About Backgammon by LogicaLeap
Backgammon by LogicaLeap is a free, browser-based backgammon site. Play a friend in real time, take on a built-in AI, or pass-and-play locally on one device. No download is needed and no account is required to start. This page is the plain, factual summary of what it does and how it works.
Game modes
- Online multiplayer: play a friend over a shared room link, or use the public lobby to post an open game or be matched with another waiting player.
- Against the AI: play a built-in computer opponent that runs in your browser.
- Local pass-and-play: two people share one device.
- Every mode supports the doubling cube and match play.
The AI opponent
The computer opponent is a neural-network engine in the TD-Gammon lineage: it reads the board through the standard 198-input position encoding and evaluates each candidate play, weighing not just the chance of winning but the chances of a gammon or backgammon. It runs entirely in your browser; no position is sent to a server to choose its move.
We describe the engine by its method rather than quoting a rating, because an honest strength figure needs a published benchmark. What you can rely on is that it plays a complete, gammon-aware game and uses the same evaluation that powers the analysis below.
Free post-game analysis
After any game, every decision is scored against the engine’s best legal play and measured as the equity given up, in points. Those losses combine into a Performance Rating (PR) and a skill tier, from Beginner through Casual, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert to World class.
The default analysis is instant, using the engine’s direct evaluation (1-ply). A deeper 2-ply pass weighs the opponent’s best reply across all 21 possible rolls for a closer-to-reference read. This is the kind of analysis desktop backgammon programs charge for; here it is free and runs in the browser.
Ratings and the leaderboard
Signed-in players carry a FIBS-style rating, the de-facto standard for backgammon. New players start at 1500; the change after each match scales with the rating gap between the players and the length of the match, with a settling period that moves new accounts faster until they find their level. A public leaderboard ranks rated players.
A result only finalizes a rating when both players report the same outcome, so no one can move a rating on their own.
Multiplayer, lobby, and chat
To play a friend, share a room link. To find an opponent, open the public lobby: post an open game with the rules you want, or be matched at random with another waiting player. Online matches include in-game text chat.
Standard online play is relayed in real time through a per-room server, so a game survives a brief disconnect. An optional private mode connects two browsers directly through a public broker instead.
Provably-fair dice
Every roll uses a commit-reveal scheme that both players’ browsers verify. Each side commits to a secret before the roll and reveals it after, and the dice come from combining both. Neither the server nor either player can influence or predict a roll, and every roll is independently auditable. It is a direct answer to the usual worry that online dice are rigged.
Works everywhere, and installs
The game runs in any modern browser on phone, tablet, or desktop, with both touch and drag controls and a layout that adapts to the screen. It is a Progressive Web App, so you can install it to your home screen for a full-screen, app-like experience, and once it has loaded you can play the AI offline.
Privacy and accounts
No account is needed to play. Accounts are optional and passwordless: sign in with a one-time code sent to your email, or with a passkey. An account stores only your email, a display name, and your rating and match history. Email-and-password is never used, and multiplayer collects minimal personal data.
Who built it
Backgammon by LogicaLeap is built by LogicaLeap, a software studio founded by Asaf Shamir. Security contact and disclosure details are published at /.well-known/security.txt.
FAQ
- Is Backgammon by LogicaLeap free?
- Yes. It is free to play online, against the AI, or locally, and no account is required to start a game.
- How strong is the AI opponent?
- It is a neural-network engine in the TD-Gammon lineage that evaluates positions with gammon awareness and runs in your browser. We describe its method rather than quoting a rating, because an honest strength figure requires a published benchmark.
- Is there a rating system or leaderboard?
- Yes. Signed-in players carry a FIBS-style rating starting at 1500, and a public leaderboard ranks rated players. A rating only changes when both players report the same result.
- How deep is the post-game analysis?
- Every decision is scored as equity lost against the engine’s best play, summarized as a Performance Rating. The default is an instant 1-ply read; an optional 2-ply pass weighs the opponent’s best reply across all 21 rolls.
- Can I chat during a game?
- Yes. Online matches include in-game text chat.
- Does it work on mobile, and can I install it?
- Yes. It is responsive with touch controls, and it is an installable Progressive Web App that can play the AI offline once loaded.
- Are the dice fair?
- Yes. Rolls use a commit-reveal scheme verified by both players’ browsers, so neither the server nor either player can influence a roll, and each roll is auditable.