---
name: "makehyper"
section: "6"
platform: "linux"
package: "gnubg"
version: "1.08.003-3"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/makehyper"
---

# makehyper(6)

generate a GNU Backgammon Hypergammon position database

## NAME

makehyper - generate a GNU Backgammon Hypergammon position database

## SYNOPSIS

**makehyper** \[**-nh**\] \[**-f** *filename*\] \[**-r** *filename*\] \[**-c** *chequers*\] \[**-t** *threshold*\]

## DESCRIPTION

Hypergammon is a variation of backgammon with a much reduced number of chequers (usually three).  It's possible to fully analyse this simplified game and generate a database of position evaluations in order to play perfectly. **makehyper** generates such a position evaluation database.

Since many of the positions are in contact, it's not possible to generate the database in one pass; instead, **makehyper** iterates until the position evaluation converges.  The convergence threshold can be changed with the **-t** option.

## OPTIONS

- **-f** *filename*, **--outfile** *filename*

  Write the hypergammon database to *filename*. Default is "hyper\<number of chequers\>.bd", the name expected by GNU Backgammon when using the database.

- **-r** *filename*, **--restart** *filename*

  Restart calculation of the database from the given file, which should be a checkpoint from an earlier run.

- **-c** *chequers*, **--chequers** *chequers*

  Set the number of chequers in the game.  The default is 3, for normal 3-chequer hypergammon.

- **-n**, **--no-checkpoint**

  Do not write a checkpoint file after each iteration.

- **-t** *threshold*, **--threshold** *threshold*

  Set the convergence threshold.  The default is 1e-5.

- **-h**, **--help**

  Display usage and exit.

## SEE ALSO

[*gnubg*(6)](/gnubg/6.md)

## AUTHORS

Joseph Heled, Øystein Johansen, Jørn Thyssen, and Gary Wong, with the assistance of many others \<bug-gnubg@gnu.org\>.

This manual page was written by Russ Allbery \<rra@debian.org\>, for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others).  It may be redistributed and/or modified under the terms of version 2 of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation (the same license as GNU Backgammon).