eXtreme Gammon Enters New Development Phase After Acquisition, Hiring Push, and Reported 2026 Update Plans
eXtreme Gammon Enters New Development Phase After Acquisition, Hiring Push, and Reported 2026 Update Plans
The Neural Network Revolution
eXtreme Gammon (XG), the leading backgammon analysis engine released in 2009, has not received any update since 2014. Despite this, it has remained the dominant tool for serious players, even after years of missing development.
In 2023, Xavier Dufaure de Citres put XG and its associated intellectual property up for sale, with an asking price in the range of $1 million to $2 million. The founders later confirmed the transition of ownership in April 2025 (with the price undisclosed), while retaining a small stake and stepping back from day-to-day control.
XG was subsequently acquired by Travis Kalanick, who also took over related backgammon infrastructure including GammonSite. He stated that his goal is to “breathe new life” into the platform and modernize the engine using current AI and machine learning methods.
In a recent public message to users, Kalanick announced a hiring push for a new CEO-style “re-founder” to lead the next phase of XG. The role is described as requiring a mix of technical ability (engineering, game theory, neural networks), commercial experience, and strong interest in backgammon or gaming. He also highlighted plans to expand into social gaming, digital training tools, and broader backgammon community development. Separately, he confirmed ongoing efforts to rebuild and expand the product, stating that development is now “at full steam” and focused on future growth.
While no official roadmap has been released, unverified reports and community speculation suggest a potential new version of XG could arrive in 2026. If accurate, this would be the first major update to the engine in over a decade. Together, the ownership change, active hiring, and reported development activity indicate that XG may be moving from long-term maintenance mode back into active development.
"We may be able to push the plies forward - further than what we've seen.
In doing so [we] may find new patterns or new moves that we didn't know work." - Travis Kalanick during Los Angeles Open backgammon tournament