Thought it would be good to list some backgammon applications for our mobile devices. I have an iPhone, so I'll start with that. I encourage anyone with an Android or Blackberry device to list any good apps they know of.

iPhone

I think the two best backgammon apps for iPhone are:
- iGammon by Tom Keith
- Backgammon NJ by Jimmy Hu

iGammon is $3.99 but is usually available for free every 2-3 weeks. Game modes are single games, table stakes and match play. Various rules included such as the Crawford Rule, Jacoby Rule, beavers etc, and a tutor mode can be switched on to highlight your errors and suggest better cube or checker plays. Another useful tool is an equity graph which is available at any time during the game. I have played iGammon extensively and have found it to be very enjoyable.



Backgammon NJ for iPhone comes in three varieties. A full-featured free Lite version where you have to roll manually, a Starter Edition ($1.99) for beginners and intermediates, and an Advanced Edition ($4.99). Unlike iGammon, Backgammon NJ does not have an option for money play, but each edition does includes the option to play nackgammon. Statistics are also available for game, match and dice. Backgammon NJ has probably the strongest AI of all backgammon apps for iPhone and has been endorsed by some world-class players. I have only just recently started playing Backgammon NJ and I have been very impressed so far.



Should also mention Backgammon Online ($4.99), formerly known as Padgammon Online, which is purely a FIBS client. You can play the bots online but there is no offline AI.

Backgammon may have its origins in the ancient Egyptian game of Senet. Arthur Roolfs has developed Senet Deluxe for iPhone ($6.99). Check out this youtube video for a look at the game play. I am yet to play Senet Deluxe but it looks interesting enough, albeit expensive.



And if you look hard enough, you can also find apps that specialise in (the Royal Game of) Ur, Narde, Tavla, Fevga, Plakoto, Portes and Acey-Deucey, but most of these have not had the ongoing development that iGammon and Backgammon NJ have had.

iPad

iGammon is universal, meaning that the iPhone version scales out for an iPad, and therefore, you don't have to buy the software a second time.

Backgammon NJ is not universal but does come in a HD version ($5.99), as does Backgammon Online HD ($4.99) and Senet Deluxe HD ($6.99). And finally I want to mention True Backgammon HD ($3.99) which may have some potential.

Hope this has been of use to someone. Please contribute your own thoughts, especially if you have information for Android or Blackberry.

I'd like to know if there are any good BG apps for Android? And I mean something that can play very good.

Backgammon NJ does have the option for money play. You simply set the match length to "unlimited"

I just wanted to say that I really like the graphics on the iGammon software. I'd love to see this ported over to the Kindle. I don't have an iPhone (or smart phone), and the backgammon game that is available for the Kindle is pretty bad.

iGammon is a really nice app, and it annoys me to no end that the reviews on iTunes are overwhelmingly negative because they accuse the app of having rigged dice. I guess if one is trying to make money from backgammon, this is good, as people have absolutely no concept of how bad they are. However, it does a huge discredit to Tom Keith, who has done so much work for the game on his website. Obviously he didn't rig it, but there will be no convincing people of this.

Ironic, isn't it? The games that play the best, beat their owners! So, what happens? The owners cry, "Cheat!"

One of my iMac/iPod/iPhone/iPad ("Steve is god!") friends, told me that his favorite backgammon app for the iPhone is the one that allows you to perform tests for randomness of its dice after playing a series of games. I was taken aback, but he reassured me, "It doesn't play the best, but at least you can trust the dice!"

Backgammon NJ provides stats on the dice and is stronger than igammon. It also has a lot of "it cheats" reviews. I actually saw one review where the reviewer claimed that the only way you could have different skill levels in a game of luck was to cheat with the dice. The developer of Backgammon NJ actully trys to discourage people that
don't understand bots from buying the app.

Sorry, I didn't mean to disparage Backgammon NJ. Just the fools who claim it cheats! Programming a backgammon app is a difficult enough task as it is without having to waste time proving the dice are random! But if that what it takes to gain acceptance, so be it.

I was just making it clear that Backgammon NJ does give dice stats.

Sorry for necroing older thread, but I wondered how many of you play Masters of backgammon?? I'd like to try some online matches. PM me if you anyone plays this version. Thx

Bump. The android backgammon game I have is horrible. I play the highest level and kill it and I'm not good at all. Any suggestions for android gammon?

There are no good backgammon aps for Android currently.

I still play Backgammon NJ and iGammon an awful lot on my iPhone. I'm a little disappointed that there has been little to no development of these in the past 12 months, but they probably don't need much if any improvement.

I suggest you guys contact the developer of Backgammon NJ and beg him to port to Android.

For those on Android that haven't seen these games, give a mate $5 to install iGammon on their iPhone or check when it's discounted to free. Backgammon NJ and Backgammon NJ HD have never been discounted. Play them and see what you think. You can play online against real human opponents with Backgammon NJ.

I am quite surprised backgammon online 2.0 isn't getting the attention it deserves in this thread.

The only thing it doesn't have is AI, but this has little significance as you can play any number of different ranked bots for the same effect. With FIBS you can play expert players from all over the world, and when you"re done you can export your matches to any of the analysis programs. It's fast and bug free, has different chat features, even voice chat if you play other people. On top of this it's very aesthetic and detailed. If you haven't checked it out yet you should, and don't let the cost dissuade you it's worth every penny.

My friend and I live 1000 miles apart, play cash games on here then square up whenever we see each other. It's perfect if you have friends that play that have iPhones/and or iPad.

Anyone still up for some online match at Masters of Backgammon?

PM me if you are interested.

Sorry for bump.

Got it recently. I'd like to play. Check pm.

Masters of Backgammon has actually progressed quite nicely. Lots of updates recently that improved the gameplay quite a bit.

Yeah, the online game is stable now.

I think there will be an update soon. Read on their FB.

There already is: Masters of Backgammon

The new update 1.3.3. is out:

http://2kbgames.com

Hi everyone,

We just released Backgammon NJ for Android 1.0, which is optimized for both Android phones and tablets. You can view detailed info about the app here:

http://android.njsoftware.com

If you have any questions, feel free to post here or contact us directly:

http://contact.njsoftware.com

- NJ Software

Wow, sick! I don't even have an Android device and I'm excited by this news. I was about to remind you to announce this on Stick's forums, but it looks like you already have! Now all you need to do is implement the million features I suggested

Masters of backgammon has people playing online now all the time. Join the fun guys.

I think you can play unlimited games against AI now in free version:
http://itunes.apple.com/en/app/maste...466854342?mt=8

You can watch online matches as well. Pretty good update.