fibs2html creates an HTML printout of a backgammon match, and optionally annotates it using a modified version of GNU backgammon.

Moves are accepted in the form of FIBS oldmoves command. In addition, it is possible to preset the board, match score and cube position using additional directives.

Two TCL scripts are included as well. One to convert Jellyfish `.mat' file to oldmoves, the second to capture matches from a FIBS log file.

fibs2html output is modeled after Dr Stephen Turner unreleased fibs2html.

fibs2html is under the GNU GPL.

• Obtaining fibs2html
• Installing fibs2html
• Problems, comments and bugs
• fibs2html invocation
• Input File Format
• Recommended analysis settings
• Credits

Obtaining fibs2html

See http://fibs2html.sourceforge.net/ for the latest version.

Installing fibs2html

Unpack the distribution (gunzip -c fibs2html.tar.gz | tar xf -) and invoke gmake at the top.

After compiling, try generating the examples in the examples directory.

The fibs2html executable requires one additional data file named `ghubg.weights'. Either place this file in the same directory as the executable, or set the environment variable GNUBGWEIGHTS to the name of the weights file.

Problems, comments and bugs

Please send any comments or bug reports to fibs2html-bugs@lists.sourceforge.net.

Please note that fibs2html is still under development.

fibs2html invocation

  fibs2html [flags] [-f output-file] match-file 

fibs2html generic flags

flag	full name	description
-i	--image-dir=DIR	Name of directory containing board images.
-f	--file=FILE	Name of output file. If not specified, output is written to stdout.
-a	--analyze	Analyze match using GNU backgammon.

fibs2html analysis flags

flag	full name	description
-n	--move-plies=N	Evaluate moves using N-plies. Default is 1. 0Ply is static evaluation.
-d	--double-plies=N	Evaluate doubles using N-plies. Default is 3.
-p	--show-probs	Show win/gammon probabilities for each move. Default is to list equities only.
	--blunder-verify=N	Verify a possible blunder using N-plies. Default is 2.
	--missed-double-plies=N	Verify a possible missed double using N-plies. Default is 2.
	--nmoves=N	Show at most N moves per turn. Default is 5.
	--max-move-diff=TH	Do not show moves whose match equity is greater by TH from best move. default is 2% (0.02)
	--joker-threshold=TH	A difference of TH or more between position equity and equity after move is flagged as a joker. Default value is 0.1.
	--blunder-threshold=TH	A difference of TH or more between best and actual move is flagged as a blunder. Default value is 0.065.
	--search-space=NNET+NRACE	Speed up higher plies with a small accuracy loss. A good value is 10+10.
	--move-rollouts=N	Perform a rollout of N games for each move. Moves to roll are determined as when evaluating, so you can control which moves are picked using --move-plies, --nmoves and --max-move-diff.
	--double-rollouts=N	Perform a cubefull rollout of N games for double decisions.
	--all-doubles	Show double analysis for every position.

Input File Format

fibs2html input file may contain match presets, moves and pre-generated HTML comments.

Board directive

Specifies checkers on the board, excluding checkers on the bar or borne out.

O plays from left to right, X from right to left. A positive value means the number of checkers O has on this point, a negative number means the number of X checkers on that point.

For example,

Board: 0,-2,3,-2,-3,-2,2,0,0,-2,0,-1,0,0,0,0,0,-1,3,3,-2,2,0,2

Commas between values are optional. Board directive clears bar values, which means a Bar: directive (if needed) should follow it.

Cube directive

Specifies cube value and owner. Owner can be X or O.

Format: Cube: value Owner: owner

For example,

Cube: 2 Owner: O

Bar directive

Specifies checkers on the bar. For example,

Format: Bar: O-val X-val

Bar: O-0 X-1

Crawford directive

Specifies that game is a Crawford game. Relevant only when analyzing a match.

Crawford:

Move Number directive

Explicitly set move number.

Move: 12

Pre-generated HTML code

fibs2html input may contain any HTML code generated by an outside source. fibs2html takes this code as-is - no validity checks are performed!.

Format: *H HTML-CODE

For example

*H <TABLE><TR> ...
*H </TABLE>

Recommended analysis settings

As with most analysis, the quality of analysis depends on the time spent generating it.

• Checkers play (--move-plies)

  0ply is useless, 1ply is fast but of medium quality, and 2ply is slow with good quality.

• double decisions (--double-plies)

  2 (the minimum) is relatively fast but of medium quality, 3 is slow with better quality. Higher plies are too slow.

• rollouts (--move-rollouts)

  Is not terribly useful for analyzing whole matches since a rollout is slow (compared with evaluation), and you need a large number of rollouts to get a reasonably reliable answer. The minimum is probably 576. Maximum depends on your machine speed and your patience.

• rollouts (--double-rollouts)

  Again, this is probably more useful for examining specific positions that analyzing a whole match.

Known Problems

• olmoves deficiencies

  When a player resigns, olmoves does not indicate whether it was a normal or a gammon/backgamon. This can foil fibs2html detection of a crawford game, or the reversal of score, which is another FIBS problem. You may have to either,

  • Manually add the correct number of points won in the wins line. For example, X: wins 4 points.
  • Manually reverse the score
  • add the Crawford: directive into the match file.

Credits

• fibs2html was written by Joseph Heled (pepeaty@yahoo.com).

• fibs2html originated from printmatch, but there is very little left of the original.

• Board images were taken from Dr Stephen Turner backgammon site.

  Output format is also modeled on those matches.

• GNU backgammon was written by Gary Wong.

• Special thanks to David Montgomery and Mike Fujita for their help.

References

• Backgammon Match Play Doubling Strategy

  By Tom Keith.

• How to Compute a Match Equity Table

  By Tom Keith.

• Calculating and Using Match Equitie

  By Stephen Turner.