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LCD
Backgammon
Operating Manual
Model 377
Congratulations on your purchase of
Excalibur Electronics’ innovative LCD
Backgammon! You’ve purchased a partner who’s always ready for a game—and
who can improve as you do!
Install the Batteries
Using a small Phillips screwdriver,
remove the battery-compartment panel
screw on the back of LCD Backgammon.
Then remove the panel by pulling gently
from the top. Install three fresh, alkaline
AAA batteries, making sure to follow the
diagram in each battery slot so that the
polarity (+ or -) of the batteries is correct.
Replace the battery compartment panel.
Play a Game Right Away
After you have installed the batteries, the
display will show the backgammon board
with all the pips (pieces) on their starting
triangles (see figure on right). The LCD
will also show SidESidE. This indicates you
are at the first move of the game and
ready to roll the dice to see who goes
first. If it doesn't display SidESidE, use a
thin object to press RESET.
Deciding Who Goes First
Press the central direction button
diaganolly down to the left or right. This
activates the ROLL key. You will see the
dice roll, then stop. If the die on the left is
less than the die on the right, LCD
Backgammon will go first and play it’s
move. If the die on the left is larger, you
move first so the display will show
PLAyPLAy. If doubles (the same value dice)
are rolled, the display will show dOUbdOUb,
which means the stakes for the game can
be doubled. You may accept the double
or decline it by pressing the ACCEPT or
decline DECLINE keys.
After the computer’s move or after your
move, the display will show rOLLrOLL,
press a ROLLkey to roll the dice.
Making Your First Move
The way you select and make your move
is very simple. You always have WHITE.
• Press on the SELECT key to choose
the pip you want to move. An arrow will
point to the pip if it can be legally moved.
• To play the die on the left, press the
central direction button diaganolly up to
the left. This activates the LEFT key.
• To play the die on the right, press the
central direction button diaganolly up to
the right. This activates the RIGHT
key.
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Special Messages
During the game the following messages
may appear on the display:
PASSPASS - This means you or the comput-
er cannot use the dice or remaining die to
make a legal move. Press either ROLL
key to continue play.
rOLLrOLL - Press either ROLL key to roll
the dice.
dOUbdOUb - This means the computer wants
to double the stakes, because it thinks it is
winning. To accept the double, press the
ACCEPT key. To decline the double
press the DECLINE key, BUT this
means the computer wins, so the game
will end.
LOSELOSE - Shows that the game is over,
and that you have lost. Press any key to
continue.
_YOU Won_YOU Won - Shows that the game is
over, and that you have won. Press any
key to continue.
Special Features and
Function Keys
Features are controlled by the function
keys—the black keys on your LCD
Backgammon. But there are more special
features than there are keys! So each one
has two labels, one above and one below.
The black label below each key shows
the primary function of the key. The gray
label above the key shows its secondary
function.
Below are the features available to you
through the primary functions.
Remember, to access any of these features, you simply push the proper key,
looking at the black label below the key.
Primary Key Functions
MODE/ON KEY
This is a special key, so both its upper and
lower labels are gray. Use this key to turn
on LCD Backgammon. Also use it to
select the secondary function mode of the
other keys. You can even use it as a clear
or "escape" key to exit any of the special
modes like OPTIONS, LEVEL, and CON TRAST.
HINT KEY
Press this key if you want to get hints
from your LCD Backgammon partner. It
shows an arrow to the pip it thinks is the
best one to move. It shows another arrow
pointing to the triangle to which it should
be moved. If you must move in from the
bar, it will show an arrow to your best
entry triangle. To make the hint move,
just press the ACCEPT key.
SCORE KEY
• Before a game begins, press this key to
see your winnings, rating, and other statistics (see “Rating and Scoring” section).
• During the game, press this key to see
your pip score. This is the total of all dice
you need to roll in order to win the game.
Press this key a second time to see the
computer’s pip score.
SELECT KEY
Press this key to select which pip you
would like to move. It will only point to
pips that can be legally moved.
DOUBLE KEY
Press this key if you think you are winning and want to double the stakes. You
can only double if no one has the cube, or
you have the cube. You have the cube
when a WHITE cube and it’s value is
shown on the screen. You may only dou-
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Your Excalibur LCD Backgammon is packed with
features! Each key has two labels. To activate
the feature named below the key, just press
the button. To enjoy the feature given above
the key, first press MODE/ON and then the button.
ble before you roll the dice for your turn.
TAKEBACK KEY
This key lets you take back a move or
moves you’ve decided against, BEFORE
you have pressed the ROLL key. Pressing
the ROLL key enters your move, so the
computer can roll the dice for it’s move.
OFF KEY
This turns the unit off, automatically saving a game in progress. Use the ON key
to turn the unit back on. If no key has
been pressed for 5 minutes, LCD
Backgammon will automatically turn off,
saving your game position. Use the ON
key to resume the game.
Secondary Key Functions
Pressing the MODE key will show 2nd2nd
on the display. This means the second
function mode marked by a gray label
above the key is active. You may press
MODE again to stop using a secondary
function.
OPTIONS KEY
Pressing the OPTIONS key repeatedly
will display all selectable options. To
select or change an option, use the
ACCEPT or the DECLINE key. A colon
(:) will be shown, if the option has been
accepted.
First press of the OPTIONS key -
bEbE:EPEP - Sound is on.
bEbE EPEP - Sound is off. However, the low
tone for illegal moves or illegal key
presses does not turn off.
Second press of the OPTIONS key -
CUCU:bEbE - The doubling cube can be used.
CUCU bEbE - Cube is off, so no doubling will
be permitted.
Third press of the OPTIONS key -
rArA:tEtE - Rating is on, so games results
will be scored.
rArA tEtE- Rating is off. Turn the rating off
for player mode, or if someone else plays
the game. This will prevent your rating
and game statistics from being updated.
Fourth press of the OPTIONS key -
PLPL:yryr - Player is on, so you may play
against another player, and not against
the computer.
PLPL yryr - Player is off, which means you
are playing against the computer.
Fifth press of the OPTIONS key -
AUAU:tOtO - Autoroll is on, so the ROLL
key does not need to be pressed once the
game has started.
AUAU tOtO - Autoroll is off.
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o/n KEY (CONTRAST)
Press this key repeatedly to adjust the dis-
play contrast to one of eight settings. This
allows you to compensate for differences
in lighting and battery strength.
LEVEL KEY
The level may be checked or changed
before you roll your dice. Pressing this
key will show the current level, for exam ple:LE 8LE 8. You can change the level by
re-pressing the LEVEL key. Each press
increases the level by 1. When the display
shows the desired level, press the MODE
key.
Generally, the higher the level you select,
the better your LCD Backgammon will
play. Level 1 is the weakest, and plays a
running game from the start of the game.
This means it will tend to first play it pips
that are furthest from its home. Level 8 is
the strongest and is designed for tournament players.
NEW GAME KEY
You can begin a new game at any time.
If you request a new game before the
computer has begun to bear off it’s pips,
the scoring feature will not be affected.
You therefore have the ability to protect
your rating by cheating if you are off to a
bad start. Otherwise the computer will
assume you are resigning and score the
game as a loss for you.
Rating and Scoring
At the start of a game the display shows
SidESidE. At this point the first press of the
SCORE key will show SCRSCR in dots on
the top half of the backgammon board.
The top display will show your score or
accumulated winnings. This score can be
negative if you have lost more points than
you have won.
The second press of the SCORE key will
show RATRAT in dots on the top half of the
backgammon board. The top display will
show your rating. Rating value evaluations are as follows:
200 to 1000 Beginner
1001 to 1500 Intermediate
1501 to 2000 Advanced
2001 to 2200 Expert
2201 an up Champion
On level 8, the computer’s rating is
assumed to be 1536. On level 1 the computers rating is assumed to be 384. The
computer recomputes your rating after
every game depending on the level, cube
value, and your established rating before
the game.
The third press of the SCORE key will
show WonWon in dots on the top half of the
backgammon board. The top display will
show the number of games you have
won.
The fourth press of the SCORE key will
show TOTTOT in dots on the top half of the
backgammon board. The top display will
show the total number of games played.
The next two presses of the SCORE key
will show GAMGAM in dots on the top half of
the backgammon board. The top display
will show the number of gammons you
have made, then the number of gammons
the computer has made.
The next two presses of the SCORE key
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will show BAKBAK in dots on the top half of
the backgammon board. The top display
will show the number of backgammons
you have made, then the number of
backgammons the computer has made.
Operation Shortcuts
It is possible to play an entire game by
just using the central directional joy pad.
Pressing in the UP direction will act like
the SELECT key had been pressed.
Pressing in the LEFT direction will act
like the LEFT key had been pressed.
Pressing in the RIGHT direction will act
like the RIGHT key had been pressed.
Rules Of The Game
The Objective
The objective of the game is to be the first
player to move all their 15 pieces around
the Board into their home table(refer to
the figure on page 1), and then remove
them or “bear off” from the Board . The
number off bear-off pips will be indicated by numbers in the upper left corner of
the display. See figure below:
Pressing in the DOWN direction will act
like the ROLL key had been pressed.
For easier move entry, if you have only
one die remaining to play, either key
may be pressed.
Computers can sometimes
"lock up" due to static dis-
charge or other electrical
disturbances. If this should
happen, use a slim, pointed
object to press the buton
marked “RESET.”
Playing the Game
• Each player moves their pieces according to the numbers shown on the dice.
• A player moves the same pieces or any
two pieces, once for the number on one
die. And again for the number on the
other die. But you cannot add the total of
the two die.
• A player must, if possible, play both
parts of his roll.
• If it is impossible to use both parts of a
roll, a player must (if possible) use the
higher part. Then the player must “pass”.
• If a player is unable to use any part of
his roll to move any of his pieces, he must
“pass” and it is his opponent’s turn again.
• When a player rolls doubles, you can
make four moves on the same piece or
any combination of pieces you choose.
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• Each player moves their pieces from his
opponent’s inner table to his inner table
as shown below: The three type of moves
shown are:
I - clear of any other pieces
II - occupied by one or more of his own
pieces.
III - occupied by any singleopponents’s
piece (called a blot). You may hit the
opponent’s piece and move it to the BAR.
may move any of your other pieces. For
example, refer to the figure below:
If you have a piece on the BAR and throw
2 and a 4, you cannot re-enter your pieces
on point 2 or 4 since they have been
closed by your opponent. You would
need to “pass”. You can only get off the
BAR if you land on points 1,5, and 6. If
you land on point 5, your opponent’s
piece will be removed to the BAR.
How To Bear Off
• When all 15 pieces are in a player’s
inner home table, the player must remove
or “bear off” the pieces from the board.
• When you have two or more pieces on
a point it is called a “closed point”. Your
opponent is not permitted to land on it.
See the figure below:
How To Get In From Bar
• If one of your pieces has been placed on
the BAR, you must re-enter into your
opponents inner home table before you
• If a number thrown is higher than any
points occupied by the player’s pieces,
then you may bear off from the highest
points. For Example, if you throw a 6 and
a 4, you can bear off from points 5 and 4,
because you have no pieces on point 6.
see below:
• If the number thrown corresponds
exactly to a point with a players’s piece,
the player may bear it off.
• If a number thrown is lower than any
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points occupied by the player’s pieces,
then you must move the piece further
along in your home table.
Gammons
If the loser has not managed to bear off
any men but does not have any of his own
men in the winner’s inner table or on the
bar, then the winner scores 2 points. This
situation is called a “Gammon”.
If the loser has not managed to bear off
any men and also has at least one man on
the bar or in the winner’s inner table, then
the winner has made a “Backgammon”
and his basic score is 3 points.
The winner’s basic score is then multiplied by the value of the doubling cube to
obtain the actual number of points scored.
Doubling Cube
Use of the doubling cube can make the
game much more exciting. The cube has
its faces numbered 2,4,8,16,32 and 64. At
the start of the game the cube is “in the
middle”, it does not have any effect at
that stage.
Before he rolls the dice to make a move,
a player may take the cube from “the
middle” and offer it to his opponent. If
the opponent accepts the doubling cube,
it is turned up with the number 2 showing
on it. On any of the opponents turns,
before he rolls his dice, he may offer the
doubling cube to the other player. If the
other player accepts it, the face with the 4
is turned up and the cube is held by that
player. This can continue to happen until
the maximum cube value of 64 is
reached.
Hints On Strategy
Early in play it is best to leave your back
pieces alone, unless you can bring them
out on good throws (6-5, 6-6, 4-4, or by
hitting a blot). As the game moves on,
you should try to make a prime which is
six consecutive closed points. Your opponent cannot move over a prime, so you
have blocked him in, thus increasing your
chances of winning.
You should hit your opponent’s men
when he leaves blots far from you home
table. Enemy blots in your home table are
dangerous to hit, since your opponent
may re-enter and hit your blot sending
you back to the bar and your inner table.
As your opponent makes points in his
home table you should play more cautiously because it will be more difficult
for you to enter a man after being hit.
If you use the doubling cube feature, you
should know when to offer a double. If
you double too soon, your opponent’s
position may improve and he will redouble; if you double too late, your opponent
will not accept the double and your win
may have missed a gammon or backgammon.
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Special Care
• Avoid rough handling such as bumping or
dropping.
• Avoid moisture and extreme temperatures.
For best results, use between the temperatures
of 39ºF and 100ºF (4ºC and 38ºC).
• Clean using only a slightly damp cloth.
Do not use cleaners with chemical agents.
Battery Information
• Your LCD Backgammon uses 3 “AAA”
batteries.
• Do not mix old and new batteries.
• Do not mix alkaline & standard or
rechargeable batteries.
Limited One-Year Warranty
Limited One-Year Warranty
EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC., warrants to the original consumer that its products
are free from any electrical or mechanical
defects for a period of ONE YEAR from the
date of purchase. If any such defect is discovered within the warranty period, EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC., will repair or
replace the unit free of charge upon receipt of
the unit, shipped postage prepaid and insured
to the factory address shown at right.
The warranty covers normal consumer use and does not
cover damage that occurs in shipment or failure that results
from alterations, accident, misuse, abuse, neglect, wear and
tear, inadequate maintenance, commercial use, or unreasonable use of the unit. Removal of the top panel voids all war ranties. This warranty does not cover cost of repairs made
or attempted outside of the factory.
Any applicable implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness, are hereby
limited to ONE YEAR from the date of purchase.
Consequential or incidental damages resulting
from a breach of any applicable express or
implied warranties are hereby excluded.
Some states do not allow limitations on the
duration of implied warranties and do not
allow exclusion of incidental or conse quential damages, so the above limita tions and exclusions in these instances
may not apply.
• Install batteries so that the polarity
(+ and -) matches the diagrams in the battery
compartment.
• Use only batteries of the same type and
equivalency.
• Remove exhausted batteries from the unit.
• Do not short circuit battery terminals.
Excalibur Electronics reserves the right to
make technical changes without notice in the
interest of progress.
The only authorized service center in the
United States is:
Excalibur Electronics, Inc.
13755 SW 119th Ave
Miami, Florida 33186 U.S.A.
Phone: 305.477.8080
Fax: 305.477.9516
www.ExcaliburElectronics.com
Ship the unit carefully packed, preferably in
the original carton, and send it prepaid, and
adequately insured. Include a letter, detailing
the complaint and including your daytime
telephone number, inside the shipping carton.
If your warranty has expired and you want
an estimated fee for service, write to the
above address, specifying the model
and the problem.
DO NOT SEND YOUR UNIT
WITHOUT RECEIVING AN
ESTIMATE FOR SERVICING.
WE CANNOT STORE
YOUR UNIT!
377-010627-02
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