Backgammon Program by the Programmer

As backgammon players we tend to discuss backgammon programs from the user point of view. Rarely do we get to learn about backgammon, or other games softwares from the perspective of the programmer. In a recent post, Officer in Civvies, who is actually an officer in the Canadian forces and a computing science student (and a varsity rower and a Yankees fan and lots more), gave us a tiny glimpse on how it is like to make a game tree for backgammon. 

A game tree is a diagram that represents all the possible moves in a given game. The tree trunk, then, represents the opening position; the tree branches symbolize all the legal moves; and the leaves – the best possible move. To make a game tree for backgammon, the programmer has to choose the best possible move out of 36 possibilities, and he has to plan (at least) two steps ahead. Or in Officer in Civvies words, tries to look at the bright side of the mission: "Since backgammon is a game of chance you only need to look ahead two moves, unlike games like chess where you need to think upwards of twenty…".