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Two cubes on the same board, one of which is never rolled.
A die carries pips and is thrown. A doubling cube carries the numerals 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64, and is never thrown: it records the current stake in a backgammon game, turned to the next number when a double is offered and accepted. It is the same size and shape as a die, sits on the same board, and is called a die in ordinary speech — which is why a player meeting one for the first time tries to roll it.
One is rolled and one never is.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Dice pips | Doubling cube |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | circles, squares, lines and dots | squares and number like |
| Symmetry | radial | none |
| Dice pips | Doubling cube | |
|---|---|---|
| Faces carry | Pips, one to six | Numerals doubling from 2 to 64 |
| Is it rolled | Yes | Never |
| What it determines | How far the pieces move | What the game is worth |
| Who holds it | Whoever is on roll | Whoever last accepted a double |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Doubling cube — One is rolled and one never is. | Commonly confused with Dice pips — One is a stake marker that is never rolled; the other is an ordinary die. |
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-22
Tertiary reference, cited for the conventional description of a mark, its usual name and where it is encountered. Where an issuing body defines the mark, that body is cited alongside and governs.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-21
Tertiary reference. Cited for the conventional form of a mark, for regional pattern differences, and for the documented chronology. Never cited for a symbolic reading of a suit.
Both arms sweeping forward means play continues and no kick is coming. One arm straight up means a kick is coming and cannot score directly. Confusing them changes whether players expect a stoppage.
The plain black flag excludes the competitor: their race is over. The black flag with an orange disc reports a mechanical problem that endangers others and sends the driver to the pits to have it fixed, after which they may rejoin. Both are shown with a number board, both are black, and confusing them costs a competitor a race they could have finished.
A cross means all ten pins fell to the first ball; a forward slash means it took two. The cross carries two deliveries of bonus and the slash only one, which is why three strikes are needed for a frame to reach thirty.
The exclamation mark praises a move, the question mark criticises it. Neither is defined by FIDE: unlike the rest of chess notation these are publishing convention, and two annotators may disagree about the same move.