Platforms and Interaction

JustGammon provides the same game board and rules to sighted, blind, and low-vision players. Accessibility is part of the shared game interface, not a separate version of the game. Depending on the platform, you can interact through visual controls, touch, a keyboard, a screen reader, or a combination of these methods.

Web

The Web version runs in a browser and supports two complementary approaches to board interaction.

Explore it like a web page

In a screen reader’s normal browse or web-navigation mode, the board can be explored element by element. Board points, checkers, bars, bear-off trays, dice, players, and game controls have accessible names and states.

This approach lets you inspect the board using familiar browser and screen-reader commands. The browser interface, including its address bar and other controls, remains outside the JustGammon page.

Direct keyboard interaction (Virtual Mode)

Press Z from the game screen to focus the board. JustGammon then uses its own virtual board cursor, which can be moved with the Arrow keys and other dedicated commands.

The virtual cursor is not only a screen-reader feature:

• Its current board position is announced to screen-reader users.
• The same position is marked visually on the board.
• Sighted players can use the keyboard controls without a screen reader.
• Blind and sighted players use the same game state and interaction model.

With a desktop screen reader, individual keys must be passed to the game. NVDA, JAWS, Orca, and VoiceOver use different commands and terminology for this mode. This dedicated keyboard experience may feel familiar to players of the older Pontes Backgammon game, while remaining part of JustGammon’s current visual and web-based interface.

See Accessible Play for setup guidance and Keyboard Shortcuts for the complete command reference.

Android and iOS

The Android and iOS applications use the same web-based JustGammon interface inside an installed application. They do not run as an ordinary page surrounded by a browser’s address bar, tabs, and other browser controls.

With a mobile screen reader, the board can be explored using touch in a way that follows its visual arrangement. The exact speech, gestures, focus movement, and navigation behavior depend on the operating system, device, screen-reader version, and user configuration. Common options include:

• VoiceOver on iOS
• TalkBack on Android
• Jieshuo Plus on Android

External keyboards can also be used with mobile devices. However, keyboard and screen-reader interaction on Android or iOS may not behave exactly like a desktop browser using NVDA, JAWS, Orca, or VoiceOver on macOS. Support for individual commands can depend on the mobile operating system, assistive technology, keyboard, and current navigation mode.

See Accessible Play for touch-screen exploration.

Console applications

Console variants are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. They provide a keyboard-oriented interface suitable for terminal use and compatible screen-reader environments.

Like the graphical applications, the console variants continue to be improved. Their platform-specific controls, accessibility behavior, and feature availability will be documented in greater detail as they evolve and are tested across the three operating systems.

Choosing an interaction method

Platform or mode	Main interaction
Web, standard navigation	Browser controls and screen-reader web-navigation commands
Web, direct keyboard interaction	JustGammon’s virtual board cursor and keyboard commands
Android and iOS	Visual touch controls, screen-reader touch exploration, or an external keyboard
Console applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux	Terminal and keyboard interaction

You can choose the method that best fits your device and preferences. See Settings for board and accessibility preferences, How to Play for the game flow, and Keyboard Shortcuts for exact keyboard commands.