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Keyboard Shortcuts

When using a screen reader, first switch it to focus or forms mode so individual keys reach the game, then press Z from the game screen to focus the board. Except for Z, the shortcuts below work while the board has focus.

These commands operate JustGammon’s virtual board cursor in direct keyboard mode. For touch-screen exploration and standard desktop web navigation, see Accessibility.

The Result column explains how JustGammon responds:

  • Action performs a game or navigation command.
  • Screen-reader announcement provides spoken feedback through the accessibility live region without displaying a visible toast.
  • Information toast displays a visible informational message intended for all players.
  • Dialog opens the corresponding interface.
Key Command Result
Z Focus the game board Moves keyboard focus to the board and gives screen-reader instructions
← → ↑ ↓ Move the virtual cursor Moves the cursor visually and announces its new position to screen readers
Home Move to the lower-right board corner Moves the cursor visually and announces its new position to screen readers
End Move to the upper-left board corner Moves the cursor visually and announces its new position to screen readers
Page Down Move to the next quadrant corner Moves forward through points 1, 6, 7, 12, 13, 18, 19, and 24, then wraps to point 1
Page Up Move to the previous quadrant corner Moves backward through points 24, 19, 18, 13, 12, 7, 6, and 1, then wraps to point 24
1–6 Move the cursor forward by that many steps Moves the cursor visually and announces its new position to screen readers
Shift+1–Shift+6 Move the cursor backward by that many steps Moves the cursor visually and announces its new position to screen readers
Enter, Space, or M Select or activate the current point Action, with screen-reader feedback about the selected point or move
Delete Bear off from the current cursor position Action, with screen-reader feedback when the move is unavailable
Escape Clear the current checker selection Action with a screen-reader announcement
N Move to the next possible move Moves the cursor visually and announces its new position to screen readers
Shift+N Move to the previous possible move Moves the cursor visually and announces its new position to screen readers

From a point that is not one of the eight quadrant corners, Page Down moves to the next higher corner and Page Up moves to the previous lower corner. These movements use the configured numeric or letter-based point names when announcing the destination.

Key Command Result
R Roll the dice Action
D Roll or check the dice Rolls when dice are waiting; otherwise gives a screen-reader announcement of the current dice
I Check whose turn it is Screen-reader announcement
T Check turn and game timers Screen-reader announcement
Shift+T Negotiate the game time Opens the time preset dialog before the timer starts; afterwards, an information toast reports the preset in use
S Check the match score Screen-reader announcement
W Check who is playing Screen-reader announcement
L Check whether another player is waiting for a public opponent Information toast with the waiting player’s name and alert sound, or a message that nobody is waiting; request failures show an error
V Pause or resume screen-reader announcements Temporarily changes JustGammon announcements for the current game
X Check the virtual cursor position Screen-reader announcement
B Check the bar Information toast showing the number of White and Black checkers on the bar
H Check the home boards Information toast
O Check borne-off checkers Information toast
P Check possible moves Information toast
Shift+P Measure network latency Information toast with the result, or an error notification if the measurement fails

You can also click or tap the bottom edge of the board to check for a waiting player, or activate that edge with your screen reader. With keyboard focus on the bottom edge, Enter or Space performs the same check without selecting or moving a checker. These manual checks work even when automatic available-player alerts are disabled, can report the same player again, and do not add messages to history. See Checking for a waiting player.

Key Command Result
F Check pip counts Information toast
U Check vulnerable checkers Information toast
Shift+U Check vulnerable checker positions Screen-reader announcement
J Check hits Information toast
A Check dice averages Information toast
E Check movement efficiency Information toast
Shift+S View current-game statistics Opens statistics for the active game; this is separate from personal and community statistics

For Rating JG, accumulated player statistics, community totals, and the JG leaderboard, see Rating, Statistics & Leaderboard.

Key Command Result
Shift+H View history Opens the history dialog
, Read the previous history message Screen-reader announcement
. Read the next history message Screen-reader announcement
< Read the oldest history message Screen-reader announcement
> Read the newest history message Screen-reader announcement
[ Select the previous history channel Screen-reader announcement of the selected channel
] Select the next history channel Screen-reader announcement of the selected channel
/ Repeat the current history message Screen-reader announcement

History channels are All, Game, and Chat.

Key Command Result
F2 or C Open chat Opens the chat dialog
G Report a problem Opens the bug-report flow
Q Leave or resign Opens the appropriate confirmation flow for the current game state

Your screen reader must pass these keys through to the board. See Accessibility for common commands to switch interaction modes.

Press V to temporarily disable or enable JustGammon’s screen-reader announcements. This does not turn the screen reader itself off or change the saved Screen Reader Mode setting. The temporary state resets when you leave the game.