Frequently Asked Questions
Accounts and game modes
Section titled “Accounts and game modes”Do I need an account?
Section titled “Do I need an account?”Yes. Sign in and complete your player profile before playing or spectating.
Can I play against the computer?
Section titled “Can I play against the computer?”Yes. Select Play Against Bot, choose White or Black, and select Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced difficulty.
How do I play with someone I know?
Section titled “How do I play with someone I know?”Create a private game and share its PIN. The other player selects Private Game → Join Private Game and enters that PIN.
Can I watch without joining a game?
Section titled “Can I watch without joining a game?”Yes. Open Spectator and choose Public games or Watch Bot Game.
Can spectators use chat?
Section titled “Can spectators use chat?”Yes. Spectators can send messages and reactions to everyone in the same game. Players can use Mute spectator chat in the Chat header to hide all spectator messages and reactions on their own device. This does not remove spectators or stop them from writing to other participants. See Chat and spectators.
Free games, Premium, and purchases
Section titled “Free games, Premium, and purchases”How many games can I play for free?
Section titled “How many games can I play for free?”Every user receives 3 free games per day. They reset at 00:00 UTC for everyone, and unused free games do not carry over.
Eligible new accounts also receive a one-time gift of 20 welcome games. These games are separate from the daily allowance, do not expire, and are used only after the daily free games. Accounts registered before the welcome offer starts do not receive this gift automatically.
UTC means Coordinated Universal Time, the common reference from which local timezones are calculated. A reset at 00:00 UTC happens at 00:00 in London during winter, 02:00 in Bucharest during winter, 03:00 in Bucharest while daylight-saving time is active, and 03:30 in Iran. JustGammon displays the reset time converted to your device’s local time.
What counts as one game?
Section titled “What counts as one game?”One game is one individual backgammon game, not the entire 3-point match. A rematch counts as a new game.
When is a game consumed?
Section titled “When is a game consumed?”A game is consumed only after both players complete their first move. If someone leaves before both first moves are complete, no game is consumed.
After that point, the game remains consumed even if it ends through resignation, timeout, disconnect, abandonment, or another reason.
Do bot and private games count?
Section titled “Do bot and private games count?”Yes. A bot game consumes one game. A private game consumes one game for each participating player. Spectating never consumes games.
Do purchased games expire?
Section titled “Do purchased games expire?”No. Games from a purchased package remain in your account until they are used.
Welcome games also remain in your account until used.
What is consumed first?
Section titled “What is consumed first?”If Premium is active, no games are consumed. Without Premium, daily free games are used before games from your additional game balance, which may include welcome games or purchased package games.
What happens after I use my 3 free games?
Section titled “What happens after I use my 3 free games?”You need either an active Premium subscription or games in your additional game balance to continue starting new games. This balance can include the one-time welcome gift or purchased games.
What happens if I disable Premium auto-renewal?
Section titled “What happens if I disable Premium auto-renewal?”Premium remains active until the end of the billing period you already paid for. Your additional game balance remains unchanged while Premium is active.
What happens if Premium expires during a game?
Section titled “What happens if Premium expires during a game?”You can finish the game already in progress. Subscription access is checked when you attempt to start another game.
Can I use a purchase on another platform?
Section titled “Can I use a purchase on another platform?”Yes. Purchases belong to your JustGammon account. Stripe purchases made on Web or Android are available on iOS, and Apple purchases made on iOS are available on Web and Android when you sign in with the same account.
Does JustGammon store my card details?
Section titled “Does JustGammon store my card details?”No. Stripe handles payments on Web and Android, and Apple handles payments on iOS. JustGammon does not process or store complete payment-card details.
See Plans and Pricing and Purchases and Billing for complete information.
Rules and gameplay
Section titled “Rules and gameplay”How long is a match?
Section titled “How long is a match?”Matches are played to 3 points. Single wins award 1 point, gammons 2, and backgammons 3.
Does JustGammon use the doubling cube?
Section titled “Does JustGammon use the doubling cube?”No. The current game does not offer a doubling cube.
Why does a checker not move?
Section titled “Why does a checker not move?”The destination may be blocked, the selected die may not permit that move, or you may have a checker on the bar that must re-enter first.
What is the difference between Leave and Resign?
Section titled “What is the difference between Leave and Resign?”Before active play begins, and while spectating, use Leave to exit. Once you are playing and the game timer is running, Resign concedes the current game. You can choose to remain for the match or resign and leave the match.
Rating and statistics
Section titled “Rating and statistics”What is Rating JG?
Section titled “What is Rating JG?”Rating JG is JustGammon’s competitive rating for games between human players. Every player starts at 1000. The winner gains points and the loser loses the same number, with the change based on both ratings and whether the result was a single, gammon, or backgammon. Bot games do not change Rating JG.
Why do I not have a leaderboard position?
Section titled “Why do I not have a leaderboard position?”You need at least one completed game against another person to appear in the JG leaderboard; bot games do not qualify. Once eligible, your own position can be shown even outside the top 15. Compact details for another player may show a rank badge only when that player is in the first 15 positions. A recent result may take a short time to appear while the ranking view refreshes.
Where can I find community or personal statistics?
Section titled “Where can I find community or personal statistics?”Use the statistics button in the application header to open Leaderboards, statistics, and community. Your accumulated statistics are under My Profile → Statistics. During a game, Shift+S opens statistics for that active game instead.
See Rating, Statistics & Leaderboard for the complete explanation.
Accessibility and settings
Section titled “Accessibility and settings”Can I play using only a keyboard?
Section titled “Can I play using only a keyboard?”Yes. Press Z to focus the board, use the arrow keys to move the virtual cursor, and activate points with Enter, Space, or M. See the complete shortcut list.
Where can I change sounds, notifications, board appearance, or announcements?
Section titled “Where can I change sounds, notifications, board appearance, or announcements?”Open Settings from the application header, or More → Settings during a game. See Settings for all available groups.
How can I disable waiting-player announcements?
Section titled “How can I disable waiting-player announcements?”Open Settings → Notifications and turn Available-player alerts off. This stops the waiting-player message and its three-beep sound without changing other notifications. To keep the message but silence interface sounds, turn Play interface sounds off under Settings → Sound; this also silences other interface sounds.
Waiting-player alerts are enabled by default and announce each new waiting event, even for a player who has already waited earlier. They can also play while JustGammon is minimized or in a background tab if the browser or mobile system keeps the app running and permits audio. They do not repeat periodically and are separate from mobile push notifications. For details, see Available-player alerts.
Can I review a waiting-player alert that I missed?
Section titled “Can I review a waiting-player alert that I missed?”An automatic alert that was shown is added to More → History → All inside the game. It is a system message, not player chat. This temporary message log is cleared when you leave the game screen; the separate My Profile → History tab contains completed-game results rather than alerts. Events missed while the application was hidden or disconnected are not replayed. A history entry does not guarantee that the player is still waiting.
To request current information during a game, press L with board focus or activate the bottom edge of the board. This works even with automatic alerts disabled and does not add a history entry. See Checking for a waiting player.
Why does my screen reader read something like B115 black?
Section titled “Why does my screen reader read something like B115 black?”Some screen readers may run the point name and checker count together when a board label uses only a space. Open More → Settings → Accessibility → Separator in board labels and choose comma, period, semicolon, or a custom separator. For example, B11 5 black can become B11, 5 black.
Connections and support
Section titled “Connections and support”Why does the Web version ask me to rotate my device or widen the window?
Section titled “Why does the Web version ask me to rotate my device or widen the window?”JustGammon’s Web interface requires a landscape-shaped viewport. Rotate a phone or tablet sideways, or make a desktop browser window wider than it is tall. If a mobile screen does not rotate, check its orientation lock. This check applies to the browser version, not the installed Android or iOS applications.
What is the difference between being offline and the server being unreachable?
Section titled “What is the difference between being offline and the server being unreachable?”You are offline means the device reports that it has lost its internet connection. The JustGammon server cannot be reached means the device appears to be online, but JustGammon cannot currently contact its server. Check your connection in the first case; in the second, wait briefly and try again.
Why does JustGammon require an update?
Section titled “Why does JustGammon require an update?”A required-update screen means the current application version is no longer compatible with the service. In the installed Android or iOS application, use Update JustGammon to open the app store; if the store cannot be opened, update it there manually. In the Web version, use Reload JustGammon to load the current deployed version.
What should I do after losing my connection?
Section titled “What should I do after losing my connection?”JustGammon attempts to reconnect and automatically resynchronize the game. If the board still appears stuck or its dice, turn, or checker positions seem out of date, the app may have missed an update from the server. Select More → Game resynchronization, or press Shift+R with keyboard focus on the board, to request the latest state.
Successful manual recovery plays a confirmation sound when general sounds are enabled. Both manual controls ignore further requests while one is running and for three seconds after it finishes. If recovery does not help, return to the home screen and use Rejoin Game or Continue if your active game is shown. See Connection recovery for details.
How do I report a problem?
Section titled “How do I report a problem?”During a game, press Shift+G while the board is focused, or open More → Report a bug. For account questions or other support, use Contact and Feedback.