Special Interest
PipDojo
A backgammon study hall for ages 15–18 — play full games against a graded bot and keep a reviewable archive, drill hit-spotting in a calm rated ladder, and reason through real board decisions (the pip race, the doubling cube, bearing off, the back game) with a coach that explains in words. On-device; works signed-out; optional sign-in syncs your games and rating across your own devices.
▶ Play it nowBuilt for sittings of about 25 minutes on the screen. That is our design budget, not a measurement.
#9c4a2e Characters who teach
Meet the cast
PipDojo's characters are realistic people, not mascots, and each one stands for one backgammon skill. Ambush hits a lone checker, Barricade builds blocking points, Holdfast keeps an anchor, Furlong counts the race, Leverage and Threshold handle the doubling cube, and Homeward bears off cleanly. Rearguard, Onset, and Tack cover the back game, the early attack, and timing. Helm is the mentor who teaches counting before you commit, and that a lost game is one lesson, not a verdict.
Ambush
The hit — land on a lone enemy checker and send it to the bar (tempo)
Barricade
Point-making — put two checkers on a point to block, and build toward a prime
Holdfast
The anchor — hold a made point in the enemy home board so you can never be shut out
Furlong
The pip race — count both sides' pips to know whether to race or hold and hit
Leverage
The doubling cube — raise the value of the game (in points) when you are clearly ahead
Threshold
The take point — accept a double whenever you still win often enough to justify it
Homeward
The bear-off — fill from the back, waste no pips, and leave no shot under contact
Rearguard
The back game — hold two anchors and time your position for a late shot
Onset
The blitz — attack early to close the opponent out before they escape
Tack
Timing — adapt the plan as the race and the board shift under you
Helm
count before you commit; a lost game is one lesson
What's inside
Learning goal
A backgammon study hall for ages 15–18 — play full games against a graded bot and keep a reviewable archive, drill hit-spotting in a calm rated ladder, and reason through real board decisions (the pip race, the doubling cube, bearing off, the back game) with a coach that explains in words. On-device; works signed-out; optional sign-in syncs your games and rating across your own devices.
How PipDojo handles your kid's data
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ Free — no ads, no in-app purchases
- ✅ No personal information collected from children — in line with COPPA (updated by the 2026 FTC amendments)
- ✅ No chat with strangers — play-together rooms use a short code and preset emotes, never typed messages
PipDojo runs on ForgeKit — the open-source Swift Package Manager framework that powers every Spark & Anvil app. ForgeKit ensures consistent accessibility, COPPA compliance, and design language across the portfolio, so your kid's progress and preferences feel coherent across every app they touch.
Coming to the App Store
PipDojo is in active development. Email us to hear when it ships — no marketing, no spam, just a one-shot launch announcement.
Email me at launch