HedgeHog

HedgeHog is a free backgammon engine that runs in your web browser. You can play against it, analyse your matches move by move, study positions and transcribe live games, with nothing to install and no account needed.

The engine runs on your own device, compiled to WebAssembly. A game, a hint or a full match analysis is computed locally, so the answer comes instantly and keeps working with no internet connection. HedgeHog is a Progressive Web App, so you can install it from Chrome, Edge or Android like a native app.

Features:

• Play against the engine: points matches from 1 to 99 (Crawford rule applied automatically) or money games, with hints and a Tutor that flags mistakes as you play.
• Match analysis: every checker play and cube decision graded, with error symbols, an accuracy score, a PR-style error rate, and a "Why?" panel that explains the costliest mistakes in plain language.
• Import matches from other programs: .xg (eXtreme Gammon), .sgf (GNU Backgammon), .bgf (BGBlitz) and .mat (JellyFish and most other software). Imports from the first three keep that program's own analysis.
• Study: build a tree of positions, branch on any roll, and see the best move in any position.
• Cube analysis: doubling, taking and passing at any match score, with take points and the doubling window.
• Transcribe a live over-the-board match, and broadcast it with a shareable watch link and OBS overlays.
• Position tools: paste an XGID, a GNU Backgammon ID or an OGID anywhere to open the position, and share a position as an image with the engine's verdict.
• Free learning pages: the rules, strategy basics, rolled-out opening moves, a match equity table, a race calculator, and articles on equity, PR and take points.
• Interface in eight languages, with a Hebrew edition at hakipod.com.

Free with no account: play, hints, the Tutor, Study, transcription drafts and on-device analysis of whole matches. A free account adds a few deeper analyses a day on our servers and cloud-saved matches. The paid Standard and Pro plans add unlimited server analysis at deeper search depths and with rollouts, live broadcasting, stronger networks and API access.

HedgeHog's networks are benchmarked head to head against the reference backgammon engines over millions of games, and the method and results are published on the site's benchmarks page.