Rulings

Forum Archive : Rulings

 
Touching the doubling cube

From:   Chuck Bower
Address:   bower@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu
Date:   20 April 1998
Subject:   touch double
Forum:   rec.games.backgammon
Google:   6hg4nf$phl$1@jetsam.uits.indiana.edu

Is a player allowed to touch the cube (centered or on his/her side of
the table) and then withdraw his/her hand, not doubling?  Do any
players know of local or "house" rules which cover this?

   Chuck
   bower@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu
   c_ray on FIBS

Kit Woolsey  writes:

In some tournament rules, it is stated that any such gestures toward
the cube are to be considered as doubling.  The logic is that you
don't want sharpies reaching for the cube in order to see their
opponent's reaction -- then doubling if the reaction is the one they
are hoping for, but not doubling if it appears the opponent will do
what the sharpie doesn't want.

Kit

Vasilios Papakonstantinou  writes:

In the Las Vegas tournament in 1996 I did touch the doubling cube
while considering a double and quickly withdrew my hand. My opponent
called the director (John Brussel) who ruled that a double had been
offered. The explanation for his ruling was that such an action, if
withdrawable, can be used by one to judge one's opponent's reaction to
the double without risk.

bill papa

Hank Youngerman  writes:

The only tournament I have played in was a regular weekly tournament I
played in for about a year, but in that game it was a clear rule that
you touch the cube, you've offered the cube.  For just the reason
expressed by other posters.

Martin Daniels  writes:

I was playing a game in a tournament which was beginning to hot up. My
opponent with great gusto and considering he was in a good position,
placed the cube aggressively in the centre of the board, right in the
middle of the action. I felt it was a very close double and wanted to
study the implications awhile, so I picked up the cube and placed it
in the centre of  the side compartment, where I felt it should have
been placed in the first instance. My opponent rolled the dice and out
popped 6-6 before I sheepishly said, "I haven't accepted the double
yet".  Have I got a case?

Martin (Blackbart)

David Montgomery  writes:

This is a bit confusing to me.

Among most groups, the accepted way to double is to take the cube
and place it on the playing surface, turning the next cube level
face up.  Saying "I double" or words to that effect is optional.

Also, among most groups, if you pick up the cube and put it to the
side in the middle, it will be interpreted as a pass -- you are
resetting the cube.  If you don't begin resetting the position, your
opponent might verify that you are passing.

To take, you pick up the cube and put it somewhere on your side of
the board.  Most players place it off to the side, in the side
compartment or on the edge of the board if it big enough, but I have
seen people put it on the bar on their side, or take it off the board
altogether putting it on the table behind the board.

So I would say your opponent doubled properly.  I would have
interpreted your placing the cube on the side, centered, as a pass,
but your opponent apparently sees things differently since he rolled.

If you want to move the cube aside to study a position, then accepted
practice among the groups I play with is to slide the cube to the left
or right edge of the playing surface the cube is on, without lifting
the cube.  In other words, you treat the cube as you would the dice --
you may slide it/them out of the way to see the position clearly, but
if you lift it/them up, you are indicating the end of your turn.  In
both cases it is helpful to say something like "I'm going to look at
this" before reaching for the cube/dice, especially if you and your
opponent are generally playing very quickly.

David Montgomery
monty@cs.umd.edu
monty on FIBS
 
Did you find the information in this article useful?          

Do you have any comments you'd like to add?     

 

Rulings

Checker knocked off bar  (Chuck Bower+, Sept 2003)  [GammOnLine forum]
Clock rules and gin positions  (Chris Yep+, Dec 2007) 
Clock rules end of turn  (Jason Lee+, Dec 2007)  [GammOnLine forum]
Cocked dice  (Rodney Lighton+, July 2012) 
Cocked dice  (Ed Rosenblum+, Dec 2009) 
Cocked dice  (Chuck Bower+, July 2003)  [GammOnLine forum]
Cocked die on first roll  (Cloyd Laporte+, Nov 2006)  [GammOnLine forum]
Crawford game double  (Øystein Johansen+, June 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Crawford game double  (Joe+, May 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Crawford game double  (Raccoon+, Sept 2003)  [GammOnLine forum]
Crawford game double  (Claes Thornberg+, Apr 1998) 
Dice sliding  (Chris Yep+, Dec 2007) 
Disagreement on final cube  (Chuck Bower+, May 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Disagreement over cocked dice  (DeaconBlue+, May 2005) 
Disputed roll  (Roland Scheicher+, Mar 2004) 
Disputed roll  (Chuck Bower+, Mar 2000) 
Doubling to wrong value  (Stein Kulseth+, Nov 1998) 
Equipment changes  (Jason Lee+, Feb 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Error in setup  (Stick+, Dec 2007) 
Incorrect setup  (Ken+, Mar 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Kibitzing  (Ilia Guzei+, Feb 2006)  [GammOnLine forum]
Misplaced cube  (Ned Cross+, Mar 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Misplacing a checker off the board  (Sam Pottle+, Apr 2006)  [GammOnLine forum]
Misplacing a checker on the bar  (Jeb Horton, Dec 2002)  [GammOnLine forum]
Moving checkers before you roll  (Gregg Cattanach+, Mar 2006) 
Moving with two hands  (Jason Lee+, Jan 2011) 
Opening roll loser picks up his die  (Chuck Bower+, Oct 2007)  [GammOnLine forum]
Playing to wrong match length  (Klaus Evers+, Jan 2006)  [GammOnLine forum]
Playing to wrong match length  (Marty Storer+, Mar 2005)  [GammOnLine forum] [Long message]
Playing to wrong match length  (Steve Mellen, Feb 1998) 
Playing wrong opponent  (Hank Youngerman+, Oct 2005) 
Premature actions  (Raccoon+, Feb 2008)  [GammOnLine forum]
Premature roll  (Chris Yep+, Dec 2007) 
Repositioning dice without notice  (Chuck Bower+, Oct 2007)  [GammOnLine forum]
Rerolling cocked dice too quickly  (Raccoon+, Nov 2006)  [GammOnLine forum]
Rolling 2 dice instead of 1 to start  (Bob Koca+, Oct 2007) 
Rolling when opponent is closed out  (Raccoon+, Nov 2006)  [GammOnLine forum]
Rolling wrong dice  (TarHeelFan+, Sept 2005)  [GammOnLine forum]
Taking photos of positions  (Stick+, Dec 2007) 
Touching the doubling cube  (Ken Bame+, Nov 2006)  [GammOnLine forum]
Touching the doubling cube  (Chuck Bower+, Apr 1998) 
Two cubes on the board  (Jason Lee+, July 2005)  [GammOnLine forum]
Video dispute resolution  (Jason Lee+, Feb 2006) 
When are the dice "up"?  (Ilia Guzei+, Feb 2006)  [GammOnLine forum]
Writing down positions  (Klaus Evers+, Jan 2006)  [GammOnLine forum]

[GammOnLine forum]  From GammOnLine       [Long message]  Long message       [Recommended reading]  Recommended reading       [Recent addition]  Recent addition
 

  Book Suggestions
Books
Cheating
Chouettes
Computer Dice
Cube Handling
Cube Handling in Races
Equipment
Etiquette
Extreme Gammon
Fun and frustration
GNU Backgammon
History
Jellyfish
Learning
Luck versus Skill
Magazines & E-zines
Match Archives
Match Equities
Match Play
Match Play at 2-away/2-away
Miscellaneous
Opening Rolls
Pip Counting
Play Sites
Probability and Statistics
Programming
Propositions
Puzzles
Ratings
Rollouts
Rules
Rulings
Snowie
Software
Source Code
Strategy--Backgames
Strategy--Bearing Off
Strategy--Checker play
Terminology
Theory
Tournaments
Uncategorized
Variations

 

Return to:  Backgammon Galore : Forum Archive Main Page