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Email WebMaster
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? Trivia Corner ?
Philophobia is the irrational fear of which emotion?
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Review of Backgammon Playing Sites
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The following is a review of just about all backgammon sites I can find.
Not all appear in the table as I didn't consider they were worth a lengthy
review. Any opinions and inaccuracies are mine so, PLEASE
email me with any corrections.
The comments have been made from the view of a serious zone player who plays in
events run by a number of groups. The DC lobby has been a convenient
common meeting ground to discuss issues and contact players in any of the
events and I've looked at sites as to how well they are able to take over this
function. Features I've looked for are communal lobbies, friends lists,
save log options, resume match options.
Please don't flame me because you think I'm running down your favourite site.
Different sites serve different purposes. If you love your freerolls,
money tourneys or money matches, then Gammon Empire, Gammon Masters, True Money
Games, Play65 and Club Games offer plenty of automated tourneys. If
you're strictly a social player then Pogo or Yahoo may be ok for you. Also, if
you can fill in any of the '?' please also email me. Some of the information
was hard to verify.
Thanks, cindybel
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GammonSite
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Safe Harbor Games
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World Gaming Center
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GridGammon
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Net Gammon
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Renaissance games
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Game Account
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True Moneygames
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Piranha Gammon
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Setup
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Downloads:
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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no
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yes
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yes
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free signup
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yes + 30 day premium trial |
yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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premium membership
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$40/year
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no
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no
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$150/year
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$80/year
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$63/year
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no
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no
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no
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name options
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underscore
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underscore
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underscore
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none
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underscore
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underscore
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underscore, hyphen
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underscore
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underscore
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Tournaments:
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automated
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no
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no
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no
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yes
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no
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no
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yes
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yes
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no
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hosted
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes*
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yes
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no
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no
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no
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money
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Gammon Venture room
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no
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no
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yes
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no
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no
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yes
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yes
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no
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Playing Rooms
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rooms
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one
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match, tourney, league
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match, tourney, league
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one
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one
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match, tourney, league
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one
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many
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one
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Friends
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friends list:
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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no
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no
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yes
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instant messaging
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yes
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chat window
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yes & pm
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yes
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yes
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yes & pm
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no
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no
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yes
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offline messages:
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site email box
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no
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no
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site email box
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yes
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yes
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no
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no
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yes
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chat
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single or group
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single or group
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no
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yes
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yes
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yes
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no
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no
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yes
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Chat Lobbies
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locations
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public*, private, game
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room, chat window
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room
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public, game, private
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public*, room*, private* |
public, game, private
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public, tourney
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none
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public, private, game
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size
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full height, adj width
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adjustable
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full height, adj width
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full height, adj width
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full width, adj height
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adjustable height
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adjustable
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Font options
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font options
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font, style, size
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font, style, size
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font, style, size
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font, size
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fixed
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font, size
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fixed
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none
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font, size
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smileys
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yes
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yes
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no
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no
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yes
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no
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no
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no
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no
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Board
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size
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fixed
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fixed
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medium
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scaleable
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fixed
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scaleable
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medium
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scaleable
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scaleable
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adjustable
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colour
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes*
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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pips
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes*
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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numbering
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yes
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no
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no
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no
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yes*
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no
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yes
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no
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no
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tilt
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yes*
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yes
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no
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yes
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yes*
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no
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yes
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no
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no
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direction of play |
optional
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anti-clockwise
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anti-clockwise
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anti-clockwise
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optional
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anti-clockwise
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optional
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yes
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optional
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background
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yes
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no
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no
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yes
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yes*
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no
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no
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no
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no
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Match Play
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21
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any length
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any length
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3/any length*
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21
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any length
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max 25
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max 17
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11, unlimited
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game variants:
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nack, hyper, long
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no hit
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narde, nack, long,hyper,acey-ducey |
nack, hyper
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none
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none
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end turn:
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click board/dice
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click board/dice
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click dice
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click on dice
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click board
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click board, button
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click on board or button |
click, dice
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click board
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move options
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click
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click
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click or drag
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click
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click
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click
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click or drag
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click
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click or drag
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doubling options:
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click cube/ button
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click cube
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click cube
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click cube
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click cube
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click cube
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click cube
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click cube
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click cube
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play bots
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yes*
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no
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no
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yes*
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no
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yes
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no
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no
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single instance
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kibbitzers
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optional
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optional
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optional
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optional*
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optional
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optional
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optional
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optional
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optional
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game log
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automatic, .mat format
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autosave
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manual
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autosave
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autosave*
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autosave
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yes + gnu html
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automatic .tmg
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automatic, .mats |
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resume games
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up to 5, 10 day limit
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7 days
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yes
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?
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?
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yes
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optional
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up to 5 minutes
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unlimited
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unfinished games
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stored till completion
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rated resolved after 7 days
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?
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?
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saved
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optional
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snowie resolution
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stored till completion
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money games
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Gammon Venture room
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no
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no
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no
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no
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no
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yes
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yes
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no
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Ratings
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rated matches
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yes
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yes
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no
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yes*
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no
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yes*
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for cash games
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no
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yes
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ratings history
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yes*
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no
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no
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?
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?
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no
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yes
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no
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yes
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* only available for paid members
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Sites for serious players: |
friends list, instant messenging, save logs, extended match resumption, long
match lengths
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GammonSite:
Has many options that other sites don't have. Click
on the 'Take a Tour' link to see some of the options available.
Pluses: customisable board (lighting, angle, checkers,
background), play against bots of varying strengths (including in 2 tutor
modes), email box for leaving messages for friends if not online, individual
chat windows with each of your online friends(up to 20), built in web browser,
hosted tourneys, groups can set up their own tourneys, set font for chat and
smileys included, lots of sound and graphic preferences. Also has built-in
multi-language chat and displays tourney times and other times in your local
time. Money games and tourneys available through the Gammon Ventures page.
Minuses: 30 day trial membership but then must pay to join
($40/year) if you want to participate in public lobby chat, maintain a rating
play tutor bots (ExtemeGammon bot always available though), or play matches longer than 3 pts. Earn free days
by winning tourneys.
Safe Harbor Games
Has a superior Friends utility and shows
the status of players (online, DND, offline, busy). Friends appear at the top of the player list in the room.
Has resumed matches autosave logs. An excellent 3-D board with options for colors. Has rated matches and tourneys. You can
play and kibbitz any number of matches.
Some doubt as to the validity of the dice program. There are now 2 versions in different rooms.
Renaissance Games
New site as of December 2006. Now has resumed matches and speed is very good with no perceptible lag. Also has friends
list, online popup messaging, offline messaging, choice of board colours. This site
has plenty to recommend it.
World Gaming Center
Designed as a Zone format site and has become the default site for many ex-zoners.
Has resumed matches and you can send private messages but only in the lobby.
Much improved since it came online but can suffer lag problems and occasional frozen matches.
Excellent contact help if you are having connection problems.
Piranha Gammon
Pluses: Developing site but one to consider. Has online messaging and friends list and saved games. Has the best board I've seen.
Minuses: No text or emoticon options and the messaging sends a new window each time you send a line.
GridGammon:
Pluses: Heaps of board, font, and sound options, offline and
online friends messages, bots to play against. Many top players play there.
Minuses Premier membership $150 a year.
Vinco Online Games:
Pluses:Friends list, heaps of different versions of backgammon to
play, regular tourneys, bots to play, graphic tables similar to Zone.
Minuses: Premium subscription required for ratings, cash
tourneys, bot play and saved games.
Netgammon:
Pluses: Similar interface to Games Grid but match lengths are not
restricted for non-paying members. Also has a button that gives you win/lose
estimates during play.
Minuses: You need to be a paid member to be able to save the game
log.
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Club oriented
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Club Games:
Pluses: Has the unique facility to display the GNU html output
for any played match. Clubs have their own lobbies and can organise their own
tourneys. You must join a club on Club Games to participate in their forum.
Money tournaments and games available.
Minuses: No friends list or instant messaging system. Slow to
load. Font's are fixed and small.
Game Desire:
Pluses: Has Forum page, club pages that can be created for your
club and a page to advertise tournaments. 2 available boards sizes which have
good graphics.
Minuses: Confusing menu system where you need to scroll through
the menu to get information such as the number of points in the game and
settings. Dice moves are by right click to move a chequer the full extent of
the dice rolls, or drag and drop to move single moves. There is no click to
confirm end of turn. Option to double times out after 10 seconds. Display of
available games in the room does not list the length of the match or timing
options.
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Primarily money servers
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Gammon Empire:
Play65:
backgammon-mania:
Pluses: Has free Backgammon School lobby where you can play with
a bot tutor.
Minuses: No friends list, instant messenging or chat lobbies.
Board is fixed as is font.
True Money Games:
Pluses: Similar interface to Gammon Empire, but no school.
Primarily for money games and tourneys.
Minuses: No friends list, instant messenging or chat lobbies. If
game times out the result is settled by Snowie.
GammonMasters:
Pluses:Primarily a money site, lots of freerolls, nice board graphics.
Minuses: No lobbies, friends list, disconnects are resolved in 90 secs in favour of your opponent.
Lovebackgammon:
Money Gaming:
Hard to find out anything about it. Only ever saw one person there. Similar
sort of interface to Club Games.
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Social sites
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OnLine Bandit:
Lively site, friendly sysops. Match lengths limited to odd numbers up to 11. No
game logs, resumed games or friends list. Instant messaging available. Clubs
can set up their own tourneys and rooms.
Iwin/Flipside
Virtually no options, basic platform and the same checker moves as for Yahoo.
Pogo:
Multi game site for social players only. Virtually not options.
Game Account:
Can play money games. Has friends list but not too many other options.
Game Colony:
Not too many options. Has ratings but no friends list.
Dolphin
Cove Games: Couldn't find anyone there. Nice
interface but otherwise no information.
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Developmental Sites
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WePlayGames
A brand new site, not quite ready to open but apparently set to launch on June
1st. You can sign up though. They will be offering special lobbies and
personalised web pages for groups,
GamingPeak
Another developmental site. You can sign up and reserve your name. There is a
preview of what lobbies and rooms might look like (great graphics) but not a
lot of other information yet although you can put yourself on the mailing list
for future developments.
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Miscellaneous
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Fair Backgammon:
A group with some interesting ideas about making backgammon less reliant on
luck. Non-standard rules. including no Crawford rule.
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Anti-social sites
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Microsoft Games Zone (New)
Pluses: Can play against a brainless bot totally free of charge.
Good for ego boosting. No more embarrassing kibbitzers watching every idiot
move you make. Saves on mouse clicks as move ends automatically. Saves valuable
time in the real world as you can only play a 3-pt match.
Minuses: Sorry, nothing sprang to mind. Too busy practising my
drag and drop anyway.
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©2005 by Warp Gammon
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