n cube) * (1 - TP(live, 2n cube)) + TP(live, n Cube)=TP(effective, n cube) * (1 - TP(live, 2n cube)) - So to calculate the live cube take points for a 1-cube at 3-0 to 7 -we need the live cube take points for the 4-cube and the 2-cube. For -the position above and using Woolsey's match equity table the live cube -take point are: + So to calculate the live cube take points for a 1-cube at 3-0 to 7 we +need the live cube take points for the 4-cube and the 2-cube. For the +position above and using Woolsey's match equity table the live cube take +point are: Cube value TP for Black TP for White 4 0% 41% @@ -3651,7 +3697,7 @@ Cube value TP for Black TP for White The calculation of these are left as an exercise to the reader. Ignoring backgammons, the gammon rates for White and Black are -0.106/54.6=19% and 0.103/0.454=22%, respectively. If White wins the +0.106/54.6=19% and 0.103/0.454=22%, respectively. If White wins the game his MWC will be 81% * MWC(-3,-7) + 19% * MWC(-2,-7) = 78% @@ -3661,11 +3707,12 @@ game his MWC will be 78% * MWC(-4,-6) + 22% * MWC(-4,-5) = 41%. If White cashes 1 point he has MWC(-3,-7)=76% and if Black cashes he -has MWC(-4,-6)=36%. Analogous to money game the live cube MWC is +has MWC(-4,-6)=36%. Analogous to money game the live cube MWC is calculated as piecewise linear interpolation between (0%,22%), (24.5%,24%), (72.7%,36%), and (100%,41%) (from black's point of view): -*mptp* + + *mptp* MWC @@ -3692,23 +3739,24 @@ calculated as piecewise linear interpolation between (0%,22%), 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 Wins + File: gnubg.info, Node: 0-ply Cubeful equities, Next: n-ply Cubeful equities, Prev: Live cube equities, Up: Cubeful equities 10.4.5.3 0-ply Cubeful equities ............................... -Having established the live cube equities and MWCs we're now in -position to calculate the 0-ply cubeful equities. +Having established the live cube equities and MWCs we're now in position +to calculate the 0-ply cubeful equities. Let's start with money game: the cubeless equity is -0.097 and the live cube equity can be determined from the figure above as -0.157. Thus, the cubeful equity is -0.138. - For the match play example at the score 3-0 the cubeless MWC is -29.1% and from the figure Black using wins=45.4% we can determine the -live cube MWC to be 29.2%. Using a value of x=0.68 we arrive at a -cubeful MWC of 29.17%. + For the match play example at the score 3-0 the cubeless MWC is 29.1% +and from the figure Black using wins=45.4% we can determine the live +cube MWC to be 29.2%. Using a value of x=0.68 we arrive at a cubeful +MWC of 29.17%. File: gnubg.info, Node: n-ply Cubeful equities, Next: The cube efficiency, Prev: 0-ply Cubeful equities, Up: Cubeful equities @@ -3733,13 +3781,13 @@ The answer is: by simple recursion: Equity = Equity/36 Note that evaluating the n-1 ply equity involves a cube decision, -since the opponent may double, so GNU Backgammon will actually -calculate the two n-1 ply equities: (a) assuming no double, and (b) -assuming double, take. These two equities are combined with the equity -for a pass, and the optimum of these three is added to the resulting -equity. For a cubeful 2-ply evaluation GNU Backgammon will end up -calculating the following cubeful 0-ply equities: centered 1-cube, -opponent owns 2-cube, owned 4-cube, and opponent owns 8-cube. +since the opponent may double, so GNU Backgammon will actually calculate +the two n-1 ply equities: (a) assuming no double, and (b) assuming +double, take. These two equities are combined with the equity for a +pass, and the optimum of these three is added to the resulting equity. +For a cubeful 2-ply evaluation GNU Backgammon will end up calculating +the following cubeful 0-ply equities: centered 1-cube, opponent owns +2-cube, owned 4-cube, and opponent owns 8-cube. Note that the 2-ply level does not use the cube efficiency, it's not used until at the 0-ply level, but it's possible to calculate an @@ -3767,23 +3815,23 @@ Race linear interpolation between 0.6 and 0.7 For race GNU Backgammon uses linear interpolation based on pip count -for the player on roll. A pip count of 40 gives x=0.6 and 120 gives -x=0.7. If the pip count is below 40 or above 120 values of x=0.6 and +for the player on roll. A pip count of 40 gives x=0.6 and 120 gives +x=0.7. If the pip count is below 40 or above 120 values of x=0.6 and x=0.7 are used, respectively. For the two sided bearoff positions the cubeful money equity is already available from the database, so for money game there is no need -to calculate cubeful equities via Janowski's formula. However, the +to calculate cubeful equities via Janowski's formula. However, the cubeful equities for money game cannot be used for match play. Instead of using a fixed value of x, say, 0.6, GNU Backgammon will calculate an -effective value based on the cubeful money equity. The cubeful MWC is +effective value based on the cubeful money equity. The cubeful MWC is calculated as usual, but with the calculated x. - There is obviously room for improvements. For example, holding games + There is obviously room for improvements. For example, holding games should intuitively have a lower cube efficiency, since it's very difficult to double effectively: either it's not good enough or you've lost the market by a mile after rolling a high double or hitting a -single shot. Similarly, backgames will often have a low cube +single shot. Similarly, backgames will often have a low cube efficiency, whereas blitzes have may have a higher cube efficiency. @@ -3793,15 +3841,16 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Cube decisions, Next: Beyond the simple model, Prev: ....................... GNU Backgammon's cube decisions are simple based on calculations of -cubeful equities. For a double decision GNU Backgammon calculates the +cubeful equities. For a double decision GNU Backgammon calculates the cubeful equity for _no double_ and the cubeful equity for _double, -take_. Combined with the equity for _double, pass_, it's possible to +take_. Combined with the equity for _double, pass_, it's possible to determine the correct cube action. The figure below shows the relevant cubeful equities for White and black's cube decisions in sample position from earlier. -*mgcd* + + *mgcd* Equity @@ -3828,14 +3877,15 @@ black's cube decisions in sample position from earlier. 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 Wins + On 0-ply Black will double when the green curve (White owns 2-cube) is above the red curve (centered cube), and White will take as long as -the green curve is below 1. Similarly, White will double when the blue +the green curve is below 1. Similarly, White will double when the blue curve (Black owns 2-cube) is below the red curve (centered cube), and Black takes as long as the blue curve is above -1. Note that GNU Backgammon doesn't calculate the take point or double -point explicitly. The cube decision is simply made by comparing +point explicitly. The cube decision is simply made by comparing equities from the figure. @@ -3844,14 +3894,13 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Beyond the simple model, Prev: Cube decisions, Up: Cu 10.4.5.7 Beyond the simple model ................................ -Janowski has developed two other models for cubeful equities. The first -is a generalization of the one used by GNU Backgammon; it introduces -two cube efficiencies instead of one. Often you may see that the cube +Janowski has developed two other models for cubeful equities. The first +is a generalization of the one used by GNU Backgammon; it introduces two +cube efficiencies instead of one. Often you may see that the cube efficiencies are different for the two players, and the _refined general -model_ as it is named by Janowski, tries to take this into -consideration by using different cube efficiency parameters for the two -players. For example, the blitzer may have another cube efficiency that -the blitzee. +model_ as it is named by Janowski, tries to take this into consideration +by using different cube efficiency parameters for the two players. For +example, the blitzer may have another cube efficiency that the blitzee. The second model is not published, but redefines the cube efficiency into a value that can be understood more intuitively and calculate @@ -3864,24 +3913,25 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: A technical description of the Position ID, Next: A te =============================================== This section describes a method for compactly recording a backgammon -position. It demonstrates how to encode a position into 10 binary +position. It demonstrates how to encode a position into 10 binary bytes, which is useful for minimizing the space used when recording -large numbers of positions in memory or on disk. There is also an ASCII +large numbers of positions in memory or on disk. There is also an ASCII representation in 14 characters, which is convenient for output to the screen, for copying and pasting to transfer positions between programs which support the format, and for communicating positions via Usenet -news or e-mail. The 10 byte binary format is called the key, and the 14 +news or e-mail. The 10 byte binary format is called the key, and the 14 character ASCII format is the ID. The key is essentially a bit string (imagine you start with an empty -sequence of bits, and continue adding either _0_ or _1_ to the end). The -way to build up a sequence that corresponds to a given position is: +sequence of bits, and continue adding either _0_ or _1_ to the end). +The way to build up a sequence that corresponds to a given position is: 1. For every point around the board (starting at the ace point of the - player on roll, continuing around to the 24 point and ending at - the bar): + player on roll, continuing around to the 24 point and ending at the + bar): - 2. append as many 1s as the player on roll has on that point (if any). + 2. append as many 1s as the player not on roll (the opponent) has on + that point (if any). 3. append a 0. @@ -3889,51 +3939,52 @@ way to build up a sequence that corresponds to a given position is: opponent, continuing around to the opponent's 24 point and ending at the bar): - 5. append as many 1s as the opponent has on that point (if any). + 5. append as many 1s as the the player on roll has on that point (if + any). 6. append a 0. 7. Pad out the string to 80 bits with 0s. The worst-case representation will require 80 bits: you can see that -there are always 50 0 bits even if there are no checkers at all. Each +there are always 50 0 bits even if there are no checkers at all. Each player has a maximum of 15 checkers in play (not yet borne off) which -require a 1 bit wherever they are positioned. That's 30 bits to take of +require a 1 bit wherever they are positioned. That's 30 bits to take of all checkers, plus the 50 bits of overhead for a total of 80 bits (the -last bit is always 0 and isn't strictly necessary, but it makes the -code slightly easier). This bit string should be stored in -little-endian order when packed into bytes (i.e. the first bits in the -string are stored in the least significant bits of the first byte). +last bit is always 0 and isn't strictly necessary, but it makes the code +slightly easier). This bit string should be stored in little-endian +order when packed into bytes (i.e. the first bits in the string are +stored in the least significant bits of the first byte). As an example, here's what the starting position looks like in the key format: -0 0 0 0 0 player on roll has no checkers on +0 0 0 0 0 opponent has no checkers on his ace to 5 points 11111 0 5 checkers on the 6 point 0 empty bar 111 0 3 on the 8 -0 0 0 0 no others in our outfield +0 0 0 0 no others in his outfield 11111 0 5 on the midpoint -0 0 0 0 0 none in the opponent's outfield -0 0 0 0 0 or in opponent's board, until... +0 0 0 0 0 none in our outfield +0 0 0 0 0 or in our board, until... 11 0 two on the 24 point 0 none on the bar -0 0 0 0 0 opponent has no checkers on ace to - 5 points +0 0 0 0 0 player on roll has no checkers on + his ace to 5 points 11111 0 5 checkers on the 6 point 0 empty bar 111 0 3 on the 8 -0 0 0 0 no others in opponent's outfield +0 0 0 0 no others in his outfield 11111 0 5 on the midpoint -0 0 0 0 0 none in our outfield -0 0 0 0 0 or in our board, until... +0 0 0 0 0 none in opponent's outfield +0 0 0 0 0 or in opponent's board, until... 11 0 two on the 24 point 0 none on the bar so altogether it's: -00000111110011100000111110000000000011000000011111001110000011111000000000001100 + 00000111110011100000111110000000000011000000011111001110000011111000000000001100 In little endian bytes it looks like: @@ -3951,8 +4002,8 @@ omitted in the ID format.) To continue the above example, splitting the 10 8-bit bytes into 14 6-bit groups gives: - 111000 000111 001111 110000 000000 010011 000011 100000 011100 -111111 000000 000001 001100 000000 + 111000 000111 001111 110000 000000 010011 000011 100000 011100 111111 +000000 000001 001100 000000 In Base64 encoding, these groups are respectively represented as: @@ -3963,9 +4014,8 @@ simply: 4HPwATDgc/ABMA - You can set the board in gnubg either by writing the position ID -into the position text input field in the GUI or by executing the -command + You can set the board in gnubg either by writing the position ID into +the position text input field in the GUI or by executing the command set board 4HPwATDgc/ABMA. @@ -3976,8 +4026,8 @@ command positions where both players have checkers on the same point. Theoretically, it would be possible to get it down to 64 bits by using Walter Trice's (http://www.bkgm.com/rgb/rgb.cgi?view+371) - _D() expressions_ (http://www.bkgm.com/rgb/rgb.cgi?view+371), but - I think you'd have to be a mathematical masochist to try it! + _D() expressions_ (http://www.bkgm.com/rgb/rgb.cgi?view+371), but I + think you'd have to be a mathematical masochist to try it! 2. Thanks to Tom Keith and David desJardins for their suggestions on simplifying the encoding without increasing the worst case length. @@ -3988,33 +4038,34 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: A technical description of the Match ID, Next: Descrip 10.6 A technical description of the Match ID ============================================ -This section describes how the match ID is calculated. The match ID can +This section describes how the match ID is calculated. The match ID can be used for easy exchange of positions for gnubg users in conjunction with the position ID. The match key is a 9 byte representation of the match score, match length, value of cube, owner of cube, Crawford game flag, player on roll, player to make a decision, doubled flag, resigned -flag, and the dice rolled. The match ID is the 12 character Base64 -encoding of the match key. Match key +flag, and the dice rolled. The match ID is the 12 character Base64 +encoding of the match key. Match key The match key is a bit string of length 66: 1-4 5-6 7 8 9-11 12 13 14-1516-1819-2122-3637-5152 Cube CubeOwner DiceOwner Crawford GameState TurnOwner Double ResignDice1Dice2MatchLen x 15 - Score1 x + Score1 + x 15Score2 x 15 - 1. Bit 1-4 contains the 2-logarithm of the cube value. For example, a + 1. Bit 1-4 contains the 2-logarithm of the cube value. For example, a 8-cube is encoded as 0011 binary (or 3), since 2 to the power of 3 - is 8. The maximum value of the cube in with this encoding is 2 to + is 8. The maximum value of the cube in with this encoding is 2 to the power of 15, i.e., a 32768-cube. - 2. Bit 5-6 contains the cube owner. 00 if player 0 owns the cube, 01 + 2. Bit 5-6 contains the cube owner. 00 if player 0 owns the cube, 01 if player 1 owns the cube, or 11 for a centered cube. - 3. Bit 7 is the player on roll or the player who did roll (0 and 1 - for player 0 and 1, respectively). + 3. Bit 7 is the player on roll or the player who did roll (0 and 1 for + player 0 and 1, respectively). 4. Bit 8 is the Crawford flag: 1 if this game is the Crawford game, 0 otherwise. @@ -4023,17 +4074,17 @@ Cube CubeOwner DiceOwner Crawford GameState TurnOwner Double ResignDice playing a game, 010 if the game is over, 011 if the game was resigned, or 100 if the game was ended by dropping a cube. - 6. Bit 12 indicates whose turn it is. For example, suppose player 0 - is on roll then bit 7 above will be 0. Player 0 now decides to + 6. Bit 12 indicates whose turn it is. For example, suppose player 0 + is on roll then bit 7 above will be 0. Player 0 now decides to double, this will make bit 12 equal to 1, since it is now player 1's turn to decide whether she takes or passes the cube. - 7. Bit 13 indicates whether an doubled is being offered. 0 if no + 7. Bit 13 indicates whether an doubled is being offered. 0 if no double is being offered and 1 if a double is being offered. - 8. Bit 14-15 indicates whether an resignation was offered. 00 for no + 8. Bit 14-15 indicates whether an resignation was offered. 00 for no resignation, 01 for resign of a single game, 10 for resign of a - gammon, or 11 for resign of a backgammon. The player offering the + gammon, or 11 for resign of a backgammon. The player offering the resignation is the inverse of bit 12, e.g., if player 0 resigns a gammon then bit 12 will be 1 (as it is now player 1 now has to decide whether to accept or reject the resignation) and bit 13-14 @@ -4043,15 +4094,15 @@ Cube CubeOwner DiceOwner Crawford GameState TurnOwner Double ResignDice 0 if the dice has not yet be rolled, otherwise the binary encoding of the dice, e.g., if 5-2 was rolled bit 16-21 will be 101-010. - 10. Bit 22 to 36 is the match length. The maximum value for the match - length is 32767. A match score of zero indicates that the game is + 10. Bit 22 to 36 is the match length. The maximum value for the match + length is 32767. A match length of zero indicates that the game is a money game. - 11. Bit 37-51 and bit 52-66 is the score for player 0 and player 1 - respectively. The maximum value of the match score is 32767. + 11. Bit 37-51 and bit 52-66 is the score for player 0 and player 1 + respectively. The maximum value of the match score is 32767. - For example, assume the score is 2-4 in a 9 point match with player -0 holding a 2-cube, and player 1 has just rolled 52. The match key for + For example, assume the score is 2-4 in a 9 point match with player 0 +holding a 2-cube, and player 1 has just rolled 52. The match key for this will be (note that the bit order is reversed below for readability) 1000 00 1 0 100 1 0 00 101 010 100100000000000 010000000000000 @@ -4070,8 +4121,8 @@ format is simply the Base64 encoding of the key. To continue the example above, the 9 8-bit bytes are grouped into 12 6-bits groups: - 010000 011000 100100 101010 000000 010010 000000 000000 001000 -000000 000000 000000 + 010000 011000 100100 101010 000000 010010 000000 000000 001000 000000 +000000 000000 In Base64 encoding, the groups are represented as: @@ -4094,15 +4145,15 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Description of the CSS style sheet, Prev: A technical ======================================= As mentioned above GNU Backgammon writes a CSS style sheet along with -the generated XHTML file. The CSS style sheet may be written verbatim +the generated XHTML file. The CSS style sheet may be written verbatim in the header section of the XHTML file, to an external file named -gnubg.css, or inside the tags using the style attribute. If you wish to +gnubg.css, or inside the tags using the style attribute. If you wish to make any modifications to the style sheet without modifying the actual source code of GNU Backgammon you have to choose one of the first two -methods. Note that the special export for Kit Woolsey's GammOnLine uses +methods. Note that the special export for Kit Woolsey's GammOnLine uses the third method since the XHTML is pasted into a web page without the possibility to modify the header section of the page where the style -sheet is defined. Thus, it's not possible to modify the style of the +sheet is defined. Thus, it's not possible to modify the style of the generated XHTML for GammOnLine without modifications of the source code or extensive search and replace in the generated XHTML. @@ -4116,30 +4167,34 @@ Class Description table .movenumber The rank number of a move in the move analysis -.moveply The column indicating the number of - plies or rollout -.movemove The formatted move, e.g., 13/7 8/7. +.moveply The column indicating the number + of plies or rollout +.movemove The formatted move, e.g., 13/7 + 8/7. .moveequity The column with the equity or MWC. -.movethemove Special style for row that contains - the actual move chosen by the player -.moveodd Special style for the odd rows. Can - be used to give an alternating +.movethemove Special style for row that + contains the actual move chosen by + the player +.moveodd Special style for the odd rows. + Can be used to give an alternating color for the rows. .percent Style for the game winning probabilities and equities in the move analysis. .blunder Emphasis blunders, e.g., _Alert: - missed double_ or _Alert: bad move_. + missed double_ or _Alert: bad + move_. .joker Emphasis very good or bad rolls, e.g., _Alert: unlucky roll_. .stattable The style applied to the entire - table with game, match, and session - statistics + table with game, match, and + session statistics .stattableheader The header row of the statistics table .result Style for the text indicating the - outcome of the game or match, e.g., - Jørn_ Thyssen wins 16 points_. + outcome of the game or match, + e.g., _Jørn Thyssen wins 16 + points_. .tiny Currently unused. .cubedecision The style applied to the entire cube decision table @@ -4158,17 +4213,17 @@ Class Description table used for annotations or comments, e.g., the kibitzing from imported SGG files -.commentheader The style applied to the header row - of the annotations' table +.commentheader The style applied to the header + row of the annotations' table .number Currently unused -.fontfamily Style applied to the entire body of - the XHTML document. +.fontfamily Style applied to the entire body + of the XHTML document. .block Style applied to the images in the export to avoid gaps between individual pictures both horizontally and vertically. -.positionid Style for the Position ID and match - ID. +.positionid Style for the Position ID and + match ID. File: gnubg.info, Node: Frequently Asked Questions, Next: GNU Free Documentation License, Prev: Technical Notes, Up: Top @@ -4183,7 +4238,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Frequently Asked Questions, Next: GNU Free Documentati * Running GNU Backgammon:: * Playing backgammon:: * Settings:: -* Analyzing:: +* Analysing:: * Abbreviations:: @@ -4209,10 +4264,10 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: What is GNU Backgammon?, Next: What operating systems 11.1.1 What is GNU Backgammon? ------------------------------ -GNU Backgammon (gnubg) is a program for playing and analyzing -backgammon positions, games and matches. It's based on a neural -network. You may play GNU Backgammon using the command line or a -graphical interface based on GTK+. +GNU Backgammon (gnubg) is a program for playing and analysing backgammon +positions, games and matches. It's based on a neural network. You may +play GNU Backgammon using the command line or a graphical interface +based on GTK+. File: gnubg.info, Node: What operating systems are supported?, Next: Where do I get it?, Prev: What is GNU Backgammon?, Up: General questions @@ -4220,18 +4275,18 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: What operating systems are supported?, Next: Where do 11.1.2 What operating systems are supported? -------------------------------------------- -GNU Backgammon is mostly developped on _GNU/Linux_. It also builds and +GNU Backgammon is mostly developed on _GNU/Linux_. It also builds and runs under other Unix operating systems like those derived from _BSD_ or -_Solaris_. The main prerequisite is the availability of the GLib +_Solaris_. The main prerequisite is the availability of the GLib library at version 2.6 or later. Installable packages for _MS Windows_ and _Mac OS X_ are available -for download at the project official website. Already built packages +for download at the project official website. Already built packages are often provided by Linux distributions as well. - When you successfully port GNU Backgammon to other operating -systems, you are welcome to give us a note at the GNU backgammon -mailing list. (mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org) + When you successfully port GNU Backgammon to other operating systems, +you are welcome to give us a note at the GNU backgammon mailing list. +(mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org) File: gnubg.info, Node: Where do I get it?, Next: What do I have to pay for GNU Backgammon?, Prev: What operating systems are supported?, Up: General questions @@ -4241,21 +4296,21 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Where do I get it?, Next: What do I have to pay for GN The official website is http://www.gnubg.org (http://www.gnubg.org/). Binaries and source code for GNU Backgammon can be downloaded from this -site. Up to date source code can be accessed through CVS +site. Up to date source code can be accessed through CVS (https://savannah.gnu.org/cvs/?group=gnubg). File: gnubg.info, Node: What do I have to pay for GNU Backgammon?, Next: This GNU stuff sounds interesting, Prev: Where do I get it?, Up: General questions -11.1.4 What do I have to pay for GNU Backgammon? -------------------------------------------------- +11.1.4 What do I have to pay for GNU Backgammon? +------------------------------------------------ GNU Backgammon is _Free Software_ and is a part of the _GNU Project_. -You may download it for free. For more information see the GNU General -Public License (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html). But be aware +You may download it for free. For more information see the GNU General +Public License (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html). But be aware that GNU Backgammon is not _public domain software_ or _shareware_ as -you perhaps know from _MS Windows_. GNU Backgammon is free as in -_freedom_, i.e. all the source code is there for you to inspect, change +you perhaps know from _MS Windows_. GNU Backgammon is free as in +_freedom_, i.e. all the source code is there for you to inspect, change or distribute as long as you keep said license. @@ -4264,7 +4319,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: This GNU stuff sounds interesting, Next: I want to lea 11.1.5 This GNU stuff sounds interesting ---------------------------------------- -Take a look at the GNU home page (http://www.gnu.org/). It's also the +Take a look at the GNU home page (http://www.gnu.org/). It's also the page for Free Software Foundation. @@ -4273,20 +4328,20 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: I want to learn more about backgammon, Next: Though I 11.1.6 I want to learn more about backgammon -------------------------------------------- -A good place to start is Backgammon Galore (http://www.bkgm.com/). For +A good place to start is Backgammon Galore (http://www.bkgm.com/). For an extensive link collection, go to Gammon Links. (http://www.chicagopoint.com/links.html) File: gnubg.info, Node: Though I really read all the documentation I still have questions, Next: I want to make a few proposals; I have new ideas, Prev: I want to learn more about backgammon, Up: General questions -11.1.7 Though I really read all the documentation I still have questions -------------------------------------------------------------------------- +11.1.7 Though I really read all the documentation I still have questions +------------------------------------------------------------------------ Send an email to the GNU backgammon mailing list. (mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org) If it is a bug, be sure to include the name of your operating system, the version of gnubg you use, and any error -messages you receive. Try to describe exactly what happens before the +messages you receive. Try to describe exactly what happens before the error occurs. @@ -4295,8 +4350,8 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: I want to make a few proposals; I have new ideas, Prev 11.1.8 I want to make a few proposals, I have new ideas ------------------------------------------------------- -You're welcome! Send an email with your suggestions to the GNU -backgammon mailing list. (mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org) +You're welcome! Send an email with your suggestions to the GNU +backgammon mailing list. (mailto:bug-gnubg@gnu.org) File: gnubg.info, Node: How to install, Next: Running GNU Backgammon, Prev: General questions, Up: Frequently Asked Questions @@ -4310,21 +4365,21 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: How to install, Next: Running GNU Backgammon, Prev: G * I want to install a newer version:: * I would like to compile it from the source code:: * What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?:: -* What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?:: * It does not compile:: * On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest?:: File: gnubg.info, Node: Do I need some other software to run GNU Backgammon?, Next: I want to install a newer version, Up: How to install -11.2.1 Do I need some other software to run GNU Backgammon? ------------------------------------------------------------- +11.2.1 Do I need some other software to run GNU Backgammon? +----------------------------------------------------------- -No. Everything you need is included in the binaries. +On MS Windows everything you need is included in the installer. - If you want to use the 3D board version on Linux, you might have to -install the additional libraries that can be found as well on this page -(http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=24). (acepoint's directory) + On Mac OS/X you will need the XQuartz Window System. + + On Linux there are prerequisites as well but your package manager +(apt, yum, etc...) will take care of them. File: gnubg.info, Node: I want to install a newer version, Next: I would like to compile it from the source code, Prev: Do I need some other software to run GNU Backgammon?, Up: How to install @@ -4340,129 +4395,147 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: I would like to compile it from the source code, Next: 11.2.3 I would like to compile it from the source code ------------------------------------------------------ -Good luck to you! Download the source code and make sure to read one of +Good luck to you! Download the source code and make sure to read one of the two following two items. -File: gnubg.info, Node: What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?, Next: What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?, Prev: I would like to compile it from the source code, Up: How to install +File: gnubg.info, Node: What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?, Next: It does not compile, Prev: I would like to compile it from the source code, Up: How to install 11.2.4 What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux? ------------------------------------------------------------- -Unpack the GNU Backgammon snapshots and follow the instructions of the -file `INSTALL'. - - -File: gnubg.info, Node: What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?, Next: It does not compile, Prev: What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?, Up: How to install - -11.2.5 What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows? --------------------------------------------------------------- +Unpack a GNU Backgammon snapshot and follow the instructions at this +page (http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=100). -Follow the instructions at http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=50 -(http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=50). + Details like the exact names of the prerequisite packages will vary +from a distribution to another but the general process will remain +identical. If you are remotely familiar with open source software set +up with autoconf, you will see that GNU Backgammon is straightforward to +build. -File: gnubg.info, Node: It does not compile, Next: On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest?, Prev: What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?, Up: How to install +File: gnubg.info, Node: It does not compile, Next: On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest?, Prev: What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?, Up: How to install -11.2.6 It does not compile +11.2.5 It does not compile -------------------------- Check that you have installed all necessary development packages. - Look for warnings or errors during compiling. If you still don't + Look for warnings or errors during compiling. If you still don't have a clue, send a message to <bug-gnubg@gnu.org>. File: gnubg.info, Node: On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest?, Prev: It does not compile, Up: How to install -11.2.7 On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest? ----------------------------------------------------- +11.2.6 On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest? +--------------------------------------------------- -GNU Backgammon's speed depends on the CPU only. It doesn't need much +GNU Backgammon's speed depends on the CPU only. It doesn't need much memory (any machine not totally obsolete will have enough) and does little or no I/O (a fast disk or a SSD won't make any difference). The table below lists CPUs and the result of the command -Analyze->Evaluation Speed, showing the relative speed of various +Analyse->Evaluation speed, showing the relative speed of various processors. Note that these numbers are not directly comparable with those given by the similar command from eXtreme Gammon. Evals/sec CPU System/MainRAM OS GNUBG-Version - board -449500 Intel Dell 4 GB CentOS 6 1.02 4 threads - Core Optiplex - i5-2400 790 - 3.10 GHz -258600 Intel Dell 4 GB CentOS 6 1.02 2 threads - Core Optiplex - i5-2400 790 - 3.10 GHz -197700 Intel Lenovo 4 GB Win XP SP3 1.02 2 threads - Core T430 - i5-3320M - 2.60 GHz + board +449500 Intel Dell 4 GB CentOS 6 1.02 4 + Core Optiplex threads + i5-2400 790 + 3.10 GHz +258600 Intel Dell 4 GB CentOS 6 1.02 2 + Core Optiplex threads + i5-2400 790 + 3.10 GHz +237600 Intel Lenovo 4 GB Win XP 1.04 2 + Core T430 SP3 threads + i5-3320M + 2.60 GHz +197700 Intel Lenovo 4 GB Win XP 1.02 2 + Core T430 SP3 threads + i5-3320M + 2.60 GHz 131400 Intel Dell 4 GB CentOS 6 1.02 1 thread - Core Optiplex - i5-2400 790 - 3.10 GHz -125100 Intel Dell 2 GB Win XP SP3 1.02 2 threads - Core 2 Latitude - Duo P8400 E6400 - 2.26 GHz -100100 Intel Lenovo 4 GB Win XP SP3 1.02 1 thread - Core T430 - i5-3320M - 2.60 GHz + Core Optiplex + i5-2400 790 + 3.10 GHz +125100 Intel Dell 2 GB Win XP 1.02 2 + Core 2 Latitude SP3 threads + Duo E6400 + P8400 + 2.26 GHz +119700 Intel Lenovo 4 GB Win XP 1.04 1 thread + Core T430 SP3 + i5-3320M + 2.60 GHz +100100 Intel Lenovo 4 GB Win XP 1.02 1 thread + Core T430 SP3 + i5-3320M + 2.60 GHz 64300 Intel Dell 4 GB FreeBSD 1.02 1 thread - Core 2 Latitude 9.2 - Duo T7500 D630 - 2.2 GHz -63500 Intel Dell 2 GB Win XP SP3 1.02 1 thread - Core 2 Latitude - Duo P8400 E6400 - 2.26 GHz -37600 Intel Dell 1 GB CentOS 5 1.02 - Pentium 4 Optiplex - 2.8 GHz GX270 -28000 Intel Mac mini 512 MB Win XP SP2 0.14-mingw - Core Duo Core Duo - 1.66 GHz -27000 Intel AOpen 1024 MB Win XP SP2 0.14-mingw - Pentium M 1557-J - 735 (1.7 - GHz) -26000 Intel Dell 512 MB Win XP SP2 0.14.3-devel - Celeron Dimension - 331 2.66 3100 - GHz -24500 AMD Asus K8V-X 768 MB Win XP SP2 0.14.3-devel - Sempron - 2800+ - (2000 MHz) -23000 Intel Asus 1024 MB Win XP SP2 0.14.3-devel - Pentium 4 P4P800D - 2.8 GHz + Core 2 Latitude 9.2 + Duo D630 + T7500 + 2.2 GHz +63500 Intel Dell 2 GB Win XP 1.02 1 thread + Core 2 Latitude SP3 + Duo E6400 + P8400 + 2.26 GHz +37600 Intel Dell 1 GB CentOS 5 1.02 + Pentium Optiplex + 4 2.8 GX270 + GHz +28000 Intel Mac mini 512 MB Win XP 0.14-mingw + Core Duo Core Duo SP2 + 1.66 GHz +27000 Intel AOpen 1024 MB Win XP 0.14-mingw + Pentium 1557-J SP2 + M 735 + (1.7 + GHz) +26000 Intel Dell 512 MB Win XP 0.14.3-devel + Celeron Dimension SP2 + 331 2.66 3100 + GHz +24500 AMD Asus 768 MB Win XP 0.14.3-devel + Sempron K8V-X SP2 + 2800+ + (2000 + MHz) +23000 Intel Asus 1024 MB Win XP 0.14.3-devel + Pentium P4P800D SP2 + 4 2.8 + GHz 21759 AMD Acer 512 MB Kubuntu 0.14.3-devel - Athlon64 Aspire 5.04 - 3000+ 1522 - (32bit - mode) + Athlon64 Aspire 5.04 + 3000+ 1522 + (32bit + mode) 20120 AMD MSI 1024 MB Suse 0.14.3-devel - Athlon XP K7N-Delta2 Linux 9.2 - 2500+ - (1833 Mhz) -19200 Intel IBM 1024 MB Win XP SP2 0.14.3-devel - Pentium M ThinkPad - 1.6 GHz X41 -14400 Intel Sony Vaio 256 MB Win XP SP2 0.16-mingw - Pentium PCG-R600HFPD - III-M 1GHz -8520 Intel Toshiba 256 MB Win XP SP1 1.02 - Celeron Satellite - 750 MHz 4600 -6990 Intel Toshiba 128 MB Win XP SP2 1.02 - Celeron Satellite - 600 MHz 4310 + Athlon K7N-Delta2 Linux + XP 2500+ 9.2 + (1833 + Mhz) +19200 Intel IBM 1024 MB Win XP 0.14.3-devel + Pentium ThinkPad SP2 + M 1.6 X41 + GHz +14400 Intel Sony 256 MB Win XP 0.16-mingw + Pentium Vaio SP2 + III-M PCG-R600HFPD + 1GHz +9170 Intel Toshiba 256 MB Win XP 1.04 + Celeron Satellite SP1 + 750 MHz 4600 +8520 Intel Toshiba 256 MB Win XP 1.02 + Celeron Satellite SP1 + 750 MHz 4600 +6990 Intel Toshiba 128 MB Win XP 1.02 + Celeron Satellite SP2 + 600 MHz 4310 File: gnubg.info, Node: Running GNU Backgammon, Next: Playing backgammon, Prev: How to install, Up: Frequently Asked Questions @@ -4477,7 +4550,6 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Running GNU Backgammon, Next: Playing backgammon, Pre * Starting from the WinXP menu it plays like a beginner:: * My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon:: * I only get a command-line interface:: -* When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone:: * I do not need this graphical stuff:: @@ -4486,37 +4558,36 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: I get an error message when starting, Next: GNU Backga 11.3.1 I get an error message when starting ------------------------------------------- -Well, your computer wants to communicate with you. Give it a chance and -read (and try to understand) what it is telling you. Then read the next +Well, your computer wants to communicate with you. Give it a chance and +read (and try to understand) what it is telling you. Then read the next items carefully: File: gnubg.info, Node: GNU Backgammon complains about missing files, Next: Starting from the WinXP menu it plays like a beginner, Prev: I get an error message when starting, Up: Running GNU Backgammon -11.3.2 GNU Backgammon complains about missing files ----------------------------------------------------- +11.3.2 GNU Backgammon complains about missing files +--------------------------------------------------- -GNU Backgammon reads several different files at start-up. It will first +GNU Backgammon reads several different files at start-up. It will first try to read a file called gnubg.wd. This is a file which contains all the neural net weights and is necessary for the program to evaluate -positions. If this file is not found, or found corrupted or with an +positions. If this file is not found, or found corrupted or with an incompatible version, GNU Backgammon will search for a weights file -called gnubg.weights. This file also contains the neural net weights, -but is stored in ASCII format. If none of these files are found, GNU -Backgammon will start, but it will give you a warning about these -missing files, and it will play _very_ poorly. +called gnubg.weights. This file also contains the neural net weights, +but is stored in ASCII format. If none of these files are found, GNU +Backgammon will not start. GNU Backgammon will also read the bearoff databases at start-up. -There are usually two bearoff databases. The first is called -gnubg_os0.bd, and has stored data about the bearoff probabilities of -all position where both players have 15 or fewer checkers left on their -six home board points. If this file is not found, GNU Backgammon will -create a heuristic bearoff database for these positions. This database +There are usually two bearoff databases. The first is called +gnubg_os0.bd, and has stored data about the bearoff probabilities of all +position where both players have 15 or fewer checkers left on their six +home board points. If this file is not found, GNU Backgammon will +create a heuristic bearoff database for these positions. This database is a also called the 'One Sided Database', since it evaluates each -player separately. The other bearoff database is called gnubg_ts0.bd. +player separately. The other bearoff database is called gnubg_ts0.bd. This bearoff database contains win probabilities for all bearoff -positions with six or less checkers. It also contains cubeful equities -(Money Game) for all the positions. If this file is not found at +positions with six or less checkers. It also contains cubeful equities +(Money Game) for all the positions. If this file is not found at start-up, GNU Backgammon will evaluate late bearoff positions with the one sided bearoff database. @@ -4527,54 +4598,46 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Starting from the WinXP menu it plays like a beginner, ------------------------------------------------------------ Open the MS Windows menu and go to the entry for gnubg. Right-click -with the mouse and choose `properties'. Check, if the `working path' is -the same directory as the `*.exe'-file one line above. If not, adjust +with the mouse and choose 'properties'. Check, if the 'working path' is +the same directory as the '*.exe'-file one line above. If not, adjust the working path. File: gnubg.info, Node: My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon, Next: I only get a command-line interface, Prev: Starting from the WinXP menu it plays like a beginner, Up: Running GNU Backgammon -11.3.4 My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon --------------------------------------------------------- +11.3.4 My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon +------------------------------------------------------- -Install the newest driver for your graphic card. Be sure that you have -chosen at least a desktop resolution of 65535 (16 bit color depth). If +Install the newest driver for your graphic card. Be sure that you have +chosen at least a desktop resolution of 65535 (16 bit color depth). If your card is a ATI Rage _somewhat_ there still might be some problems with the graphical interface (GTK+) and MS Windows. -File: gnubg.info, Node: I only get a command-line interface, Next: When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone, Prev: My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon, Up: Running GNU Backgammon +File: gnubg.info, Node: I only get a command-line interface, Next: I do not need this graphical stuff, Prev: My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon, Up: Running GNU Backgammon 11.3.5 I only get a command-line interface ------------------------------------------ -Using MS Windows, just click on the correct menu entry (`GNU Backgammon -for windows'). If it still doesn't work, check whether -`c:\[path-to-your-gnubg]\gnubg.exe' exists or not. +Using MS Windows, just click on the correct menu entry ('GNU Backgammon +for windows'). If it still doesn't work, check whether +'c:\[path-to-your-gnubg]\gnubg.exe' exists or not. GNU/Linux users should check if GTK+ (http://www.gtk.org/) is installed. -File: gnubg.info, Node: When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone, Next: I do not need this graphical stuff, Prev: I only get a command-line interface, Up: Running GNU Backgammon - -11.3.6 When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone --------------------------------------------------------------- - -Did you save your settings Settings->Save settings before you quit? - - -File: gnubg.info, Node: I do not need this graphical stuff, Prev: When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone, Up: Running GNU Backgammon +File: gnubg.info, Node: I do not need this graphical stuff, Prev: I only get a command-line interface, Up: Running GNU Backgammon -11.3.7 I do not need this graphical stuff +11.3.6 I do not need this graphical stuff ----------------------------------------- -For _GNU/Linux_ users: open a terminal and run `gnubg -t'. +For _GNU/Linux_ users: open a terminal and run 'gnubg -t'. - MS Windows users: Look for a file called `gnubg-cli.exe' in GNU -Backgammon's install directory or open the MS Windows menu -Start->Run... and type `c:\[path-to-your-gnubg]\gnubg-cli.exe'. There is -also a menu entry GNU Backgammon Command Line Interface. + MS Windows users: Look for a file called 'gnubg-cli.exe' in GNU +Backgammon's install directory or open the MS Windows menu Start->Run... +and type 'c:\[path-to-your-gnubg]\gnubg-cli.exe'. There is also a menu +entry GNU Backgammon Command Line Interface. File: gnubg.info, Node: Playing backgammon, Next: Settings, Prev: Running GNU Backgammon, Up: Frequently Asked Questions @@ -4599,9 +4662,9 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: What is the difference of a new game or match or sessio ---------------------------------------------------------------- When you start a new match, you will be asked to play to a certain -amount of points (for example, 7 points). The player who firstly -reaches this amount wins the match. Starting a new session means -playing to an infinite amount. Be aware that the rules do slightly +amount of points (for example, 7 points). The player who firstly +reaches this amount wins the match. Starting a new session means +playing to an infinite amount. Be aware that the rules do slightly differ, mainly the Jacoby rule is applies to sessions and the Crawford to match play. @@ -4611,10 +4674,10 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: What is a beaver in Backgammon?, Next: How do I move t 11.4.2 What is a beaver in Backgammon? -------------------------------------- -A beaver is only allowed in a money game session. To beaver means to -redouble, retaining control of the cube, immediately after your -opponent doubles. For more information see the glossary at Backgammon -Galore (http://www.bkgm.com/glossary.html#B). +A beaver is only allowed in a money game session. To beaver means to +redouble, retaining control of the cube, immediately after your opponent +doubles. For more information see the glossary at Backgammon Galore +(http://www.bkgm.com/glossary.html#B). File: gnubg.info, Node: How do I move the checkers?, Next: Why am I allowed to place more than 5 checkers on a point?, Prev: What is a beaver in Backgammon?, Up: Playing backgammon @@ -4622,17 +4685,16 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: How do I move the checkers?, Next: Why am I allowed to 11.4.3 How do I move the checkers? ---------------------------------- -The easiest way to move checkers is to "_drag and drop_." Put your +The easiest way to move checkers is to "_drag and drop_." Put your mouse pointer over a checker you want to move, press the left mouse button and drag the checker to the desired point, holding down the button while dragging. If you prefer to use mouse clicks, the left mouse button is for the -left die shown on your board. Right click your mouse for the right die. +left die shown on your board. Right click your mouse for the right die. - If you always want the higher number displayed on the left, go to -the menu Settings->Appearance-> General and select Show higher die on -left. + If you always want the higher number displayed on the left, go to the +menu Settings->Appearance-> General and select Show higher die on left. File: gnubg.info, Node: Why am I allowed to place more than 5 checkers on a point?, Next: GNU Backgammon plays poorly, Prev: How do I move the checkers?, Up: Playing backgammon @@ -4641,7 +4703,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Why am I allowed to place more than 5 checkers on a poi ----------------------------------------------------------------- The official backgammon tournament rules allow to put up to all 15 -checkers on a point. Playing with a maximum of 5 checkers, sometimes +checkers on a point. Playing with a maximum of 5 checkers, sometimes known as the Egyptian Rule, is no longer supported by GNU Backgammon. @@ -4650,8 +4712,8 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: GNU Backgammon plays poorly, Next: GNU Backgammon is t 11.4.5 GNU Backgammon plays poorly ---------------------------------- -Are you sure? If the answer is yes you should think about going to -Monte Carlo this summer and win the Backgammon World Championship. If +Are you sure? If the answer is yes you should think about going to +Monte Carlo this summer and win the Backgammon World Championship. If this plan fails, check whether the weights file is loaded at start-up. See also *note GNU Backgammon complains about missing files: GNU Backgammon complains about missing files. @@ -4671,13 +4733,13 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: I think the bot is cheating, Prev: GNU Backgammon is t 11.4.7 I think the bot is cheating ---------------------------------- -In its default configuration, the dice generator does not cheat. In -the menu Settings you may choose between different random dice -generators. If you still think GNU Backgammon is cheating, program your -own dice generator or roll manually. It doesn't cheat! +In its default configuration, the dice generator does not cheat. In the +menu Settings you may choose between different random dice generators. +If you still think GNU Backgammon is cheating, program your own dice +generator or roll manually. It doesn't cheat! -File: gnubg.info, Node: Settings, Next: Analyzing, Prev: Playing backgammon, Up: Frequently Asked Questions +File: gnubg.info, Node: Settings, Next: Analysing, Prev: Playing backgammon, Up: Frequently Asked Questions 11.5 Settings ============= @@ -4696,8 +4758,8 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Where can I change the name of the human player?, Next 11.5.1 Where can I change the name of the human player? ------------------------------------------------------- -Go to the menu Settings-> Players.... and click on Player 1. At the top -there is a field to change the human player's name. +Go to the menu Settings-> Players.... and click on Player 1. At the +top there is a field to change the human player's name. File: gnubg.info, Node: How do I change the colors?, Next: How do I stop the annoying beeps?, Prev: Where can I change the name of the human player?, Up: Settings @@ -4705,7 +4767,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: How do I change the colors?, Next: How do I stop the a 11.5.2 How do I change the colors? ---------------------------------- -Go to the menu Settings-> Appearance . Here you may change the color of +Go to the menu Settings-> Appearance . Here you may change the color of checkers, the points and the board itself. @@ -4714,8 +4776,8 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: How do I stop the annoying beeps?, Next: What are Plie 11.5.3 How do I stop the annoying beeps? ---------------------------------------- -Go to the menuSettings-> Appearance and click on the `General' tab at -the right. Disable the option `Beep on illegal input'. +Go to the menuSettings-> Appearance and click on the 'General' tab at +the right. Disable the option 'Beep on illegal input'. File: gnubg.info, Node: What are Plies?, Next: What is noise?, Prev: How do I stop the annoying beeps?, Up: Settings @@ -4723,38 +4785,38 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: What are Plies?, Next: What is noise?, Prev: How do I 11.5.4 What are Plies? ---------------------- -A ply describes how far GNU Backgammon evaluates the position. _0-ply_ +A ply describes how far GNU Backgammon evaluates the position. _0-ply_ means that GNU Backgammon estimates the worth of the position as it is. -A _1-ply_ evaluation looks one step deeper, i.e. it evaluates the +A _1-ply_ evaluation looks one step deeper, i.e. it evaluates the position after making the best possible move for each of the 21 -different rolls and returns the averaged result. _2-ply_ is another +different rolls and returns the averaged result. _2-ply_ is another roll further and so on. The more plies you choose, the more you strengthen GNU Backgammon. Keep in mind that this will also decrease the playing speed. - Note also that _0-ply_ in GNU Backgammon is equivalent to the -_1-ply_ evaluation of Snowie. + Note also that _0-ply_ in GNU Backgammon is equivalent to the _1-ply_ +evaluation of Snowie. It's possible that Snowie's is a _playing_ ply while gnubg's is a -_position evaluation_ ply. When playing at 1-ply Snowie will make each -possible move for the player's roll (that's 1 ply) and analyze the -resulting positions. Playing at 2-ply it will take each of those +_position evaluation_ ply. When playing at 1-ply Snowie will make each +possible move for the player's roll (that's 1 ply) and analyse the +resulting positions. Playing at 2-ply it will take each of those positions and make all the opponent moves for all possible rolls (the -2nd ply) and then analyze the resulting positions. In GNU Backgammon the -initial set of possible moves is taken for granted, i.e. not counted as -a ply, because gnubg's plies are position evaluation plies. Thus, for -each of those possible moves a 0-ply analysis is done. gnubg's -discounting of the first set of moves perhaps makes the counting seem -funny. +2nd ply) and then analyse the resulting positions. In GNU Backgammon +the initial set of possible moves is taken for granted, i.e. not +counted as a ply, because gnubg's plies are position evaluation plies. +Thus, for each of those possible moves a 0-ply analysis is done. +gnubg's discounting of the first set of moves perhaps makes the counting +seem funny. Looking at it a different way, if you give GNU Backgammon a position -and analyze it at 1-ply, it will make all the moves for all possible -rolls (the 1st ply) and then analyze the resulting positions. With +and analyse it at 1-ply, it will make all the moves for all possible +rolls (the 1st ply) and then analyse the resulting positions. With Snowie it will assume that the position arose from a move (that's a -pretend 1st ply) then make all the moves for all possible rolls (the -2nd ply) and analyze them. This time it's Snowie that seems to be -counting strangely. +pretend 1st ply) then make all the moves for all possible rolls (the 2nd +ply) and analyse them. This time it's Snowie that seems to be counting +strangely. File: gnubg.info, Node: What is noise?, Prev: What are Plies?, Up: Settings @@ -4766,9 +4828,9 @@ Noise is a facility for disturbing GNU Backgammon's 0-ply evaluation. Raising the noise level decreases its playing strength. -File: gnubg.info, Node: Analyzing, Next: Abbreviations, Prev: Settings, Up: Frequently Asked Questions +File: gnubg.info, Node: Analysing, Next: Abbreviations, Prev: Settings, Up: Frequently Asked Questions -11.6 Analyzing +11.6 Analysing ============== * Menu: @@ -4783,46 +4845,45 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: Analyzing, Next: Abbreviations, Prev: Settings, Up: * What does EPC mean?:: -File: gnubg.info, Node: What are these funny letters at the right bottom?, Next: How do I set up a position manually?, Up: Analyzing +File: gnubg.info, Node: What are these funny letters at the right bottom?, Next: How do I set up a position manually?, Up: Analysing 11.6.1 What are these funny letters at the right bottom? -------------------------------------------------------- -You will find a small window titled `GNUbg ID' at the bottom of the GNU -Backgammon window. It contains an short, textual, representation of -the position at hand, suitable for easily copying and pasting positions. +You will find a small window titled 'GNUbg ID' at the bottom of the GNU +Backgammon window. It contains an short, textual, representation of the +position at hand, suitable for easily copying and pasting positions. - It is composed of a `Position ID' describing the checkers position -and a `Match ID' for the other features (match score, cube position and -value, dice, who is on roll...). A detailed description of both -formats is found earlier in *note A technical description of the -Position ID::. + It is composed of a 'Position ID' describing the checkers position +and a 'Match ID' for the other features (match score, cube position and +value, dice, who is on roll...). A detailed description of both formats +is found earlier in *note A technical description of the Position ID::. - Pasting a `XGID' (a similar shortcut used by eXtreme Gammon) there -is recognized as well. + Pasting a 'XGID' (a similar shortcut used by eXtreme Gammon) there is +recognized as well. -File: gnubg.info, Node: How do I set up a position manually?, Next: Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, Prev: What are these funny letters at the right bottom?, Up: Analyzing +File: gnubg.info, Node: How do I set up a position manually?, Next: Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, Prev: What are these funny letters at the right bottom?, Up: Analysing 11.6.2 How do I set up a position manually? ------------------------------------------- -Open a new game, match or session. If gnubg already rolls the dice, -don't bother. Press `edit', and either type the position_id and press +Open a new game, match or session. If gnubg already rolls the dice, +don't bother. Press 'edit', and either type the position_id and press Enter on your keyboard, or use the mouse to set up the checkers. - A mouse click at the border of the board empties the point. A left + A mouse click at the border of the board empties the point. A left or right click sets up a certain amount of checkers depending on where -exactly on the pip you click. Set up the cube with a right mouse click +exactly on the pip you click. Set up the cube with a right mouse click on it. You can also drag and drop checkers when holding down the Ctrl key. - Finally, go to the menu and select `Game, Set turn' to choose the -player on roll. The dice will then disappear. + Finally, go to the menu and select 'Game, Set turn' to choose the +player on roll. The dice will then disappear. -File: gnubg.info, Node: Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, Next: How can I switch the players sides?, Prev: How do I set up a position manually?, Up: Analyzing +File: gnubg.info, Node: Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, Next: How can I switch the players sides?, Prev: How do I set up a position manually?, Up: Analysing 11.6.3 Which formats can I use to import matches and positions? --------------------------------------------------------------- @@ -4833,22 +4894,22 @@ Jellyfish Match, (.pos) Jellyfish Position, (.sgf) Gnu Backgammon File, (.sgg) GamesGrid Save Game, (.tmg) TrueMoneyGames, (.txt) Snowie Text -File: gnubg.info, Node: How can I switch the players sides?, Next: What do ! and ? mean?, Prev: Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, Up: Analyzing +File: gnubg.info, Node: How can I switch the players sides?, Next: What do ! and ? mean?, Prev: Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, Up: Analysing 11.6.4 How can I switch the players sides? ------------------------------------------ -Go to the menu `Game' and click on `Swap players'. +Go to the menu 'Game' and click on 'Swap players'. -File: gnubg.info, Node: What do ! and ? mean?, Next: How is the error rate determined?, Prev: How can I switch the players sides?, Up: Analyzing +File: gnubg.info, Node: What do ! and ? mean?, Next: How is the error rate determined?, Prev: How can I switch the players sides?, Up: Analysing 11.6.5 What do ! and ? mean? ---------------------------- -After analyzing a game or a match GNU Backgammon is able to do some -comments on checker play or cube decisions. Open the menu `Window, Game -record' and you will see a list of the moves. If the actual move or +After analysing a game or a match GNU Backgammon is able to do some +comments on checker play or cube decisions. Open the menu 'Window, Game +record' and you will see a list of the moves. If the actual move or cube decision differs from the best, GNU Backgammon will put a comment on it. @@ -4858,11 +4919,11 @@ on it. -0.080 (bad): ? -0.160 (very bad): ?? - You may change these comment in the menu `Window, Annotation' + You may change these comment in the menu 'Window, Annotation' choosing another comment for moves and/or double -File: gnubg.info, Node: How is the error rate determined?, Next: What does Pips mean?, Prev: What do ! and ? mean?, Up: Analyzing +File: gnubg.info, Node: How is the error rate determined?, Next: What does Pips mean?, Prev: What do ! and ? mean?, Up: Analysing 11.6.6 How is the error rate determined? ---------------------------------------- @@ -4871,60 +4932,60 @@ GNU Backgammon determines a player's strength according to its average error (per move): Average Error Skill Level -0.000 .. 0.005 Extra-terrestrial -0.005 .. 0.010 World class -0.010 .. 0.015 Expert -0.015 .. 0.020 Advanced -0.020 .. 0.025 Intermediate -0.025 .. 0.030 Beginner +0.000 .. 0.005 Extra-terrestrial +0.005 .. 0.010 World class +0.010 .. 0.015 Expert +0.015 .. 0.020 Advanced +0.020 .. 0.025 Intermediate +0.025 .. 0.030 Beginner 0.030 .. Novice - After analyzing a game, match or session you can see the summary in -the menu `Analyze, ... statistics'. Note that you can't change the + After analysing a game, match or session you can see the summary in +the menu 'Analyse, ... statistics'. Note that you can't change the ranges of these values. -File: gnubg.info, Node: What does Pips mean?, Next: What does EPC mean?, Prev: How is the error rate determined?, Up: Analyzing +File: gnubg.info, Node: What does Pips mean?, Next: What does EPC mean?, Prev: How is the error rate determined?, Up: Analysing 11.6.7 What does Pips mean? --------------------------- -The pip count is a measurement showing the total number of pips -required for a player to bear off all checkers from the current -position. It can be regarded as a rough estimate of the _raceness_ of -the position. A player with a lower pip count may in many situations -want to try to race, whilst the opponent (with the higher pip count) -may want to try blocking/holding. See also the explanation on -BackGammon Galore (http://www.bkgm.com/gloss/lookup.cgi?pip+count). +The pip count is a measurement showing the total number of pips required +for a player to bear off all checkers from the current position. It can +be regarded as a rough estimate of the _raceness_ of the position. A +player with a lower pip count may in many situations want to try to +race, whilst the opponent (with the higher pip count) may want to try +blocking/holding. See also the explanation on BackGammon Galore +(http://www.bkgm.com/gloss/lookup.cgi?pip+count). (For the non-english speaking community it might be helpful to know that when you roll a six and a five, the total pips of that roll is eleven.) -File: gnubg.info, Node: What does EPC mean?, Prev: What does Pips mean?, Up: Analyzing +File: gnubg.info, Node: What does EPC mean?, Prev: What does Pips mean?, Up: Analysing 11.6.8 What does EPC mean? -------------------------- When bearing off checkers, you may notice a display showing the current -_EPC_ value (next to the display of _Pips_). The EPC display can be +_EPC_ value (next to the display of _Pips_). The EPC display can be turned on or off under menu _Settings -> Options -> Display_. _EPC_ stands for Effective Pip Count, and is an alternative -measurement of the _goodness_ of the position. The usual pip count can +measurement of the _goodness_ of the position. The usual pip count can be a misleading _goodness_ estimate when both players are bearing off. What is more important (for making cubing decisions) is _the expected number of rolls_ each player needs to bear off hes checkers. The effective pip count is defined as this expected number of remaining rolls, multiplied with the average number of pips in a roll, -which is 8.167. (The average number of pips in a roll would be 7 if -rolling a double wouldn't yield a double pip count. A double-6 yields +which is 8.167. (The average number of pips in a roll would be 7 if +rolling a double wouldn't yield a double pip count. A double-6 yields 24 pips, not 12.) - Thus, EPC takes into account not only the current pip count, but -also the expected pip wastage: + Thus, EPC takes into account not only the current pip count, but also +the expected pip wastage: 1. Effective Pip Count (EPC) = pip count + expected pip wastage @@ -4939,7 +5000,7 @@ also the expected pip wastage: 4. Wasted: 17.878 - 13 = 4.878 It's clear (hopefully) that the expected pip wastage (and hence the -_EPC_) increases with more checkers on lower points (e.g. you get pip +_EPC_) increases with more checkers on lower points (e.g. you get pip wastage when rolling a 6 to bear off a checker from the 2- or 1-point). It is further explained on BackGammon Galore @@ -4947,14 +5008,14 @@ wastage when rolling a 6 to bear off a checker from the 2- or 1-point). in a post by Douglas Zare (http://www.bkgm.com/rgb/rgb.cgi?view+1076). How do one calculate the EPC then, or the expected number of -remaining rolls? GnuBG uses the one-sided bearoff database, which -contains the chance of bearing off the final checker in any given -number of rolls. A player would probably use some quite complicated -heuristics (please see the aforementioned post by Douglas Zare, _and do -get back here and explain it!_) +remaining rolls? GnuBG uses the one-sided bearoff database, which +contains the chance of bearing off the final checker in any given number +of rolls. A player would probably use some quite complicated heuristics +(please see the aforementioned post by Douglas Zare, _and do get back +here and explain it!_) -File: gnubg.info, Node: Abbreviations, Prev: Analyzing, Up: Frequently Asked Questions +File: gnubg.info, Node: Abbreviations, Prev: Analysing, Up: Frequently Asked Questions 11.7 Abbreviations ================== @@ -4990,9 +5051,9 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: DP?, Next: CP?, Prev: MWC?, Up: Abbreviations 11.7.3 DP? ---------- -In the menu `Analyze, Game/Match/Session statistics' you will see a -window with some statistics. Near the bottom, you'll see four lines -beginning with `Missed ... and Wrong ...'. _dp_ means _doubling point_ +In the menu 'Analyse, Game/Match/Session statistics' you will see a +window with some statistics. Near the bottom, you'll see four lines +beginning with 'Missed ... and Wrong ...'. _dp_ means _doubling point_ and describes a situation in the game, where you probably should have doubled your opponent. @@ -5004,23 +5065,24 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: CP?, Next: TG?, Prev: DP?, Up: Abbreviations Cash-point(CP) is your opponent's take-point now seen from your side of the board (your cash-point which equals 100% minus your opponent's -take-point). GNU Backgammon uses the term _missed double below -cash-point_, which means that the player should have doubled, and had -he done so, his opponent should take. _Missed double above CP_ in a +take-point). GNU Backgammon uses the term _missed double below +cash-point_, which means that the player should have doubled, and had he +done so, his opponent should take. _Missed double above CP_ in a similar way means that the correct cube-action was double pass. If you are the leader in the match, the relevant take- and double-points will often look something like this (where TP*=CP): -*The double line* + + *The double line* [[doubleline.png]] The double windows (intervals) are: - [DP;CP] = Your double window! This window does not contain any -information about redoubles but only the distance to the point where -you do not want to play for the double amount of points. + [DP;CP] = Your double window! This window does not contain any +information about redoubles but only the distance to the point where you +do not want to play for the double amount of points. [TP;DP] = 100% minus your opponent's double window now. @@ -5033,7 +5095,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: TG?, Next: EPC?, Prev: CP?, Up: Abbreviations 11.7.5 TG? ---------- -_TG_ is an abbreviation for _too good_ (to double). It points to a +_TG_ is an abbreviation for _too good_ (to double). It points to a situation in the game, where you probably should have kept the cube (mostly because of decent, sometimes very good, gammon chances) rather than double out your opponent. @@ -5046,7 +5108,7 @@ File: gnubg.info, Node: EPC?, Prev: TG?, Up: Abbreviations See *note What does EPC mean?:: - _This should be an internal link, not an external one. But I can't + _This should be an internal link, not an external one. But I can't figure out how to link internally to a subsection. Anyone?_ @@ -5057,34 +5119,34 @@ Appendix A GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.3, 3 November 2008 - Copyright (C) 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, -Inc. (http://www.fsf.org/) + Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, +Inc. (http://www.fsf.org/) Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed. 0. PREAMBLE ------------ +=========== The purpose of this License is to make a manual, textbook, or other -functional and useful document "free" in the sense of freedom: to -assure everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it, with -or without modifying it, either commercially or noncommercially. +functional and useful document "free" in the sense of freedom: to assure +everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it, with or +without modifying it, either commercially or noncommercially. Secondarily, this License preserves for the author and publisher a way -to get credit for their work, while not being considered responsible -for modifications made by others. +to get credit for their work, while not being considered responsible for +modifications made by others. This License is a kind of "copyleft", which means that derivative -works of the document must themselves be free in the same sense. It +works of the document must themselves be free in the same sense. It complements the GNU General Public License, which is a copyleft license designed for free software. We have designed this License in order to use it for manuals for free software, because free software needs free documentation: a free program should come with manuals providing the same freedoms that the software -does. But this License is not limited to software manuals; it can be +does. But this License is not limited to software manuals; it can be used for any textual work, regardless of subject matter or whether it is -published as a printed book. We recommend this License principally for +published as a printed book. We recommend this License principally for works whose purpose is instruction or reference. 1. APPLICABILITY AND DEFINITIONS @@ -5092,11 +5154,11 @@ works whose purpose is instruction or reference. This License applies to any manual or other work, in any medium, that contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it can be -distributed under the terms of this License. Such a notice grants a +distributed under the terms of this License. Such a notice grants a world-wide, royalty-free license, unlimited in duration, to use that -work under the conditions stated herein. The "Document", below, refers -to any such manual or work. Any member of the public is a licensee, and -is addressed as "you". You accept the license if you copy, modify or +work under the conditions stated herein. The "Document", below, refers +to any such manual or work. Any member of the public is a licensee, and +is addressed as "you". You accept the license if you copy, modify or distribute the work in a way requiring permission under copyright law. A "Modified Version" of the Document means any work containing the @@ -5107,25 +5169,24 @@ modifications and/or translated into another language. of the Document that deals exclusively with the relationship of the publishers or authors of the Document to the Document's overall subject (or to related matters) and contains nothing that could fall directly -within that overall subject. (Thus, if the Document is in part a +within that overall subject. (Thus, if the Document is in part a textbook of mathematics, a Secondary Section may not explain any -mathematics.) The relationship could be a matter of historical +mathematics.) The relationship could be a matter of historical connection with the subject or with related matters, or of legal, commercial, philosophical, ethical or political position regarding them. The "Invariant Sections" are certain Secondary Sections whose titles -are designated, as being those of Invariant Sections, in the notice -that says that the Document is released under this License. If a section +are designated, as being those of Invariant Sections, in the notice that +says that the Document is released under this License. If a section does not fit the above definition of Secondary then it is not allowed to -be designated as Invariant. The Document may contain zero Invariant -Sections. If the Document does not identify any Invariant Sections then +be designated as Invariant. The Document may contain zero Invariant +Sections. If the Document does not identify any Invariant Sections then there are none. - The "Cover Texts" are certain short passages of text that are -listed, as Front-Cover Texts or Back-Cover Texts, in the notice that -says that the Document is released under this License. A Front-Cover -Text may be at most 5 words, and a Back-Cover Text may be at most 25 -words. + The "Cover Texts" are certain short passages of text that are listed, +as Front-Cover Texts or Back-Cover Texts, in the notice that says that +the Document is released under this License. A Front-Cover Text may be +at most 5 words, and a Back-Cover Text may be at most 25 words. A "Transparent" copy of the Document means a machine-readable copy, represented in a format whose specification is available to the general @@ -5134,16 +5195,16 @@ with generic text editors or (for images composed of pixels) generic paint programs or (for drawings) some widely available drawing editor, and that is suitable for input to text formatters or for automatic translation to a variety of formats suitable for input to text -formatters. A copy made in an otherwise Transparent file format whose +formatters. A copy made in an otherwise Transparent file format whose markup, or absence of markup, has been arranged to thwart or discourage -subsequent modification by readers is not Transparent. An image format -is not Transparent if used for any substantial amount of text. A copy +subsequent modification by readers is not Transparent. An image format +is not Transparent if used for any substantial amount of text. A copy that is not "Transparent" is called "Opaque". Examples of suitable formats for Transparent copies include plain ASCII without markup, Texinfo input format, LaTeX input format, SGML or XML using a publicly available DTD, and standard-conforming simple HTML, -PostScript or PDF designed for human modification. Examples of +PostScript or PDF designed for human modification. Examples of transparent image formats include PNG, XCF and JPG. Opaque formats include proprietary formats that can be read and edited only by proprietary word processors, SGML or XML for which the DTD and/or @@ -5153,24 +5214,24 @@ purposes only. The "Title Page" means, for a printed book, the title page itself, plus such following pages as are needed to hold, legibly, the material -this License requires to appear in the title page. For works in formats +this License requires to appear in the title page. For works in formats which do not have any title page as such, "Title Page" means the text near the most prominent appearance of the work's title, preceding the beginning of the body of the text. - The "publisher" means any person or entity that distributes copies -of the Document to the public. + The "publisher" means any person or entity that distributes copies of +the Document to the public. A section "Entitled XYZ" means a named subunit of the Document whose title either is precisely XYZ or contains XYZ in parentheses following -text that translates XYZ in another language. (Here XYZ stands for a +text that translates XYZ in another language. (Here XYZ stands for a specific section name mentioned below, such as "Acknowledgements", -"Dedications", "Endorsements", or "History".) To "Preserve the Title" +"Dedications", "Endorsements", or "History".) To "Preserve the Title" of such a section when you modify the Document means that it remains a section "Entitled XYZ" according to this definition. The Document may include Warranty Disclaimers next to the notice -which states that this License applies to the Document. These Warranty +which states that this License applies to the Document. These Warranty Disclaimers are considered to be included by reference in this License, but only as regards disclaiming warranties: any other implication that these Warranty Disclaimers may have is void and has no effect on the @@ -5181,16 +5242,16 @@ meaning of this License. You may copy and distribute the Document in any medium, either commercially or noncommercially, provided that this License, the -copyright notices, and the license notice saying this License applies -to the Document are reproduced in all copies, and that you add no other -conditions whatsoever to those of this License. You may not use -technical measures to obstruct or control the reading or further -copying of the copies you make or distribute. However, you may accept -compensation in exchange for copies. If you distribute a large enough +copyright notices, and the license notice saying this License applies to +the Document are reproduced in all copies, and that you add no other +conditions whatsoever to those of this License. You may not use +technical measures to obstruct or control the reading or further copying +of the copies you make or distribute. However, you may accept +compensation in exchange for copies. If you distribute a large enough number of copies you must also follow the conditions in section 3. - You may also lend copies, under the same conditions stated above, -and you may publicly display copies. + You may also lend copies, under the same conditions stated above, and +you may publicly display copies. 3. COPYING IN QUANTITY ---------------------- @@ -5198,15 +5259,15 @@ and you may publicly display copies. If you publish printed copies (or copies in media that commonly have printed covers) of the Document, numbering more than 100, and the Document's license notice requires Cover Texts, you must enclose the -copies in covers that carry, clearly and legibly, all these Cover -Texts: Front-Cover Texts on the front cover, and Back-Cover Texts on the -back cover. Both covers must also clearly and legibly identify you as -the publisher of these copies. The front cover must present the full -title with all words of the title equally prominent and visible. You -may add other material on the covers in addition. Copying with changes -limited to the covers, as long as they preserve the title of the -Document and satisfy these conditions, can be treated as verbatim -copying in other respects. +copies in covers that carry, clearly and legibly, all these Cover Texts: +Front-Cover Texts on the front cover, and Back-Cover Texts on the back +cover. Both covers must also clearly and legibly identify you as the +publisher of these copies. The front cover must present the full title +with all words of the title equally prominent and visible. You may add +other material on the covers in addition. Copying with changes limited +to the covers, as long as they preserve the title of the Document and +satisfy these conditions, can be treated as verbatim copying in other +respects. If the required texts for either cover are too voluminous to fit legibly, you should put the first ones listed (as many as fit @@ -5218,13 +5279,13 @@ more than 100, you must either include a machine-readable Transparent copy along with each Opaque copy, or state in or with each Opaque copy a computer-network location from which the general network-using public has access to download using public-standard network protocols a -complete Transparent copy of the Document, free of added material. If +complete Transparent copy of the Document, free of added material. If you use the latter option, you must take reasonably prudent steps, when -you begin distribution of Opaque copies in quantity, to ensure that -this Transparent copy will remain thus accessible at the stated -location until at least one year after the last time you distribute an -Opaque copy (directly or through your agents or retailers) of that -edition to the public. +you begin distribution of Opaque copies in quantity, to ensure that this +Transparent copy will remain thus accessible at the stated location +until at least one year after the last time you distribute an Opaque +copy (directly or through your agents or retailers) of that edition to +the public. It is requested, but not required, that you contact the authors of the Document well before redistributing any large number of copies, to @@ -5244,7 +5305,7 @@ In addition, you must do these things in the Modified Version: 1. Use in the Title Page (and on the covers, if any) a title distinct from that of the Document, and from those of previous versions (which should, if there were any, be listed in the History section - of the Document). You may use the same title as a previous version + of the Document). You may use the same title as a previous version if the original publisher of that version gives permission. 2. List on the Title Page, as authors, one or more persons or entities @@ -5258,8 +5319,8 @@ In addition, you must do these things in the Modified Version: 4. Preserve all the copyright notices of the Document. - 5. Add an appropriate copyright notice for your modifications - adjacent to the other copyright notices. + 5. Add an appropriate copyright notice for your modifications adjacent + to the other copyright notices. 6. Include, immediately after the copyright notices, a license notice giving the public permission to use the Modified Version under the @@ -5275,11 +5336,11 @@ In addition, you must do these things in the Modified Version: add to it an item stating at least the title, year, new authors, and publisher of the Modified Version as given on the Title Page. If there is no section Entitled "History" in the Document, create - one stating the title, year, authors, and publisher of the - Document as given on its Title Page, then add an item describing - the Modified Version as stated in the previous sentence. + one stating the title, year, authors, and publisher of the Document + as given on its Title Page, then add an item describing the + Modified Version as stated in the previous sentence. - 10. Preserve the network location, if any, given in the Document for + 10. Preserve the network location, if any, given in the Document for public access to a Transparent copy of the Document, and likewise the network locations given in the Document for previous versions it was based on. These may be placed in the "History" section. @@ -5287,27 +5348,27 @@ In addition, you must do these things in the Modified Version: least four years before the Document itself, or if the original publisher of the version it refers to gives permission. - 11. For any section Entitled "Acknowledgements" or "Dedications", + 11. For any section Entitled "Acknowledgements" or "Dedications", Preserve the Title of the section, and preserve in the section all the substance and tone of each of the contributor acknowledgements and/or dedications given therein. - 12. Preserve all the Invariant Sections of the Document, unaltered in - their text and in their titles. Section numbers or the equivalent + 12. Preserve all the Invariant Sections of the Document, unaltered in + their text and in their titles. Section numbers or the equivalent are not considered part of the section titles. - 13. Delete any section Entitled "Endorsements". Such a section may not - be included in the Modified Version. + 13. Delete any section Entitled "Endorsements". Such a section may + not be included in the Modified Version. - 14. Do not retitle any existing section to be Entitled "Endorsements" + 14. Do not retitle any existing section to be Entitled "Endorsements" or to conflict in title with any Invariant Section. - 15. Preserve any Warranty Disclaimers. + 15. Preserve any Warranty Disclaimers. If the Modified Version includes new front-matter sections or appendices that qualify as Secondary Sections and contain no material copied from the Document, you may at your option designate some or all -of these sections as invariant. To do this, add their titles to the +of these sections as invariant. To do this, add their titles to the list of Invariant Sections in the Modified Version's license notice. These titles must be distinct from any other section titles. @@ -5318,18 +5379,18 @@ approved by an organization as the authoritative definition of a standard. You may add a passage of up to five words as a Front-Cover Text, and -a passage of up to 25 words as a Back-Cover Text, to the end of the -list of Cover Texts in the Modified Version. Only one passage of -Front-Cover Text and one of Back-Cover Text may be added by (or through -arrangements made by) any one entity. If the Document already includes -a cover text for the same cover, previously added by you or by -arrangement made by the same entity you are acting on behalf of, you -may not add another; but you may replace the old one, on explicit -permission from the previous publisher that added the old one. - - The author(s) and publisher(s) of the Document do not by this -License give permission to use their names for publicity for or to -assert or imply endorsement of any Modified Version. +a passage of up to 25 words as a Back-Cover Text, to the end of the list +of Cover Texts in the Modified Version. Only one passage of Front-Cover +Text and one of Back-Cover Text may be added by (or through arrangements +made by) any one entity. If the Document already includes a cover text +for the same cover, previously added by you or by arrangement made by +the same entity you are acting on behalf of, you may not add another; +but you may replace the old one, on explicit permission from the +previous publisher that added the old one. + + The author(s) and publisher(s) of the Document do not by this License +give permission to use their names for publicity for or to assert or +imply endorsement of any Modified Version. 5. COMBINING DOCUMENTS ---------------------- @@ -5338,22 +5399,22 @@ You may combine the Document with other documents released under this License, under the terms defined in section 4 above for modified versions, provided that you include in the combination all of the Invariant Sections of all of the original documents, unmodified, and -list them all as Invariant Sections of your combined work in its -license notice, and that you preserve all their Warranty Disclaimers. +list them all as Invariant Sections of your combined work in its license +notice, and that you preserve all their Warranty Disclaimers. The combined work need only contain one copy of this License, and multiple identical Invariant Sections may be replaced with a single -copy. If there are multiple Invariant Sections with the same name but -different contents, make the title of each such section unique by -adding at the end of it, in parentheses, the name of the original -author or publisher of that section if known, or else a unique number. -Make the same adjustment to the section titles in the list of Invariant -Sections in the license notice of the combined work. +copy. If there are multiple Invariant Sections with the same name but +different contents, make the title of each such section unique by adding +at the end of it, in parentheses, the name of the original author or +publisher of that section if known, or else a unique number. Make the +same adjustment to the section titles in the list of Invariant Sections +in the license notice of the combined work. In the combination, you must combine any sections Entitled "History" in the various original documents, forming one section Entitled "History"; likewise combine any sections Entitled "Acknowledgements", -and any sections Entitled "Dedications". You must delete all sections +and any sections Entitled "Dedications". You must delete all sections Entitled "Endorsements". 6. COLLECTIONS OF DOCUMENTS @@ -5376,48 +5437,47 @@ document. A compilation of the Document or its derivatives with other separate and independent documents or works, in or on a volume of a storage or -distribution medium, is called an "aggregate" if the copyright -resulting from the compilation is not used to limit the legal rights of -the compilation's users beyond what the individual works permit. When -the Document is included in an aggregate, this License does not apply -to the other works in the aggregate which are not themselves derivative -works of the Document. +distribution medium, is called an "aggregate" if the copyright resulting +from the compilation is not used to limit the legal rights of the +compilation's users beyond what the individual works permit. When the +Document is included in an aggregate, this License does not apply to the +other works in the aggregate which are not themselves derivative works +of the Document. If the Cover Text requirement of section 3 is applicable to these copies of the Document, then if the Document is less than one half of -the entire aggregate, the Document's Cover Texts may be placed on -covers that bracket the Document within the aggregate, or the -electronic equivalent of covers if the Document is in electronic form. -Otherwise they must appear on printed covers that bracket the whole -aggregate. +the entire aggregate, the Document's Cover Texts may be placed on covers +that bracket the Document within the aggregate, or the electronic +equivalent of covers if the Document is in electronic form. Otherwise +they must appear on printed covers that bracket the whole aggregate. 8. TRANSLATION -------------- Translation is considered a kind of modification, so you may distribute -translations of the Document under the terms of section 4. Replacing +translations of the Document under the terms of section 4. Replacing Invariant Sections with translations requires special permission from their copyright holders, but you may include translations of some or all Invariant Sections in addition to the original versions of these -Invariant Sections. You may include a translation of this License, and +Invariant Sections. You may include a translation of this License, and all the license notices in the Document, and any Warranty Disclaimers, provided that you also include the original English version of this -License and the original versions of those notices and disclaimers. In +License and the original versions of those notices and disclaimers. In case of a disagreement between the translation and the original version of this License or a notice or disclaimer, the original version will prevail. If a section in the Document is Entitled "Acknowledgements", -"Dedications", or "History", the requirement (section 4) to Preserve -its Title (section 1) will typically require changing the actual title. +"Dedications", or "History", the requirement (section 4) to Preserve its +Title (section 1) will typically require changing the actual title. 9. TERMINATION -------------- You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Document except -as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy, -modify, sublicense, or distribute it is void, and will automatically -terminate your rights under this License. +as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to +copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute it is void, and will +automatically terminate your rights under this License. However, if you cease all violation of this License, then your license from a particular copyright holder is reinstated (a) @@ -5430,12 +5490,12 @@ prior to 60 days after the cessation. reinstated permanently if the copyright holder notifies you of the violation by some reasonable means, this is the first time you have received notice of violation of this License (for any work) from that -copyright holder, and you cure the violation prior to 30 days after -your receipt of the notice. +copyright holder, and you cure the violation prior to 30 days after your +receipt of the notice. Termination of your rights under this section does not terminate the licenses of parties who have received copies or rights from you under -this License. If your rights have been terminated and not permanently +this License. If your rights have been terminated and not permanently reinstated, receipt of a copy of some or all of the same material does not give you any rights to use it. @@ -5443,19 +5503,19 @@ not give you any rights to use it. ------------------------------------ The Free Software Foundation may publish new, revised versions of the -GNU Free Documentation License from time to time. Such new versions +GNU Free Documentation License from time to time. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in -detail to address new problems or concerns. See Copyleft +detail to address new problems or concerns. See Copyleft (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/). - Each version of the License is given a distinguishing version -number. If the Document specifies that a particular numbered version of -this License "or any later version" applies to it, you have the option -of following the terms and conditions either of that specified version -or of any later version that has been published (not as a draft) by the -Free Software Foundation. If the Document does not specify a version + Each version of the License is given a distinguishing version number. +If the Document specifies that a particular numbered version of this +License "or any later version" applies to it, you have the option of +following the terms and conditions either of that specified version or +of any later version that has been published (not as a draft) by the +Free Software Foundation. If the Document does not specify a version number of this License, you may choose any version ever published (not -as a draft) by the Free Software Foundation. If the Document specifies +as a draft) by the Free Software Foundation. If the Document specifies that a proxy can decide which future versions of this License can be used, that proxy's public statement of acceptance of a version permanently authorizes you to choose that version for the Document. @@ -5463,10 +5523,10 @@ permanently authorizes you to choose that version for the Document. 11. RELICENSING --------------- -"Massive Multiauthor Collaboration Site" (or "MMC Site") means any -World Wide Web server that publishes copyrightable works and also -provides prominent facilities for anybody to edit those works. A public -wiki that anybody can edit is an example of such a server. A "Massive +"Massive Multiauthor Collaboration Site" (or "MMC Site") means any World +Wide Web server that publishes copyrightable works and also provides +prominent facilities for anybody to edit those works. A public wiki +that anybody can edit is an example of such a server. A "Massive Multiauthor Collaboration" (or "MMC") contained in the site means any set of copyrightable works thus published on the MMC site. @@ -5481,9 +5541,9 @@ in part, as part of another Document. An MMC is "eligible for relicensing" if it is licensed under this License, and if all works that were first published under this License -somewhere other than this MMC, and subsequently incorporated in whole -or in part into the MMC, (1) had no cover texts or invariant sections, -and (2) were thus incorporated prior to November 1, 2008. +somewhere other than this MMC, and subsequently incorporated in whole or +in part into the MMC, (1) had no cover texts or invariant sections, and +(2) were thus incorporated prior to November 1, 2008. The operator of an MMC Site may republish an MMC contained in the site under CC-BY-SA on the same site at any time before August 1, 2009, @@ -5496,7 +5556,7 @@ To use this License in a document you have written, include a copy of the License in the document and put the following copyright and license notices just after the title page: - Copyright (C) YEAR YOUR NAME + Copyright © YEAR YOUR NAME Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version @@ -5505,7 +5565,7 @@ notices just after the title page: the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''. If you have Invariant Sections, Front-Cover Texts and Back-Cover -Texts, replace the "with... Texts." line with this: +Texts, replace the "with... Texts." line with this: with the Invariant Sections being LIST THEIR TITLES, with the Front-Cover Texts being LIST, and with the Back-Cover Texts being LIST. @@ -5522,220 +5582,218 @@ their use in free software. Tag Table: -Node: Top206 -Node: Introduction2351 -Node: GPL copying/warranty info6541 -Node: Rules of the game7036 -Node: Setup7621 -Ref: A board with the checkers in their initial position_8169 -Node: Object of the Game9723 -Ref: Direction of movement of White's checkers_ Red's checkers move in the opposite direction_10068 -Node: Movement of the Checkers10826 -Ref: White opens the game with 53_12130 -Node: Hitting and Entering13543 -Ref: White rolls 64 with a checker on the bar_14328 -Node: Bearing Off15536 -Ref: White rolls 64 and bears off two checkers_16412 -Node: Doubling17055 -Node: Gammons and Backgammons18080 -Node: Optional Rules18761 -Node: Rules for Match Play19729 -Node: Starting GNU Backgammon21975 -Node: Linux and Unix22228 -Node: Microsoft Windows22727 -Node: Mac OS X23470 -Node: Command line options24423 -Ref: GNU Backgammon startup options24821 -Node: Playing a game26215 -Node: Starting a new match or session26505 -Ref: The dialog for starting a new match_26898 -Node: Rolling the dice28324 -Ref: Click in the red rectangle to roll the dice_28691 -Node: Moving the checkers28903 -Node: Moving by drag and drop29183 -Node: Moving checkers by clicking29751 -Node: Undo a move30625 -Node: Some shortcuts31073 -Node: Using the doubling cube31906 -Node: Offering a double32148 -Node: Accepting or declining a cube32493 -Ref: The toolbar double buttons_33059 -Node: Resigning33409 -Node: Offering a resignation33607 -Node: Accepting or declining a resignation34181 -Node: Getting hints and Tutor Mode35182 -Node: Getting hints manually35417 -Node: Getting checker play hints while playing35704 -Ref: The hint window36117 -Node: Getting cube decision hints while playing39030 -Ref: The cube hint window39595 -Node: The hint tool buttons41175 -Node: Tutor mode43479 -Ref: The tutor window43824 -Ref: The tutor warning window44527 -Node: Setting up a position45316 -Node: Entering Edit mode46230 -Node: Editing47188 -Node: Clearing the board47518 -Ref: Click in the one of the areas marked with a red ellipse to clear the board_47949 -Ref: Click in the one of the areas marked with a red ellipse to get to the initial position_48240 -Node: Quick edit48453 -Node: Editing by drag and drop49487 -Node: Setting the player on turn50333 -Ref: Clicking the White checker image will set White on turn; clicking the Black image will set Black in turn_50639 -Node: Setting the dice51200 -Ref: Click inside the red rectangle to set the dice for Black_ Click inside the green rectangle to set the dice for White_51822 -Node: Setting the cube52347 -Node: Setting the score52954 -Node: Exiting Edit mode53911 -Node: Analyzing the position54373 -Node: Working with matches55631 -Node: Retrieving and storing backgammon files55919 -Node: The Smart Game Format56316 -Node: Opening and importing matches56893 -Node: Saving and exporting positions; games or matches59119 -Node: HTML export61518 -Node: LaTeX export64081 -Node: Entering live tournament matches64926 -Node: Entering illegal moves67509 -Node: Analyzing matches68524 -Node: Analysis settings69676 -Ref: Analyze settings dialog69955 -Node: Reviewing matches71481 -Node: Game record71685 -Ref: The Game record pane72235 -Node: Analysis panel75025 -Ref: The Analyze pane75588 -Node: Statistics78247 -Node: Checker play statistics78802 -Node: Luck analysis80581 -Node: Cube statistics82417 -Node: Overall rating85140 -Node: Rollouts88758 -Node: Introduction to rollouts88962 -Node: Rollouts in GNU Backgammon91171 -Node: Quasi-Random Dice93906 -Node: Customizing GNU Backgammon97143 -Node: Evaluation settings97357 -Node: Introduction to evaluation settings97817 -Node: The depth to search and plies98895 -Node: Defining evaluation settings101709 -Node: Playing skill;102075 -Node: Hints;102444 -Node: Analysis;103188 -Node: Rollouts;103724 -Node: Changing evaluation settings104672 -Ref: The evaluation settings dialog104935 -Node: Predefined settings106286 -Node: Move filters107994 -Node: Introduction to move filters108227 -Ref: Example of move filter settings109425 -Node: Defining move filters113116 -Ref: Move filter 1113757 -Ref: Move filter 2115274 -Ref: Move filter 3115347 -Node: Cubeful vs Cubeless116297 -Ref: Cubeful example116749 -Ref: Cubeful example 2117437 -Node: Pruning neural networks118239 -Node: Noise118921 -Node: Appearance120167 -Ref: The appearance dialog120632 -Node: Technical Notes121794 -Node: Obtaining bearoff databases122197 -Node: Generate your own122743 -Node: Download125474 -Node: Installation of the databases126123 -Node: Verification of the databases126513 -Node: One-sided bearoff databases [compressed]126917 -Node: Two-sided bearoff databases [with cubeless and cubeful equities]128831 -Node: Two-sided databases for Hypergammon130499 -Ref: Random position from hypergammon database131220 -Node: Match Equity Tables132669 -Node: Python scripting134161 -Node: gnubg module functions134602 -Node: Match description135854 -Node: Match info136221 -Node: Python game137740 -Node: Game actions138349 -Node: Equities explained138503 -Node: Introduction to equities138821 -Node: Money equity139355 -Node: Match Winning Chance140223 -Node: Normalized equity141728 -Node: Cubeful equities143554 -Node: Basic formula for cubeful equities144135 -Node: Live cube equities145073 -Ref: Cubeful example 1145735 -Ref: mgtp146390 -Ref: mptp149514 -Node: 0-ply Cubeful equities151325 -Node: n-ply Cubeful equities152039 -Node: The cube efficiency153396 -Node: Cube decisions155247 -Ref: mgcd155859 -Node: Beyond the simple model158170 -Node: A technical description of the Position ID158998 -Node: A technical description of the Match ID164474 -Node: Description of the CSS style sheet169026 -Node: Frequently Asked Questions174000 -Node: General questions174335 -Node: What is GNU Backgammon?174885 -Node: What operating systems are supported?175297 -Node: Where do I get it?176142 -Node: What do I have to pay for GNU Backgammon?176607 -Node: This GNU stuff sounds interesting177336 -Node: I want to learn more about backgammon177707 -Node: Though I really read all the documentation I still have questions178167 -Node: I want to make a few proposals; I have new ideas178813 -Node: How to install179217 -Node: Do I need some other software to run GNU Backgammon?179740 -Node: I want to install a newer version180272 -Node: I would like to compile it from the source code180597 -Node: What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?181012 -Node: What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?181449 -Node: It does not compile181885 -Node: On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest?182314 -Node: Running GNU Backgammon188170 -Node: I get an error message when starting188710 -Node: GNU Backgammon complains about missing files189108 -Node: Starting from the WinXP menu it plays like a beginner190873 -Node: My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon191447 -Node: I only get a command-line interface192039 -Node: When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone192595 -Node: I do not need this graphical stuff192990 -Node: Playing backgammon193547 -Node: What is the difference of a new game or match or session?194031 -Node: What is a beaver in Backgammon?194664 -Node: How do I move the checkers?195180 -Node: Why am I allowed to place more than 5 checkers on a point?195956 -Node: GNU Backgammon plays poorly196480 -Node: GNU Backgammon is too strong for me197059 -Node: I think the bot is cheating197441 -Node: Settings197897 -Node: Where can I change the name of the human player?198213 -Node: How do I change the colors?198579 -Node: How do I stop the annoying beeps?198936 -Node: What are Plies?199283 -Node: What is noise?201178 -Node: Analyzing201432 -Node: What are these funny letters at the right bottom?201892 -Node: How do I set up a position manually?202743 -Node: Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?203648 -Node: How can I switch the players sides?204243 -Node: What do ! and ? mean?204557 -Node: How is the error rate determined?205359 -Node: What does Pips mean?206216 -Node: What does EPC mean?207025 -Node: Abbreviations209170 -Node: GWC?209363 -Node: MWC?209506 -Node: DP?209662 -Node: CP?210063 -Ref: The double line210696 -Node: TG?211110 -Node: EPC?211448 -Node: GNU Free Documentation License211703 +Node: Top205 +Node: Introduction2347 +Node: GPL copying/warranty info6545 +Node: Rules of the game7041 +Node: Setup7627 +Ref: A board with the checkers in their initial position_8178 +Node: Object of the Game9741 +Ref: Direction of movement of White's checkers_ Red's checkers move in the opposite direction_10087 +Node: Movement of the Checkers10851 +Ref: White opens the game with 53_12157 +Node: Hitting and Entering13581 +Ref: White rolls 64 with a checker on the bar_14367 +Node: Bearing Off15582 +Ref: White rolls 64 and bears off two checkers_16462 +Node: Doubling17112 +Node: Gammons and Backgammons18145 +Node: Optional Rules18828 +Node: Rules for Match Play19803 +Node: Starting GNU Backgammon22060 +Node: Linux and Unix22313 +Node: Microsoft Windows22815 +Node: Mac OS X23562 +Node: Command line options24515 +Ref: GNU Backgammon startup options24914 +Node: Playing a game26313 +Node: Starting a new match or session26603 +Ref: The dialog for starting a new match_26997 +Node: Rolling the dice28437 +Ref: Click in the red rectangle to roll the dice_28805 +Node: Moving the checkers29022 +Node: Moving by drag and drop29302 +Node: Moving checkers by clicking29872 +Node: Undo a move30749 +Node: Some shortcuts31196 +Node: Using the doubling cube32033 +Node: Offering a double32275 +Node: Accepting or declining a cube32622 +Ref: The toolbar double buttons_33190 +Node: Resigning33547 +Node: Offering a resignation33745 +Node: Accepting or declining a resignation34324 +Node: Getting hints and Tutor Mode35330 +Node: Getting hints manually35565 +Node: Getting checker play hints while playing35852 +Ref: The hint window36266 +Node: Getting cube decision hints while playing39192 +Ref: The cube hint window39758 +Node: The hint tool buttons41353 +Node: Tutor mode43675 +Ref: The tutor window44023 +Ref: The tutor warning window44733 +Node: Setting up a position45532 +Node: Entering Edit mode46450 +Node: Editing47413 +Node: Clearing the board47743 +Ref: Click in the one of the areas marked with a red ellipse to clear the board_48176 +Ref: Click in the one of the areas marked with a red ellipse to get to the initial position_48472 +Node: Quick edit48689 +Node: Editing by drag and drop49728 +Node: Setting the player on turn50579 +Ref: Clicking the White checker image will set White on turn; clicking the Black image will set Black in turn_50886 +Node: Setting the dice51454 +Ref: Click inside the red rectangle to set the dice for Black_ Click inside the green rectangle to set the dice for White_52078 +Node: Setting the cube52610 +Node: Setting the score53220 +Node: Exiting Edit mode54183 +Node: Analysing the position54645 +Node: Working with matches55911 +Node: Retrieving and storing backgammon files56199 +Node: The Smart Game Format56596 +Node: Opening and importing matches57176 +Node: Saving and exporting positions; games or matches59407 +Node: HTML export61855 +Node: LaTeX export64425 +Node: Entering live tournament matches65274 +Node: Entering illegal moves67869 +Node: Analysing matches68886 +Node: Analysis settings70044 +Ref: Analyse settings dialog70323 +Node: Reviewing matches71863 +Node: Game record72067 +Ref: The Game record pane72622 +Node: Analysis panel75437 +Ref: The Analyse pane76003 +Node: Statistics78691 +Node: Checker play statistics79248 +Node: Luck analysis81033 +Node: Cube statistics82875 +Node: Overall rating85607 +Node: Rollouts89241 +Node: Introduction to rollouts89445 +Node: Rollouts in GNU Backgammon91666 +Node: Quasi-Random Dice94408 +Node: Customizing GNU Backgammon97659 +Node: Evaluation settings97873 +Node: Introduction to evaluation settings98333 +Node: The depth to search and plies99415 +Node: Defining evaluation settings102430 +Node: Playing skill;102796 +Node: Hints;103259 +Node: Analysis;103544 +Node: Rollouts;104332 +Node: Changing evaluation settings105302 +Ref: The evaluation settings dialog105565 +Node: Predefined settings106902 +Node: Move filters108619 +Node: Introduction to move filters108852 +Ref: Example of move filter settings110052 +Node: Defining move filters113873 +Ref: Move filter 1114517 +Ref: Move filter 2116007 +Ref: Move filter 3116084 +Node: Cubeful vs Cubeless117042 +Ref: Cubeful example117496 +Ref: Cubeful example 2118192 +Node: Pruning neural networks119002 +Node: Noise119677 +Node: Appearance120927 +Ref: The appearance dialog121395 +Node: Technical Notes122382 +Node: Obtaining bearoff databases122785 +Node: Generate your own123331 +Node: Download126268 +Node: Installation of the databases126917 +Node: Verification of the databases127307 +Node: One-sided bearoff databases [compressed]127711 +Node: Two-sided bearoff databases [with cubeless and cubeful equities]129625 +Node: Two-sided databases for Hypergammon131312 +Ref: Random position from hypergammon database132034 +Node: Match Equity Tables133487 +Node: Python scripting134975 +Node: gnubg module functions135416 +Node: Match description136674 +Node: Match info137041 +Node: Python game138563 +Node: Game actions139174 +Node: Equities explained139328 +Node: Introduction to equities139646 +Node: Money equity140183 +Node: Match Winning Chance141055 +Node: Normalized equity142561 +Node: Cubeful equities144328 +Node: Basic formula for cubeful equities144910 +Node: Live cube equities145853 +Ref: Cubeful example 1146518 +Ref: mgtp147178 +Ref: mptp150315 +Node: 0-ply Cubeful equities152131 +Node: n-ply Cubeful equities152846 +Node: The cube efficiency154204 +Node: Cube decisions156061 +Ref: mgcd156675 +Node: Beyond the simple model158993 +Node: A technical description of the Position ID159824 +Node: A technical description of the Match ID165345 +Node: Description of the CSS style sheet169985 +Node: Frequently Asked Questions175111 +Node: General questions175446 +Node: What is GNU Backgammon?175996 +Node: What operating systems are supported?176410 +Node: Where do I get it?177257 +Node: What do I have to pay for GNU Backgammon?177723 +Node: This GNU stuff sounds interesting178454 +Node: I want to learn more about backgammon178826 +Node: Though I really read all the documentation I still have questions179287 +Node: I want to make a few proposals; I have new ideas179932 +Node: How to install180338 +Node: Do I need some other software to run GNU Backgammon?180801 +Node: I want to install a newer version181302 +Node: I would like to compile it from the source code181627 +Node: What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?182043 +Node: It does not compile182766 +Node: On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest?183195 +Node: Running GNU Backgammon187785 +Node: I get an error message when starting188266 +Node: GNU Backgammon complains about missing files188666 +Node: Starting from the WinXP menu it plays like a beginner190353 +Node: My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon190929 +Node: I only get a command-line interface191521 +Node: I do not need this graphical stuff192058 +Node: Playing backgammon192597 +Node: What is the difference of a new game or match or session?193081 +Node: What is a beaver in Backgammon?193717 +Node: How do I move the checkers?194235 +Node: Why am I allowed to place more than 5 checkers on a point?195012 +Node: GNU Backgammon plays poorly195537 +Node: GNU Backgammon is too strong for me196118 +Node: I think the bot is cheating196500 +Node: Settings196957 +Node: Where can I change the name of the human player?197273 +Node: How do I change the colors?197641 +Node: How do I stop the annoying beeps?197999 +Node: What are Plies?198346 +Node: What is noise?200250 +Node: Analysing200504 +Node: What are these funny letters at the right bottom?200964 +Node: How do I set up a position manually?201815 +Node: Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?202725 +Node: How can I switch the players sides?203320 +Node: What do ! and ? mean?203634 +Node: How is the error rate determined?204438 +Node: What does Pips mean?205297 +Node: What does EPC mean?206108 +Node: Abbreviations208260 +Node: GWC?208453 +Node: MWC?208596 +Node: DP?208752 +Node: CP?209156 +Ref: The double line209791 +Node: TG?210210 +Node: EPC?210549 +Node: GNU Free Documentation License210805 End Tag Table diff --git a/doc/gnubg/gnubg.pdf b/doc/gnubg/gnubg.pdf Binary files differindex 0359db0..90e6eb9 100644 --- a/doc/gnubg/gnubg.pdf +++ b/doc/gnubg/gnubg.pdf diff --git a/doc/gnubg/gnubg.texi b/doc/gnubg/gnubg.texi index 3aefa6d..06f53e3 100644 --- a/doc/gnubg/gnubg.texi +++ b/doc/gnubg/gnubg.texi @@ -77,13 +77,13 @@ Setting up a position * Setting the cube:: * Setting the score:: * Exiting Edit mode:: -* Analyzing the position:: +* Analysing the position:: Working with matches * Retrieving and storing backgammon files:: * Entering live tournament matches:: -* Analyzing matches:: +* Analysing matches:: * Reviewing matches:: Rollouts @@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ Frequently Asked Questions * Running GNU Backgammon:: * Playing backgammon:: * Settings:: -* Analyzing:: +* Analysing:: * Abbreviations:: @end detailmenu @@ -123,11 +123,11 @@ Frequently Asked Questions @chapter Introduction This manual describes how to use GNU -Backgammon to play and analyze backgammon games and +Backgammon to play and analyse backgammon games and matches. It corresponds to version 1.00.0 (updated in August, 2013). GNU Backgammon (gnubg) -plays and analyzes both money game sessions and tournament matches. It +plays and analyses both money game sessions and tournament matches. It evaluates and rolls out positions, and much more. Driven by a command-line interface, it displays an ASCII rendering of a board on text-only terminals, but also allows the user to play games and manipulate positions with a @@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ and matches. Record keeping of player statistics in games and matches using relational databases (SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL are supported). @item -Loading and saving analyzed games and matches as .sgf files (Smart +Loading and saving analysed games and matches as .sgf files (Smart Game Format). @item @@ -792,7 +792,7 @@ dice roll before each roll. @item GNU Backgammon comes with a tutor -mode. If this mode is active, GNU Backgammon analyzes each move you +mode. If this mode is active, GNU Backgammon analyses each move you do, and warn you each time you make a mistake. More about tutor mode later. @@ -980,7 +980,7 @@ Click Game->Agree to resignation from the menu, to accept an offered resignation If you want to get a hint of the best move or the best cube action press the Hint button in the tool bar or the menu option -Analyze->Hint. +Analyse->Hint. This will open a hint window. @noindent @@ -1021,7 +1021,7 @@ Occasionally you may see several moves with the equity of -1.000, different winning percentiles. This is because it thinks that if any of these moves are played then the opponent will double and you should pass. The n-ply is the depth to which GNU -Backgammon analyzed the move. +Backgammon analysed the move. @item @emph{Win} is the fractions of games that @@ -1196,7 +1196,7 @@ checking the Tutor mode check box. [[tutor.png]] In Tutor Mode, GNU Backgammon will -analyze your moves and/or cube decisions and compare them with its +analyse your moves and/or cube decisions and compare them with its choices. You set the threshold for its alerts, for example, if you set it for bad then it will only warn you when you make a bad mistake. It will then allow you to re-examine your choice, go right ahead with it, @@ -1251,7 +1251,7 @@ give you a better understanding of the game. * Setting the cube:: * Setting the score:: * Exiting Edit mode:: -* Analyzing the position:: +* Analysing the position:: @end menu @node Entering Edit mode, Editing, , Setting up a position @@ -1425,26 +1425,26 @@ to tick whenever the position is from a Crawford game. If you want the computer to do a money game evaluation of the position, you should set the match score to 0 (zero). -@node Exiting Edit mode, Analyzing the position, Setting the score, Setting up a position +@node Exiting Edit mode, Analysing the position, Setting the score, Setting up a position @section Exiting Edit mode -Before you can start analyzing the position you have to exit edit +Before you can start analysing the position you have to exit edit mode. This is done by releasing the Edit button in the toolbar by clicking it. Note that editing a position destroys your game record with no warning, so it might be an idea to save your match if you want to keep it. -@node Analyzing the position, , Exiting Edit mode, Setting up a position -@section Analyzing the position +@node Analysing the position, , Exiting Edit mode, Setting up a position +@section Analysing the position After you have successfully set up the position you desire, you can -now analyze the position. You can click Hint in the toolbar to get the +now analyse the position. You can click Hint in the toolbar to get the best move of cube decision in the same way as described in the chapter called @ref{Playing a game}. Hint, rollouts and evaluations done from the hint window will not be saved if you try to save the position. -If you want to analyze the position and then be able to save the +If you want to analyse the position and then be able to save the position and the analysis results you should rather do a move and then -click back to the move and then choose Analyze->Analyze move for the menu. You can then work in the analysis pane on +click back to the move and then choose Analyse->Analyse move for the menu. You can then work in the analysis pane on the right side instead of in the hint window. You can enter checkers on a point by clicking on the point. Notice @@ -1462,7 +1462,7 @@ See also @uref{http://www.bkgm.com/rgb/rgb.cgi?view+1098,Albert Silver's post on @menu * Retrieving and storing backgammon files:: * Entering live tournament matches:: -* Analyzing matches:: +* Analysing matches:: * Reviewing matches:: @end menu @@ -1678,7 +1678,7 @@ You can not export a position to LaTeX. (At least not yet!) However, you can export a position to EPS and include this EPS file in your LaTeX document. -@node Entering live tournament matches, Analyzing matches, Retrieving and storing backgammon files, Working with matches +@node Entering live tournament matches, Analysing matches, Retrieving and storing backgammon files, Working with matches @section Entering live tournament matches It's possible to enter match transcriptions into GNU @@ -1725,7 +1725,7 @@ Tip: while entering the match, if you wish to see GNU Backgammon's opinion while you are entering the moves, play the move on the board and press the Hint button in the tool bar. In the latest builds, if you have done this, the results will then be -placed with the move so that it means it is already analyzed when you +placed with the move so that it means it is already analysed when you run the full match analysis. Mind you, it will preserve the information even if you ran a deeper 3-ply or 4-ply from the Hint window. After playing the move and confirming the dice, go back in the move list and @@ -1774,28 +1774,28 @@ checker image for the player on roll, under the game board. Continue to enter the rest of the game. @end enumerate -@node Analyzing matches, Reviewing matches, Entering live tournament matches, Working with matches -@section Analyzing matches +@node Analysing matches, Reviewing matches, Entering live tournament matches, Working with matches +@section Analysing matches -GNU Backgammon can analyze your matches +GNU Backgammon can analyse your matches for skill and luck. If you have an open match (as a result of playing, -loading or importing), the analysis is started by choosing Analyze->Analyze match. You should now see a progress bar at the bottom right +loading or importing), the analysis is started by choosing Analyse->Analyse match. You should now see a progress bar at the bottom right corner of the main interface window while the computer is busy -analyzing. During this time you won't be able to interact with the +analysing. During this time you won't be able to interact with the program other than to quit the analysis. The analysis is complete when the progress bar disappears and you hear a small sound. Now, you would probably like to view the result of the analysis. This can be done in -terms of overall statistics by choosing Analyze->Match statistics, or in detail by browsing through the match. More on these +terms of overall statistics by choosing Analyse->Match statistics, or in detail by browsing through the match. More on these subjects in the upcoming sections. -You can also analyze just the current game, by choosing Analyze->Analyze game. If you're only interested in the analysis of the current -move, you can select Analyze->Analyze move. +You can also analyse just the current game, by choosing Analyse->Analyse game. If you're only interested in the analysis of the current +move, you can select Analyse->Analyse move. @menu * Analysis settings:: @end menu -@node Analysis settings, , , Analyzing matches +@node Analysis settings, , , Analysing matches @subsection Analysis settings You can configure how GNU Backgammon @@ -1803,14 +1803,14 @@ analysis the match or game for you. This can be configured in the dialog box that appears when choose Settings->Analysis. @noindent -@anchor{Analyze settings dialog} +@anchor{Analyse settings dialog} -@strong{Analyze settings dialog} +@strong{Analyse settings dialog} [[analysesettings.png]] In the top left frame in this dialog box, you can select what to -analyze. GNU Backgammon is able to analyze +analyse. GNU Backgammon is able to analyse three different properties in a match. @enumerate @@ -1825,13 +1825,13 @@ Cube decisions Luck of each roll @end enumerate -In addition you can have the analysis to analyze just one of the +In addition you can have the analysis to analyse just one of the players, or both. There is also possible to set a limit of how many -moves to be analyzed at each position. When you're reviewing your match, -the number of analyzed moves will be limited to number in this field. -However, if you want to analyze further moves in a particular position, +moves to be analysed at each position. When you're reviewing your match, +the number of analysed moves will be limited to number in this field. +However, if you want to analyse further moves in a particular position, it's not a problem to do that later. The move that was actually done in -the match will be analyzed even if it is ranked below the number of +the match will be analysed even if it is ranked below the number of moves limit. GNU Backgammon will also mark each move @@ -1851,7 +1851,7 @@ each move or cube decision should be evaluated in the analysis. For an explanation of this settings, see the chapter called "[[Evaluation settings]]". -@node Reviewing matches, , Analyzing matches, Working with matches +@node Reviewing matches, , Analysing matches, Working with matches @section Reviewing matches @menu @@ -1863,7 +1863,7 @@ settings]]". @node Game record, Analysis panel, , Reviewing matches @subsection Game record -When a match is analyzed in GNU +When a match is analysed in GNU Backgammon you should open the @emph{game record} window. Open this by checking Window->Game record on from the main menu. The game record window can also be docked into the right side panel. If you want it docked into the @@ -1960,9 +1960,9 @@ same as the Hint window described in the "[[Playing a game or match]]" chapter. @noindent -@anchor{The Analyze pane} +@anchor{The Analyse pane} -@strong{The Analyze pane} +@strong{The Analyse pane} [[analasyepane.png]] @@ -2022,7 +2022,7 @@ You can get a summary of the analysis from the game, match, or session analysis. The game analysis is a summary for the current game whereas the match or session statistics is a summary of all the games in the match or session. The match analysis is available in the GUI -from Analyze->Match Statistics or at the bottom of exported files. +from Analyse->Match Statistics or at the bottom of exported files. @menu * Checker play statistics:: @@ -2290,7 +2290,7 @@ plays rather bad, this number can become larger than 100%, since he due to the extra luck has the possibly to give up even more MWC. However, GNU Backgammon will report this number as 100%, and 0% for the opposite situation. -Note that this number is biased towards the analyzing bot, e.g., +Note that this number is biased towards the analysing bot, e.g., a 0-ply analysis a game between GNU Backgammon 2-ply and 0-ply will suggest that 0-ply is a favorite, which it is clearly not. For an unbiased measure use the @emph{luck adjusted @@ -2569,11 +2569,11 @@ roll, and evaluates these position at the given ply. It's possible to set the search depth by specifying the plies lookahead in any evaluation settings dialog. -Snowie users: GNU Backgammon differs -from some other software, notably Snowie in that GNU -Backgammon zero ply is the same as Snowie 1 ply. In +Snowie and XG users: GNU Backgammon differs +from most other software, notably Snowie and eXtreme Gammon in that GNU +Backgammon starts counting plies at 0 (no lookahead) while other start at 1 ply. In the same way what is called 2-ply in GNU -Backgammon will therefore be similar to a Snowie 3-ply. +Backgammon will be similar to a Snowie 3-ply. For GNU Backgammon, a 0-ply evaluation of a move would be done by: @@ -2609,11 +2609,10 @@ Every additional ply will multiply the previous number of evaluations by about 400 odd, which explains the huge difference in playing speed/analysis speed between 0 ply and 2 ply settings. I don't think many people would enjoy playing against GNU -Backgammon at 3 ply settings, where moves could take -minutes to be selected. It's also not clear that using much deeper -lookahead actually gains a lot in terms of playing strength - if you -really need better answers than 2 ply, rollouts are probably a lot -better. +Backgammon at 4 ply settings, where moves could take +tens of seconds to be selected. Deeper +lookahead than 2 ply actually gains relatively little in terms of playing strength and are not very interesting as settings for GNU Backgammon as an opponent or for rollouts (although 3 ply is quite fast on current computers). +On the other hand, 4 ply analysis is reasonably fast on modern multi-cores machines. @node Defining evaluation settings, Playing skill;, The depth to search and plies, Evaluation settings @subsection Defining evaluation settings @@ -2626,32 +2625,24 @@ playing or the quality of it's hints and analysis: @subsection Playing skill: Settings->Players->Player 0 - choose Supremo or World Class. GNU Backgammon will -take longer choosing its moves, but they will be very strong. At this -setting, it is much stronger than Jellyfish level 7. +take at most a few seconds choosing its moves and they will be very strong. At this +setting, it is significantly stronger than any human player (on average, some classes of positions are evaluated less accurately). @node Hints;, Analysis;, Playing skill;, Evaluation settings @subsection Hints: Settings->Evaluation - choose Supremo or World Class if you want hints to be -very accurate, but, like the playing skill setting, you may find that -it can take as long as 15 seconds to get an answer on a 1GHz PC. -Expert will be very fast, but for some positions where you need to -consider what your opponent may do on his roll and how you will follow -it up, the results will be less accurate. A wild guess would be -somewhere around 2 or 3 percent of the time, World Class or stronger -settings would give a different best move and maybe less than 1/2 -percent of the time, the Expert result would be seriously -wrong. +accurate and fast. Anything lower doesn't really makes sense +on current PCs. @node Analysis;, Rollouts;, Hints;, Evaluation settings @subsection Analysis: -Settings->Analysis - these settings are used by the Analyze Move/Game/Match +Settings->Analysis - these settings are used by the Analyse Move/Game/Match or Session command. Note that this is totally different to what is used in the Hint command, which uses the above settings. You probably -want at least World Class here. My experience on a 700MHz PC is that a -7 point match takes about 15 to 20 minutes to analyze on the Supremo -settings. But the results tend to be very accurate. +want at least Supremo here. A 7 point match will take at most 1 minute to analyse on the Supremo settings. This could be used to get immediate feedback after completing a match. +An alternative is to use the more accurate 4 ply level. The same analysis would take maybe 15 minutes on a 4-cores computer and longer on more limited hardware. This would be more suitable to delayed, overnight for instance, processing of a batch of matches. @node Rollouts;, Changing evaluation settings, Analysis;, Evaluation settings @subsection Rollouts: @@ -2659,16 +2650,15 @@ settings. But the results tend to be very accurate. Settings->Rollouts->General Settings tick the boxes for 'Cube decisions use same settings same as checker play' and 'Use same settings for both players' -Settings->Rollouts->First Play Both - select Expert here (this is my opinion). When doing +Settings->Rollouts->First Play Both - select Expert here for fast rollouts or World Class for slower but more accurate ones. When doing rollouts, most of the time Expert play will be more than strong enough if you do say 1296 trials with no truncation. The rollout function has an enormous number of options, most of which are only useful when -trying to investigate special positions. The simple expert setting for -both players is probably more accurate than any of the Analysis +trying to investigate special positions. The simple Expert setting for +both players is more accurate than any of the Analysis functions. The downside is that rolling out 1296 trials of an early -move in a game can take a couple of hours. On World Class or Supremo -rollout settings, it can take more than 24 hours of computing -time. +move in a game can take from a couple of minutes at Expert level to hours at World Class or Supremo +rollout settings. @node Changing evaluation settings, Predefined settings, Rollouts;, Evaluation settings @subsection Changing evaluation settings @@ -2704,7 +2694,7 @@ In the Noise box, you can add noise to the evaluation. This can be smart if you think the program plays to strong. You can use the Noise box option to introduce noise or errors in the evaluations. This is useful for introducing levels below 0-ply. The lower rated bots (e.g., -GGotter) on the GamesGrid backgammon server uses this technique. The +BlunderBot on FIBS) use this technique. The introduced noise can be deterministic, i.e., always the same noise for the same position, or it can be random. @@ -2773,7 +2763,7 @@ also quite slow. It is more suitable to analysis than to actual play. GNU Backgammon uses a technique called move filters in order to prune the complete list of legal -moves when analyzing checker play decisions. +moves when analysing checker play decisions. A move filter for a given ply, say, 2-ply, consists of four parameters for each sub ply: @@ -2781,7 +2771,7 @@ parameters for each sub ply: @enumerate @item -whether to analyze at all at this sub ply, +whether to analyse at all at this sub ply, @item the number of moves always accepted at the given level, @@ -2796,7 +2786,7 @@ the threshold for adding extra moves. A move filter for a given ply, say, 2-ply, consists of four parameters for each sub ply: -whether to analyze at all at this sub ply, the number of moves +whether to analyse at all at this sub ply, the number of moves always accepted at the given level, the number of extra moves to add, the threshold for adding extra moves. For example, for 2-ply checker play decisions there are two move filters: one for pruning @@ -2906,7 +2896,7 @@ facilitate fast decisions and analysis, i.e., no need to waste much time over obvious moves. For post-mortem analysis it may be worthwhile to ensure that GNU -Backgammon analyzes at least two moves at the specified ply. To do +Backgammon analyses at least two moves at the specified ply. To do this, specify accept 2 moves in the move filters you use for analysis. However, do note that GNU Backgammon will force evaluation at the specified ply @@ -2924,7 +2914,7 @@ press the Modify... button. Although the predefined levels, such as World Class, Supremo, etc. are tested and good, you may want to know or control how GNU -filters its moves to analyze and how many. +filters its moves to analyse and how many. @noindent @anchor{Move filter 1} @@ -2933,8 +2923,8 @@ filters its moves to analyze and how many. [[movefilter1.png]] -If you are playing Expert level (this is what GGRaccoon is set -at) or another 0-ply setting, the Move Filter settings will not +If you are playing Expert level +or another 0-ply setting, the Move Filter settings will not change a thing, as Expert level automatically examines all moves. At Supremo level, this changes though, as it takes a selection of the best moves from 0-ply and examines them at 2-ply. This means that @@ -2947,17 +2937,17 @@ that depth. In the figure above, we can see it first will Always accept 0 moves. This first line means that it won't force any moves to be -analyzed at 2-ply, it will only analyze moves according to the -second line. If it had said it would always analyze 2 moves, this +analysed at 2-ply, it will only analyse moves according to the +second line. If it had said it would always analyse 2 moves, this would mean that no matter how ridiculously bad the 2nd move was -compared to the 1st, it would analyze both at 2-ply. +compared to the 1st, it would analyse both at 2-ply. The second line says it will Add extra 16 moves within 0.320. This means that provided they aren't more than 0.320 equity worse -than the top move, it will select a maximum of 16 moves to analyze +than the top move, it will select a maximum of 16 moves to analyse at 2-ply. For example, in the figure below, the 2nd best move is no less than 0.453 equity worse than the top choice, so it didn't -bother analyzing them at 2-ply as it is unlikely to change its mind +bother analysing them at 2-ply as it is unlikely to change its mind on what the best move is. @noindent @@ -2978,10 +2968,10 @@ Take a look at next figure. Here, the exact same settings were maintained, but the 1-ply filter was activated. This just means that those 16 moves selected -from the 0-ply are sent instead to be analyzed at 1-ply, and then up -to 5 moves from 1-ply will be sent to be analyzed at 2-ply. So this +from the 0-ply are sent instead to be analysed at 1-ply, and then up +to 5 moves from 1-ply will be sent to be analysed at 2-ply. So this would actually be faster than the previous setting (and weaker), -since a maximum of only 5 moves would be analyzed at 2-ply depth. +since a maximum of only 5 moves would be analysed at 2-ply depth. Tip: Feel free to experiment with the settings, as you can always reset them by simply choosing one of the predefined levels. @@ -3050,7 +3040,7 @@ A feature in the evaluation is the use of a set of neural networks just to prune away move candidates within a deeper ply search. This increases the speed considerably and it doesn't lose much playing strength compared to evaluation without these pruning neural -nets. Jim Segrave has just done an analysis of this and found that +nets. Jim Segrave did an analysis of this and found that less than 1% of all moves come out different with the pruning nets activated. In most of these positions the move would not have made any difference to the game at all. @@ -3117,14 +3107,6 @@ option. You can here select between the 2D board or the 3D board. You can also choose between different other settings. Most of the settings here are self explanatory. -@quotation - -@strong{Warning} - -Don't forget to save your settings!! A lovely and painstakingly -crafted board setup can be lost if you don't faithfully do your Settings->Save settings. -@end quotation - @node Technical Notes, Frequently Asked Questions, Customizing GNU Backgammon, Top @chapter Technical Notes @@ -3161,6 +3143,11 @@ with a size less than 2GB, i.e., the 13pt one-sided database and the 11 checker two-sided database are the largest databases that can be generated with makebearoff. +On current (2014) hardware the creation of the 11 checker +two-sided database will take a few hours. +It is approximately 3 times longer for each additional checker +or each additional point. + To generate one sided database issue makebearoff -o 10 -f gnubg_os.bd @@ -3206,14 +3193,14 @@ the command makehyper -c 3 -f hyper3.bd -Since the generation is @emph{very} time consuming +Since the generation can be time consuming, makehyper will generate a checkpoint file (in the example above: -hyper1.bd.tmp) that can be used to restart the calculation if needed +hyper3.bd.tmp) that can be used to restart the calculation if needed by using the -r option. You can also change the default convergence threshold of 0.00001 if you're happy with less accurate equities. To generate the 3 checker database you need approximately 400 MB of free -memory. On a 2.4 GHz box with 512 MB of RAM the calculation ran for 58 -iterations of 3000 seconds each, i.e., a total of 48 hours! +memory. On current (2014) hardware the calculation for the 3-checker +database will take a few hours (1- and 2-checker are much faster). See makehyper --help for the complete set of available options. @@ -3318,7 +3305,7 @@ Checkers @tab Points @tab MD5 checksum @item 10 @tab 6 @tab 12dc70c86f356d06bc96ee38dee40c62 @item -11 @tab 6 @tab not available +11 @tab 6 @tab 68a0fa972bdde7b14a6b911d1dc80a30 @item 12 @tab 6 @tab not available @item @@ -3616,7 +3603,7 @@ A Sequence of actions. stats (optional) -Game statistics. Similar entries to Analyze->Game statistics from the GUI. +Game statistics. Similar entries to Analyse->Game statistics from the GUI. @node Game actions, , Python game, Python scripting @subsection Game actions @@ -3712,19 +3699,19 @@ points: (MWC(w),+1) and (MWC(l),-1). For example, suppose the score is 3-1 to 5 with the cube on 2: MWC(l)=0% and MWC(w)=50%: -@multitable @columnfractions 0.333333333333333 0.333333333333333 0.333333333333333 +@multitable @columnfractions 0.5 0.5 @item -MWC@tab NEMG@tab +MWC@tab NEMG @item -0%@tab -1@tab +0%@tab -1 @item -25%@tab 0@tab +25%@tab 0 @item -50%@tab +1@tab +50%@tab +1 @item -75%@tab +2@tab +75%@tab +2 @item -100%@tab +3@tab +100%@tab +3 @end multitable Note that a w/g/bg distribution of 0 100 100 - 0 0 0 gives a NEMG @@ -3859,7 +3846,7 @@ only occur a limited number of times. The live cube take point is generally calculated as -TP(live, n Cube)=TP(dead, n cube) * (1 - TP(live, 2n cube)) +TP(live, n Cube)=TP(effective, n cube) * (1 - TP(live, 2n cube)) So to calculate the live cube take points for a 1-cube at 3-0 to 7 we need the live cube take points for the 4-cube and the 2-cube. For @@ -4126,8 +4113,8 @@ of the player on roll, continuing around to the 24 point and ending at the bar): @item -append as many 1s as the player on roll has on that point -(if any). +append as many 1s as the player not on roll +(the opponent) has on that point (if any). @item append a 0. @@ -4138,8 +4125,8 @@ of the opponent, continuing around to the opponent's 24 point and ending at the bar): @item -append as many 1s as the opponent has on that point (if -any). +append as many 1s as the the player on roll has +on that point (if any). @item append a 0. @@ -4164,7 +4151,7 @@ the key format: @multitable @columnfractions 0.5 0.5 @item -0 0 0 0 0@tab player on roll has no checkers on ace to 5 points +0 0 0 0 0@tab opponent has no checkers on his ace to 5 points @item 11111 0@tab 5 checkers on the 6 point @item @@ -4172,19 +4159,19 @@ the key format: @item 111 0@tab 3 on the 8 @item -0 0 0 0@tab no others in our outfield +0 0 0 0@tab no others in his outfield @item 11111 0@tab 5 on the midpoint @item -0 0 0 0 0@tab none in the opponent's outfield +0 0 0 0 0@tab none in our outfield @item -0 0 0 0 0@tab or in opponent's board, until... +0 0 0 0 0@tab or in our board, until... @item 11 0@tab two on the 24 point @item 0@tab none on the bar @item -0 0 0 0 0@tab opponent has no checkers on ace to 5 points +0 0 0 0 0@tab player on roll has no checkers on his ace to 5 points @item 11111 0@tab 5 checkers on the 6 point @item @@ -4192,13 +4179,13 @@ the key format: @item 111 0@tab 3 on the 8 @item -0 0 0 0@tab no others in opponent's outfield +0 0 0 0@tab no others in his outfield @item 11111 0@tab 5 on the midpoint @item -0 0 0 0 0@tab none in our outfield +0 0 0 0 0@tab none in opponent's outfield @item -0 0 0 0 0@tab or in our board, until... +0 0 0 0 0@tab or in opponent's board, until... @item 11 0@tab two on the 24 point @item @@ -4339,7 +4326,7 @@ will be 101-010. @item Bit 22 to 36 is the match length. The maximum value for the -match length is 32767. A match score of zero indicates that the +match length is 32767. A match length of zero indicates that the game is a money game. @item @@ -4436,7 +4423,7 @@ Class@tab Description @item .stattableheader@tab The header row of the statistics table @item -.result@tab Style for the text indicating the outcome of the game or match, e.g., Jørn@emph{ Thyssen wins 16 points}. +.result@tab Style for the text indicating the outcome of the game or match, e.g., @emph{Jørn Thyssen wins 16 points}. @item .tiny@tab Currently unused. @item @@ -4474,7 +4461,7 @@ Class@tab Description * Running GNU Backgammon:: * Playing backgammon:: * Settings:: -* Analyzing:: +* Analysing:: * Abbreviations:: @end menu @@ -4496,7 +4483,7 @@ Class@tab Description @subsection What is GNU Backgammon? GNU Backgammon (gnubg) is a program for -playing and analyzing backgammon positions, games and matches. It's +playing and analysing backgammon positions, games and matches. It's based on a neural network. You may play GNU Backgammon using the command line or a graphical interface based on GTK+. @@ -4504,7 +4491,7 @@ interface based on GTK+. @node What operating systems are supported?, Where do I get it?, What is GNU Backgammon?, General questions @subsection What operating systems are supported? -GNU Backgammon is mostly developped +GNU Backgammon is mostly developed on @emph{GNU/Linux}. It also builds and runs under other Unix operating systems like those derived from @emph{BSD} or @@ -4573,7 +4560,6 @@ You're welcome! Send an email with your suggestions to @uref{mailto:bug-gnubg@@g * I want to install a newer version:: * I would like to compile it from the source code:: * What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?:: -* What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?:: * It does not compile:: * On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest?:: @end menu @@ -4581,11 +4567,11 @@ You're welcome! Send an email with your suggestions to @uref{mailto:bug-gnubg@@g @node Do I need some other software to run GNU Backgammon?, I want to install a newer version, , How to install @subsection Do I need some other software to run GNU Backgammon? -No. Everything you need is included in the binaries. +On MS Windows everything you need is included in the installer. + +On Mac OS/X you will need the XQuartz Window System. -If you want to use the 3D board version on Linux, you might have -to install the additional libraries that can be found as well on -@uref{http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=24,this page}. (acepoint's directory) +On Linux there are prerequisites as well but your package manager (apt, yum, etc...) will take care of them. @node I want to install a newer version, I would like to compile it from the source code, Do I need some other software to run GNU Backgammon?, How to install @subsection I want to install a newer version @@ -4598,18 +4584,19 @@ Go ahead, your settings should be saved. Good luck to you! Download the source code and make sure to read one of the two following two items. -@node What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?, What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?, I would like to compile it from the source code, How to install +@node What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?, It does not compile, I would like to compile it from the source code, How to install @subsection What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux? -Unpack the GNU Backgammon snapshots and -follow the instructions of the file `INSTALL'. +Unpack a GNU Backgammon snapshot and +follow the instructions at @uref{http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=100,this page}. -@node What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?, It does not compile, What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?, How to install -@subsection What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows? +Details like the exact names of the prerequisite packages will vary +from a distribution to another but the general process will remain +identical. If you are remotely familiar with open source software +set up with autoconf, you will see that +GNU Backgammon is straightforward to build. -Follow the instructions at @uref{http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=50,http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=50}. - -@node It does not compile, On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest?, What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?, How to install +@node It does not compile, On what CPU will GNU Backgammon run fastest?, What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?, How to install @subsection It does not compile Check that you have installed all necessary development packages. @@ -4625,7 +4612,7 @@ GNU Backgammon's speed depends on the CPU only. It doesn't need much memory (any machine not totally obsolete will have enough) and does little or no I/O (a fast disk or a SSD won't make any difference). -The table below lists CPUs and the result of the command Analyze->Evaluation Speed, showing the relative speed of various processors. +The table below lists CPUs and the result of the command Analyse->Evaluation speed, showing the relative speed of various processors. Note that these numbers are not directly comparable with those given by the similar command from eXtreme Gammon. @multitable @columnfractions 0.142857142857143 0.142857142857143 0.142857142857143 0.142857142857143 0.142857142857143 0.142857142857143 0.142857142857143 @@ -4636,12 +4623,16 @@ Evals/sec@tab CPU@tab System/Main board@tab RAM@tab OS @tab GNUBG-Version@tab @item 258600@tab Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz@tab Dell Optiplex 790@tab 4 GB@tab CentOS 6@tab 1.02@tab 2 threads @item +237600@tab Intel Core i5-3320M 2.60 GHz@tab Lenovo T430@tab 4 GB@tab Win XP SP3@tab 1.04@tab 2 threads +@item 197700@tab Intel Core i5-3320M 2.60 GHz@tab Lenovo T430@tab 4 GB@tab Win XP SP3@tab 1.02@tab 2 threads @item 131400@tab Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz@tab Dell Optiplex 790@tab 4 GB@tab CentOS 6@tab 1.02@tab 1 thread @item 125100@tab Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26 GHz@tab Dell Latitude E6400@tab 2 GB@tab Win XP SP3@tab 1.02@tab 2 threads @item +119700@tab Intel Core i5-3320M 2.60 GHz@tab Lenovo T430@tab 4 GB@tab Win XP SP3@tab 1.04@tab 1 thread +@item 100100@tab Intel Core i5-3320M 2.60 GHz@tab Lenovo T430@tab 4 GB@tab Win XP SP3@tab 1.02@tab 1 thread @item 64300@tab Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2 GHz@tab Dell Latitude D630@tab 4 GB@tab FreeBSD 9.2@tab 1.02@tab 1 thread @@ -4668,6 +4659,8 @@ Evals/sec@tab CPU@tab System/Main board@tab RAM@tab OS @tab GNUBG-Version@tab @item 14400@tab Intel Pentium III-M 1GHz@tab Sony Vaio PCG-R600HFPD@tab 256 MB@tab Win XP SP2@tab 0.16-mingw@tab @item +9170@tab Intel Celeron 750 MHz@tab Toshiba Satellite 4600@tab 256 MB@tab Win XP SP1@tab 1.04@tab +@item 8520@tab Intel Celeron 750 MHz@tab Toshiba Satellite 4600@tab 256 MB@tab Win XP SP1@tab 1.02@tab @item 6990@tab Intel Celeron 600 MHz@tab Toshiba Satellite 4310@tab 128 MB@tab Win XP SP2@tab 1.02@tab @@ -4682,7 +4675,6 @@ Evals/sec@tab CPU@tab System/Main board@tab RAM@tab OS @tab GNUBG-Version@tab * Starting from the WinXP menu it plays like a beginner:: * My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon:: * I only get a command-line interface:: -* When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone:: * I do not need this graphical stuff:: @end menu @@ -4704,9 +4696,7 @@ found, or found corrupted or with an incompatible version, GNU Backgammon will search for a weights file called gnubg.weights. This file also contains the neural net weights, but is stored in ASCII format. If none of these files are -found, GNU Backgammon will start, but it -will give you a warning about these missing files, and it will play -@emph{very} poorly. +found, GNU Backgammon will not start. GNU Backgammon will also read the bearoff databases at start-up. There are usually two bearoff @@ -4740,7 +4730,7 @@ depth). If your card is a ATI Rage @emph{somewhat} there still might be some problems with the graphical interface (GTK+) and MS Windows. -@node I only get a command-line interface, When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone, My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon, Running GNU Backgammon +@node I only get a command-line interface, I do not need this graphical stuff, My screen mixes up while starting GNU Backgammon, Running GNU Backgammon @subsection I only get a command-line interface Using MS Windows, just click on the correct menu entry @@ -4750,12 +4740,7 @@ exists or not. GNU/Linux users should check if @uref{http://www.gtk.org/,GTK+} is installed. -@node When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone, I do not need this graphical stuff, I only get a command-line interface, Running GNU Backgammon -@subsection When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone - -Did you save your settings Settings->Save settings before you quit? - -@node I do not need this graphical stuff, , When I restart GNU Backgammon all my settings are gone, Running GNU Backgammon +@node I do not need this graphical stuff, , I only get a command-line interface, Running GNU Backgammon @subsection I do not need this graphical stuff For @emph{GNU/Linux} users: open a terminal and run @@ -4845,7 +4830,7 @@ generators. If you still think GNU Backgammon is cheating, program your own dice generator or roll manually. It doesn't cheat! -@node Settings, Analyzing, Playing backgammon, Frequently Asked Questions +@node Settings, Analysing, Playing backgammon, Frequently Asked Questions @section Settings @menu @@ -4897,9 +4882,9 @@ Backgammon is equivalent to the It's possible that Snowie's is a @emph{playing} ply while gnubg's is a @emph{position evaluation} ply. When playing at 1-ply Snowie will make each possible move for the player's -roll (that's 1 ply) and analyze the resulting positions. Playing at +roll (that's 1 ply) and analyse the resulting positions. Playing at 2-ply it will take each of those positions and make all the opponent -moves for all possible rolls (the 2nd ply) and then analyze the +moves for all possible rolls (the 2nd ply) and then analyse the resulting positions. In GNU Backgammon the initial set of possible moves is taken for granted, i.e. not counted as a ply, because gnubg's plies are position evaluation plies. Thus, @@ -4908,11 +4893,11 @@ discounting of the first set of moves perhaps makes the counting seem funny. Looking at it a different way, if you give GNU -Backgammon a position and analyze it at 1-ply, it will +Backgammon a position and analyse it at 1-ply, it will make all the moves for all possible rolls (the 1st ply) and then -analyze the resulting positions. With Snowie it will assume that the +analyse the resulting positions. With Snowie it will assume that the position arose from a move (that's a pretend 1st ply) then make all -the moves for all possible rolls (the 2nd ply) and analyze them. This +the moves for all possible rolls (the 2nd ply) and analyse them. This time it's Snowie that seems to be counting strangely. @node What is noise?, , What are Plies?, Settings @@ -4922,8 +4907,8 @@ Noise is a facility for disturbing GNU Backgammon's 0-ply evaluation. Raising the noise level decreases its playing strength. -@node Analyzing, Abbreviations, Settings, Frequently Asked Questions -@section Analyzing +@node Analysing, Abbreviations, Settings, Frequently Asked Questions +@section Analysing @menu * What are these funny letters at the right bottom?:: @@ -4936,7 +4921,7 @@ decreases its playing strength. * What does EPC mean?:: @end menu -@node What are these funny letters at the right bottom?, How do I set up a position manually?, , Analyzing +@node What are these funny letters at the right bottom?, How do I set up a position manually?, , Analysing @subsection What are these funny letters at the right bottom? You will find a small window titled `GNUbg ID' @@ -4949,7 +4934,7 @@ A detailed description of both formats is found earlier in @ref{A technical desc Pasting a `XGID' (a similar shortcut used by eXtreme Gammon) there is recognized as well. -@node How do I set up a position manually?, Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, What are these funny letters at the right bottom?, Analyzing +@node How do I set up a position manually?, Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, What are these funny letters at the right bottom?, Analysing @subsection How do I set up a position manually? Open a new game, match or session. If gnubg already rolls the @@ -4967,7 +4952,7 @@ key. Finally, go to the menu and select `Game, Set turn' to choose the player on roll. The dice will then disappear. -@node Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, How can I switch the players sides?, How do I set up a position manually?, Analyzing +@node Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, How can I switch the players sides?, How do I set up a position manually?, Analysing @subsection Which formats can I use to import matches and positions? Import of matches and positions from a number of file formats is @@ -4976,15 +4961,15 @@ possible: (.gam) GammonEmpire Game, Position, (.sgf) Gnu Backgammon File, (.sgg) GamesGrid Save Game, (.tmg) TrueMoneyGames, (.txt) Snowie Text -@node How can I switch the players sides?, What do ! and ? mean?, Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, Analyzing +@node How can I switch the players sides?, What do ! and ? mean?, Which formats can I use to import matches and positions?, Analysing @subsection How can I switch the players sides? Go to the menu `Game' and click on `Swap players'. -@node What do ! and ? mean?, How is the error rate determined?, How can I switch the players sides?, Analyzing +@node What do ! and ? mean?, How is the error rate determined?, How can I switch the players sides?, Analysing @subsection What do ! and ? mean? -After analyzing a game or a match GNU +After analysing a game or a match GNU Backgammon is able to do some comments on checker play or cube decisions. Open the menu `Window, Game record' and you will see a list of the moves. If the actual move or cube decision differs @@ -5005,7 +4990,7 @@ The default settings are: You may change these comment in the menu `Window, Annotation' choosing another comment for moves and/or double -@node How is the error rate determined?, What does Pips mean?, What do ! and ? mean?, Analyzing +@node How is the error rate determined?, What does Pips mean?, What do ! and ? mean?, Analysing @subsection How is the error rate determined? GNU Backgammon determines a player's @@ -5030,11 +5015,11 @@ Average Error@tab Skill Level 0.030 ..@tab Novice @end multitable -After analyzing a game, match or session you can see the summary -in the menu `Analyze, ... statistics'. Note that you can't change the +After analysing a game, match or session you can see the summary +in the menu `Analyse, ... statistics'. Note that you can't change the ranges of these values. -@node What does Pips mean?, What does EPC mean?, How is the error rate determined?, Analyzing +@node What does Pips mean?, What does EPC mean?, How is the error rate determined?, Analysing @subsection What does Pips mean? The pip count is a measurement showing the total number of pips @@ -5049,7 +5034,7 @@ See also the @uref{http://www.bkgm.com/gloss/lookup.cgi?pip+count,explanation on know that when you roll a six and a five, the total pips of that roll is eleven.) -@node What does EPC mean?, , What does Pips mean?, Analyzing +@node What does EPC mean?, , What does Pips mean?, Analysing @subsection What does EPC mean? When bearing off checkers, you may notice a display showing the @@ -5114,7 +5099,7 @@ number of rolls. A player would probably use some quite complicated heuristics (please see the aforementioned post by Douglas Zare, @emph{and do get back here and explain it!}) -@node Abbreviations, , Analyzing, Frequently Asked Questions +@node Abbreviations, , Analysing, Frequently Asked Questions @section Abbreviations @menu @@ -5141,7 +5126,7 @@ chances. @node DP?, CP?, MWC?, Abbreviations @subsection DP? -In the menu `Analyze, Game/Match/Session statistics' you will see +In the menu `Analyse, Game/Match/Session statistics' you will see a window with some statistics. Near the bottom, you'll see four lines beginning with `Missed ... and Wrong ...'. @emph{dp} means @emph{doubling point} and describes a situation in diff --git a/doc/gnubgdb.xml b/doc/gnubgdb.xml index b632a27..cc25fa7 100644 --- a/doc/gnubgdb.xml +++ b/doc/gnubgdb.xml @@ -2455,18 +2455,18 @@ To roll the dice the CL version type 'roll'. <sect3 id="gnubg-custom_eval_depth"> <title>The depth to search and plies</title> <para>A <emphasis>ply</emphasis> is simply considered to be one turn by - a player. Any position can be evaluated at 0-ply. That means that GNU - Backgammon does not look ahead in the game to evaluate the position. - When GNU Backgammon is evaluating a checker play decision, it looks at + a player. Any position can be evaluated at 0-ply. That means that <application>GNU + Backgammon</application> does not look ahead in the game to evaluate the position. + When <application>GNU Backgammon</application> is evaluating a checker play decision, it looks at all resulting positions after all the legal moves with the given dice roll, and evaluates these position at the given ply. It's possible to set the search depth by specifying the plies lookahead in any evaluation settings dialog.</para> - <para>Snowie users: <application>GNU Backgammon</application> differs - from some other software, notably Snowie in that <application>GNU - Backgammon</application> zero ply is the same as Snowie 1 ply. In + <para>Snowie and XG users: <application>GNU Backgammon</application> differs + from most other software, notably Snowie and eXtreme Gammon in that <application>GNU + Backgammon</application> starts counting plies at 0 (no lookahead) while other start at 1 ply. In the same way what is called 2-ply in <application>GNU - Backgammon</application> will therefore be similar to a Snowie 3-ply.</para> + Backgammon</application> will be similar to a Snowie 3-ply.</para> <para>For <application>GNU Backgammon</application>, a 0-ply evaluation of a move would be done by:</para> <para>Build a list of all legal moves. For each move, take the resulting @@ -2495,11 +2495,11 @@ To roll the dice the CL version type 'roll'. evaluations by about 400 odd, which explains the huge difference in playing speed/analysis speed between 0 ply and 2 ply settings. I don't think many people would enjoy playing against <application>GNU - Backgammon</application> at 3 ply settings, where moves could take - minutes to be selected. It's also not clear that using much deeper - lookahead actually gains a lot in terms of playing strength - if you - really need better answers than 2 ply, rollouts are probably a lot - better.</para> + Backgammon</application> at 4 ply settings, where moves could take + tens of seconds to be selected. Deeper + lookahead than 2 ply actually gains relatively little in terms of playing strength and are not very interesting as settings for <application>GNU Backgammon</application> as an opponent or for rollouts (although 3 ply is quite fast on current computers). + On the other hand, 4 ply analysis is reasonably fast on modern multi-cores machines. + </para> </sect3> <sect3 id="gnubg-custom_eval_define"> <title>Defining evaluation settings</title> @@ -2510,45 +2510,36 @@ To roll the dice the CL version type 'roll'. <sect3 id="gnubg-custom_eval_skill"> <title>Playing skill:</title> <para><menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Players</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>Player 0</guimenuitem></menuchoice> - choose Supremo or World Class. GNU Backgammon will - take longer choosing its moves, but they will be very strong. At this - setting, it is much stronger than Jellyfish level 7.</para> + take at most a few seconds choosing its moves and they will be very strong. At this + setting, it is significantly stronger than any human player (on average, some classes of positions are evaluated less accurately).</para> </sect3> <sect3 id="gnubg-custom_eval_hint"> <title>Hints:</title> <para><menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Evaluation</guimenuitem></menuchoice> - choose Supremo or World Class if you want hints to be - very accurate, but, like the playing skill setting, you may find that - it can take as long as 15 seconds to get an answer on a 1GHz PC. - Expert will be very fast, but for some positions where you need to - consider what your opponent may do on his roll and how you will follow - it up, the results will be less accurate. A wild guess would be - somewhere around 2 or 3 percent of the time, World Class or stronger - settings would give a different best move and maybe less than 1/2 - percent of the time, the Expert result would be seriously - wrong.</para> + accurate and fast. Anything lower doesn't really makes sense + on current PCs.</para> </sect3> <sect3 id="gnubg-custom_eval_analysis"> <title>Analysis:</title> <para><menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Analysis</guimenuitem></menuchoice> - these settings are used by the Analyse Move/Game/Match or Session command. Note that this is totally different to what is used in the Hint command, which uses the above settings. You probably - want at least World Class here. My experience on a 700MHz PC is that a - 7 point match takes about 15 to 20 minutes to analyse on the Supremo - settings. But the results tend to be very accurate.</para> + want at least Supremo here. A 7 point match will take at most 1 minute to analyse on the Supremo settings. This could be used to get immediate feedback after completing a match. + An alternative is to use the more accurate 4 ply level. The same analysis would take maybe 15 minutes on a 4-cores computer and longer on more limited hardware. This would be more suitable to delayed, overnight for instance, processing of a batch of matches.</para> </sect3> <sect3 id="gnubg-custom_eval_rollout"> <title>Rollouts:</title> <para><menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Rollouts</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>General Settings</guimenuitem></menuchoice> tick the boxes for 'Cube decisions use same settings same as checker play' and 'Use same settings for both players'</para> - <para><menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Rollouts</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>First Play Both</guimenuitem></menuchoice> - select Expert here (this is my opinion). When doing + <para><menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Rollouts</guimenuitem><guimenuitem>First Play Both</guimenuitem></menuchoice> - select Expert here for fast rollouts or World Class for slower but more accurate ones. When doing rollouts, most of the time Expert play will be more than strong enough if you do say 1296 trials with no truncation. The rollout function has an enormous number of options, most of which are only useful when - trying to investigate special positions. The simple expert setting for - both players is probably more accurate than any of the Analysis + trying to investigate special positions. The simple Expert setting for + both players is more accurate than any of the Analysis functions. The downside is that rolling out 1296 trials of an early - move in a game can take a couple of hours. On World Class or Supremo - rollout settings, it can take more than 24 hours of computing - time.</para> + move in a game can take from a couple of minutes at Expert level to hours at World Class or Supremo + rollout settings.</para> </sect3> <sect3 id="gnubg-custom_eval_dialog"> <title>Changing evaluation settings</title> @@ -2582,7 +2573,7 @@ To roll the dice the CL version type 'roll'. smart if you think the program plays to strong. You can use the Noise box option to introduce noise or errors in the evaluations. This is useful for introducing levels below 0-ply. The lower rated bots (e.g., - GGotter) on the GamesGrid backgammon server uses this technique. The + BlunderBot on FIBS) use this technique. The introduced noise can be deterministic, i.e., always the same noise for the same position, or it can be random.</para> </sect3> @@ -2950,8 +2941,8 @@ To roll the dice the CL version type 'roll'. </textobject> </mediaobject> </figure> - <para>If you are playing Expert level (this is what GGRaccoon is set - at) or another 0-ply setting, the Move Filter settings will not + <para>If you are playing Expert level + or another 0-ply setting, the Move Filter settings will not change a thing, as Expert level automatically examines all moves. At Supremo level, this changes though, as it takes a selection of the best moves from 0-ply and examines them at 2-ply. This means that @@ -3071,7 +3062,7 @@ To roll the dice the CL version type 'roll'. networks just to prune away move candidates within a deeper ply search. This increases the speed considerably and it doesn't lose much playing strength compared to evaluation without these pruning neural - nets. Jim Segrave has just done an analysis of this and found that + nets. Jim Segrave did an analysis of this and found that less than 1% of all moves come out different with the pruning nets activated. In most of these positions the move would not have made any difference to the game at all.</para> @@ -3132,10 +3123,6 @@ To roll the dice the CL version type 'roll'. option. You can here select between the 2D board or the 3D board. You can also choose between different other settings. Most of the settings here are self explanatory.</para> - <warning> - <para>Don't forget to save your settings!! A lovely and painstakingly - crafted board setup can be lost if you don't faithfully do your <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Save settings</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para> - </warning> </sect2> </sect1> <sect1 id="gnubg-technotes"> @@ -3685,10 +3672,9 @@ Correct cube action: No double, beaver <para>For example, suppose the score is 3-1 to 5 with the cube on 2: MWC(l)=0% and MWC(w)=50%:</para> <informaltable frame="all"> - <tgroup cols="3"> + <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="c1" colnum="1" colwidth="1*"/> <colspec colname="c2" colnum="2" colwidth="1*"/> - <colspec colname="c3" colnum="3" colwidth="1*"/> <tbody> <row> <entry>MWC</entry> @@ -3861,9 +3847,7 @@ Equity <entry>Cube value </entry> <entry>TP for Black </entry> <entry>TP for White</entry> - <entry> </entry> -<entry> </entry> -</row> + </row> <row> <entry>4</entry> <entry>0%</entry> @@ -3981,8 +3965,8 @@ MWC <row> <entry>Position Class </entry> <entry>x (Cube efficiency)</entry> - <entry> </entry> -</row> <row> + </row> + <row> <entry>Two-sided (exact) bearoff</entry> <entry>n/a</entry> </row> @@ -4603,7 +4587,7 @@ Equity </sect3> <sect3 id="gnubg-faq_general_os"> <title>What operating systems are supported?</title> - <para><application>GNU Backgammon</application> is mostly developped + <para><application>GNU Backgammon</application> is mostly developed on <emphasis>GNU/Linux</emphasis>. It also builds and runs under other Unix operating systems like those derived from <emphasis>BSD</emphasis> or @@ -4675,11 +4659,9 @@ Equity <sect3 id="gnubg-faq_install_other"> <title>Do I need some other software to run <application>GNU Backgammon</application>?</title> - <para>No. Everything you need is included in the binaries.</para> - <para>If you want to use the 3D board version on Linux, you might have - to install the additional libraries that can be found as well on - <ulink url="http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=24">this - page</ulink>. (acepoint's directory)</para> + <para>On MS Windows everything you need is included in the installer.</para> + <para>On Mac OS/X you will need the XQuartz Window System.</para> + <para>On Linux there are prerequisites as well but your package manager (apt, yum, etc...) will take care of them.</para> </sect3> <sect3 id="gnubg-faq_install_new"> <title>I want to install a newer version</title> @@ -4692,13 +4674,21 @@ Equity </sect3> <sect3 id="gnubg-faq_install_compilelinux"> <title>What software do I need for compiling under GNU/Linux?</title> - <para>Unpack the <application>GNU Backgammon</application> snapshots and - follow the instructions of the file `INSTALL'. </para> + <para>Unpack a <application>GNU Backgammon</application> snapshot and + follow the instructions at <ulink url="http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=100">this page</ulink>.</para> + <para>Details like the exact names of the prerequisite packages will vary + from a distribution to another but the general process will remain + identical. If you are remotely familiar with open source software + set up with <application>autoconf</application>, you will see that + <application>GNU Backgammon</application> is straightforward to build. + </para> </sect3> +<!-- link is dead! <sect3 id="gnubg-faq_install_compilems"> <title>What software do I need for compiling under MS Windows?</title> <para>Follow the instructions at <ulink url="http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=50">http://www.gnubg.org/index.php?itemid=50</ulink>.</para> - </sect3> + </sect3>A +--> <sect3 id="gnubg-faq_install_nocompile"> <title>It does not compile</title> <para>Check that you have installed all necessary development packages.</para> @@ -4946,9 +4936,8 @@ Equity <application>GNU Backgammon</application> will search for a weights file called gnubg.weights. This file also contains the neural net weights, but is stored in ASCII format. If none of these files are - found, <application>GNU Backgammon</application> will start, but it - will give you a warning about these missing files, and it will play - <emphasis>very</emphasis> poorly.</para> + found, <application>GNU Backgammon</application> will not start. + </para> <para><application>GNU Backgammon</application> will also read the bearoff databases at start-up. There are usually two bearoff databases. The first is called gnubg_os0.bd, and has stored data about @@ -4988,11 +4977,6 @@ Equity exists or not.</para> <para>GNU/Linux users should check if <ulink url="http://www.gtk.org/">GTK+</ulink> is installed.</para> </sect3> - <sect3 id="gnubg-faq_start_settings"> - <title>When I restart <application>GNU Backgammon</application> all my - settings are gone</title> - <para>Did you save your settings <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Save settings</guimenuitem></menuchoice> before you quit?</para> - </sect3> <sect3 id="gnubg-faq_start_cl"> <title>I do not need this graphical stuff</title> <para>For <emphasis>GNU/Linux</emphasis> users: open a terminal and run |