The
2nd
Roll
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Contents
Rule no.1 "Bar Fight"������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1
Rule no.2 "Backup"��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 2
Rule no.3 "Hit From Mid"����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3
Rule no.4 "The Showstopper"���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4
Rule no.5 "The Scoop"��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5
Rule no.6 "Little Steps"�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
Rule no.7 "Van Damme"������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
Rule no.8 "Anchorman"�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
Rule no.9 "Halfway House"�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9
Rule no.10 "Roadrunners"�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10
Rule no.11 "Kickback"�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11
Rule no.12 "Deep Dive"������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 12
Rule no.13 "Tin Soldiers"��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
Rule no.14 "Down Mirrors"������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14
Rule no.15 "Downer"���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15
Rule no.16 "Slot Machines"����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16
Rule no.17 "Twins"������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17
Rule no.18 "The Opportunist"�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18
Rule no.19 "Two for One"��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19
Minor rules ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
To contents
Introduction
I’ll start this ebook with a crucial part of every backgammon
For the lazy ones out there the basic Nactation symbols are
game: The 2nd Roll. My approach to backgammon In gen-
as follows (with my own addition for "Exceptions"):
eral is very pragmatic and focused on immediate over the
board improvements. Since second roll checker play natu-
R = Run
rally comes up in almost every game, I have found it useful
S = Split
to spend a lot of time studying these positions1. I heavily
Z = Reverse Split (split and one down from midpoint)
recommend learning and understanding the opening replies
$ = Slot
since a lot of long-term equity can be gained with little effort.
D = Down (two down from midpoint)
P = Make Point
It is possible to memorize all of the opening replies and I
U = Up with back checker(s)
have heard of players doing this. To me, this sounds tedious
K = Kill (double hit)
and more importantly almost impossible to remember in
E = Exceptions
the long run. The method I present here is based partly on
rules of thumb and partly on the basic reasoning behind the
I have one important caveat. This ebook is not written for
correct moves. Understanding why the correct moves are
beginners, although I think they will benefit from reading it,
correct is especially useful when solving positions on the
and it’s a prerequisite that you understand which natural
3rd roll where memorization becomes impossible in prac-
plays take precedence over the rules below. It’s also import-
tical terms.
ant that you read all of the rules, as some of them overlap
or supplement each other.
I will present the opening reply rules one at a time and explain why they’re correct. The ebook uses Nactation2 so I
All positions and rules apply to money game with Jacoby
recommend reading up on that before reading any further:
and Beaver. In general, they can be applied to match play at
most scores.
http://timothychow.net/2ndroll_bill.pdf
Note that I’ve added a nickname for each rule. I believe this
will make it easier to remember and add some fun to the
concepts.
1 For the players starting out in backgammon, the
only time where checker play does not take place on
the second roll is when the player on the first roll has
a free drop after the Crawford game.
2 Nactation is a method of notating backgammon
moves especially useful for notating the early game.
Contents
To contents
R U L E N O. 1 " B A R F I G H T "
When hitting on the barpoint with a
1-roll bring down the second checker.
With a 6-roll split the second checker.
If the return roll contains a 1, the other half of the roll has to be played from the midpoint (E: 64S – 41).
If the return roll contains a 6, the other half of the roll must be used to split the back checkers.
Match play: When far ahead in a match you are eager to split.
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
19
20
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
159
167
0
12
11
10
9
8
b
13/7m
-0,066
2
8/7m 6/1m
-0,066 (-0,050)
7
the relative weakness of the 55-blitz this tells us something
about how wrong the 51 blitzing move must be3. We have
no additional inner board points and we commit to making
the inefficient 1-point which is somewhat intrinsically bad
The 51 in question is possibly one of the most frequently
when we have viable alternatives. When we hit with a 6 we
misplayed opening reply rolls and Rule no. 1 should effec-
keep the spare on the 8-point, hence the D-move becomes
tively eliminate this mistake. The general reason why playing
an overkill except at gammon go.
down from the midpoint is correct rather than splitting is the
need for further ammunition to either make the slotted bar-
Themes:
point, make another inner board point or possibly blitz when
• Extra ammunition
our opponent enters (this is especially true for 21 and 41).
• Pureness
Just take a look at the stripped 8-point after playing the 1
• Fighting for key points
and how it limits our flexibility. Another thing concerning
• Flexibility
the 51 is the weakness of the blitzing move. Considering
• Diversification
3 The alternative to blitzing with 55 is to make the
3-point with two checkers from the midpoint, which
is an entirely different game plan (priming vs. blitz-
ing). When the opponent has split with 51 making
the 3-point is only a -0,006 error. Even double hitting
after a 52-split “only” makes us about 60 % favorite
to win the game, although it makes up for it with the
gammon wins.
1
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R U L E N O. 2 " B A C K U P "
Take down a checker after
hitting from the 6 or 8-point.
When the opponent has split with anything other than a 1, and you’re supposed to hit, the non-hit-checker must
be played from the midpoint (except if the opponent has incorrectly split to the 20 point with 43 and we roll 41).
Match play: When ahead splitting tends to be correct.
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
167
12
11
10
9
8
b
13/10 6/4m
-0,090
2
24/21 6/4m
-0,098 (-0,008)
6/4m 4/1m
20
160
0
3
19
7
-0,138 (-0,048)
a pure fashion. As for the difference between the D-move
and the split, the roll out result tells most of the story. While
the winning percentages are almost identical the gammon
wins and losses guide us to the right play in match situations i.e. when we’re ahead we’re supposed to split more
due to the reduced gammon value. The reason the D-move
Another one of my pet peeves is these incorrect double hits
is correct is the additional ammunition it provides for inner
that I see all the time. Again, blitzing to the 1-point on the
board points or a potential blitz; the split because it cuts
second roll is mostly only correct if the alternative is even
down on gammons – pretty obvious stuff going on here.
weaker and/or awkward. The main reason that the hit is
superior to the double hit is the looseness and impurity of
Themes:
the double hit. We have to recognize how bad it is moving
• Pureness
a checker to the 1 point. We are allowed to play inefficient-
• Efficiency
ly/impure but only if we have a decent blitz going, which we
• Weak blitz
do not have here.
• Fighting for key points
• Unstacking
The hit-and-down play is exactly what the double hit is not;
it fights for one of the two key points (4 and 5-point) and in
2
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R U L E N O. 3 " H I T F R O M M I D"
Always hit loose from the midpoint
Unless there’s another obvious play, you should hit from the midpoint, including hitting
with 53, 54, 62, 63, 64 (and thereby not making points with 53 and 64).
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
167
12
11
10
9
8
b
13/3m
-0,125
2
24/14
-0,138 (-0,013)
8/2 6/2
20
160
0
3
19
7
-0,142 (-0,017)
Running all the way is too passive since it allows the opponent to anchor, make a new inner board point, or hit. Also, the
opponent has extra hitting numbers from the split checkers
and not only from the midpoint.
Themes:
Initiative is important in the early game because both play-
• Pureness
ers fight for the key points, these being mainly the 4 and
• Initiative
5-point on both sides of the board. If we don’t hit and in-
• Fighting for key points
stead make the 2-point we allow the opponent to anchor or
• Unstacking
escape and nullify the blitzing value of the 2-point. If the
opponent has not split making the 2-point acts as a deterrent to split, but when the opponent has already done this
it’s senseless making the point, since we’re probably not
getting a chance to attack on the next roll.
3
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R U L E N O. 4 " T H E S H O W S TO P P E R "
Always tempo hit
with 5’s after a 6-split
More specifically 52 and 54. The only time to tempo hit with 5s on the return roll is when the opponent
has split with a 6 (you should also tempo hit with 54 and 43 after the opponent splits with 41).
You should not tempo hit with 51. Match play: Tempo hit less often with 52 when ahead.
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
2
3
E
E
11
10
9
8
24/20 6/1
-0,163
24/20 13/8
-0,195 (-0,032)
24/15
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
167
12
b
20
159
0
m
19
7
-0,238 (-0,075)
Our alternative to hitting is simply to split, which isn’t a bad
play per se. In this case, though, we are just making the opponents next roll even stronger, since he can now also point
on us. We don’t like playing a checker to the 1 point but the
upside justifies the play. To those of you who want to delve
a little deeper into this subject, try comparing the difference
I disdain tempo hitting on the 1 point but as long as the
between the 62-, 63- and 64-split, and tempo hitting with 51,
world’s best player XG says that it’s correct I’m going to
52, and 54.
keep doing it. If we understand why these tempo hits are
correct we can learn a lot about tempo hitting on later rolls.
Themes:
First off we need to realize that several factors have to be
• Large improvements on both sides
present to make these plays right. Our opponent must have
• Strength of opponent’s builders
opportunities to improve his position markedly and our al-
• Value of split
ternative to hitting provides the opponent with even stronger possibilities on his next roll – this statement has several nuances which I might look into in another ebook. In this
case, the opponent can make the defensive barpoint and
possibly an inner board point, both strong improvements.
4
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R U L E N O. 5 " T H E S C O O P "
Only double hit with 41
after an ace split
The only time to double hit on the return roll is when the opponent has made the small split
and we roll 41 (E1: 32Z – 32K). This rule generally does not apply to the third roll and later.
Also, it does not apply to 65.
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
19
20
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
161
167
0
12
11
10
9
8
b
6/2m 2/1m
-0,148
2
13/8
-0,159 (-0,011)
3
E
24/23 24/20
-0,175 (-0,028)
4
E
24/23 13/9
-0,197 (-0,049)
7
(from 5 to 11). So our opponent’s position goes from decent
to good with the quiet play. Then what does the double hit
have going for it?
First off, it’s never bad to put two checkers on the bar and
deprive the opponent of an entire roll, which improves the
race value of our position and takes away his initiative. Sec-
Playing down to the 8-point is a very quiet play and it’s rare-
ondly, we start a (albeit very thin) blitz which sometimes
ly the best, see rule number 23. It does nothing more than
turns decent when the opponent rolls a 6 and we roll well
simply move freight and gain slightly in the race, which is
from there. These two scenarios aren’t appealing, and very
bad since we’re looking to diversify our position to gain a
often the opponent simply reenters straight away and we’re
positional advantage in the early game.
either hit or forced to make the 1-point. Both top plays make
us underdogs in the game but we receive ever so slightly
Making the small split is actually quite good since it at-
more equity with the double hit.
tempts to go after an advanced anchor or escape which
has increased priority because of the extra checker in the
Themes:
opponent’s zone. The problem with this move is the 4 that
• Keeping initiative
has to be played down from the midpoint. Since the op-
• Weak blitz
ponent has split the hitting numbers increase dramatically
• Small gain in the race
5
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R U L E N O. 6 " L I T T L E S T E P S "
Only hit in the opponent's
outfield with 22 when they've
split with 64.
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
3
E
E
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
167
12
2
20
157
0
b
19
11
10
9
8
7
24/16m
+0,095
24/22(2) 6/4(2)
+0,047 (-0,048)
13/11(2) 6/4(2)
+0,038 (-0,057)
potent point making spare, compared to a spare on the 10
or 11 point4. Secondly the opponent is looking to make the
defensive barpoint anchor. If we don’t hit here we’re simply
allowing the opponent too much, which isn’t the case when
he has only split with 41.
The fact that it is only correct to hit after 64 tells us some-
Themes:
thing about the strength of the non-hitting 22-plays. Here
• Tempo
the hit is strong because it also acts as tempo hit. First of
• Strength of 9 point builder
all, the blot on the opponent’s 9 point acts as an especially
• Large improvements on both sides
4 The importance of the 9-point builder is discussed
in Ballard & Weaver, Openings Book A, position A23.
6
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R U L E N O. 7 " VA N D A M M E "
Split when the opponent has
made the 4, 5 or barpoint
When the opponent has made either his 4, 5 or barpoint, you should split with all rolls
that doesn’t make an inner board point (E1: 31P – 64R, E2: 42P – 43D/S, E3: 61P – 43U).
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
E
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
167
12
2
20
163
0
b
19
11
10
9
8
24/21 13/9
-0,364
13/10 13/9
-0,387 (-0,022)
7
It could be argued that we should try to make an inner board
point on our own by playing two down from the midpoint. I
completely understand this sentiment, but as we’ll begin to
notice throughout the opening play, is that we should not
The rule doesn’t explain which split to choose and I’ll let you
try to mirror our opponent’s offense with an offense, but in-
figure that out on your own (with 43 we don’t have a choice).
stead play defensively.
The major reason we have to split is that our opponent has
begun to establish a priming position that we have to count-
If you recognize how the placement of the opponent’s inner
er by making an advanced anchor.
board points affects our game plan, a lot can be learned
This is also the reason that we shouldn’t split if the oppo-
for later rolls. For further study on the importance of extra
nent has made the 2-point i.e. when he has begun to estab-
checkers in the opponent’s zone, try comparing this rule to
lish a blitzing position (the 3-point places itself somewhere
rule number 11.
in the middle as a “fish nor fowl”- point).
Themes:
In this situation, the chances of getting primed are signifi-
• Split against prime position
cantly lower and the likelihood of getting attacked higher
• Placement of opponent’s inner board point
since his structure is already somewhat inefficient. On the
• Defense against offence
other hand, the opponent is not as interested in attacking
loosely when he has begun priming, since this game plan is
much more robust in the long run.
7
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R U L E N O. 8 " A N C H O R M A N "
Always make an advanced anchor
with doublets when the opponent has
made an inner board point
When the opponent has made an inner board point, you should always
use a double to make an advanced anchor (E1: 11).
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
3
E
E
11
10
9
8
7
24/21(2) 13/10(2)
+0,233
24/21(2) 6/3(2)
+0,205 (-0,028)
24/21(2) 8/5(2)
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
167
12
2
20
159
0
b
19
+0,202 (-0,032)
With 22 in a similar situation, we should make the strong
4-point after making the anchor. With 33 and 44 we should
make a quiet but robust play by bringing two down from the
midpoint (a deeper explanation can be found below in the
doublet rules).
This rule could be easily explained by referring to rule num-
Themes:
ber 7 and the doublet rules, but I’m going to make a few
• Split and/or anchor against prime position
additional remarks. The main theme here is to neutralize
the opponent’s early prime position, by making an advanced
anchor. The deeper the point is, the less need there is to
advance the back anchor.
8
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R U L E N O.9 " H A L F WAY H O U S E "
Split with running rolls when an inner
board point has been made
The only time we’re supposed to run with the entire roll is when the opponent has made his 5-point
and we roll a 64. The rolls 62 and 63 should always be split, 64 as per rule no. 12
and 65 always run to the midpoint (E1: 64P – 62$).
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
11
10
9
8
b
24/18 13/10
-0,366
2
24/15
-0,381 (-0,015)
24/21 13/7
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
167
12
E
20
163
0
3
19
7
-0,423 (-0,057)
It’s not dangerous to split since the opponent’s 8-point is
stripped so that he can only hit effectively from the midpoint. Besides, he hasn’t yet split his back checkers giving
him fewer chances to hit in our outfield.
The running play is stiff but slightly safer. I don’t like the in-
I define running rolls as 62, 63, 64 and 65.
flexibility of the running plays (except sometimes the 64),
but I believe some players would occasionally make big
In general, a splitting play is a balanced approach between
mistakes on the third roll when we run.
a safe running play and an aggressive D- move. When it
comes to the rolls containing a 6, we only have to choose
Themes:
between the running play and the split, since the D-move
• Opponent not split
is far too aggressive even at gammon go. By splitting we
• Few hitting numbers
give ourselves the possibility of making an advanced anchor while also increasing the chances of making an inner
board point.
9
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R U L E N O. 1 0 " R O A D R U N N E R S "
Run with running rolls when
the opponent has split
Running rolls: 62, 63, 64, 65. When the opponent has split, you should only split on three occasions,
the rest of the time you should run (E1: 52S – 62S, E2 & E3: 21S - 62S, 63S).
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
11
10
9
8
b
24/15
-0,145
2
24/18 13/10
-0,381 (-0,015)
E
13/7 6/3
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
167
12
3
20
160
0
m
19
7
-0,423 (-0,057)
his back checkers dramatically increasing his hitting chances in our outfield. The splitting move is still flexible but becomes too loose when the opponent has increased hitting
chances on both sides of the board. Again, the running play
is quiet but here the quietness is warranted.
This rule naturally follows rule number 9, since we’re seeing
Themes:
some of the same aspects at work. On the opponent's side
• Increased hitting chances on both sides
of the board, he has increased his ammunition compared
• Unsafe to split
to the previous rule. He no longer has to break his 8-point
to hit with 1’s and the extra checker strengthens a potential
blitz. Looking to our side of the board the opponent has split
10
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R U L E N O. 1 1 " K I C K B A C K "
Counter running rolls
with a hit if possible
When the opponent has run with a running roll, you should always hit if possible (including 31 and 42). 65 should be run
to the midpoint, 63 and 64 should be split (E1: 65R – 64P), and 62 should slot the 5-point (E1: 65R – 62S). If you hit with
a 5-roll, the 5 must be played from the midpoint. If you hit with anything else than a 5 or a double, you should always split.
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
167
12
11
10
9
8
7
b
24/20 13/11m
+0,100
2
13/9 13/11m
+0,081 (-0,018)
B
20
157
0
3
19
8/4 6/4
-0,052 (-0,151)
The hit also acts as a tempo hit, which means that the opponent is unlikely to hit us back, meanwhile, we have increased
our point making numbers with the hit since the hitting blot
now acts as a builder. So a likely 3 roll sequence is that we
both hit and make a new point, compared to just making an
inner board point.
The primary game plan in backgammon is basically the race.
When our opponent has run with a running roll he is up in
Themes:
race value but remains stacked and inflexible, i.e. he is un-
• Deprive opponent of race value
derdeveloped in all other game plans.
• Not allowing opponent to escape
• Tempo hit
When we hit him on the second roll we send him back to
square one while we gain in the race and unstack at the
same time, giving ourselves the flexibility to point on the
next roll. If we simply make a point in the example above
we’re not putting enough pressure on the opponent, since
we allow him to escape.
11
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R U L E N O. 1 2 " D E E P D I V E "
Always make the 2-point with 64
You should always make the 2-point unless the opponent has made his 5-point, barpoint
or has run with 63 and 64 (other minor exceptions: 43Z – 64R, 43D – 64R, 54D – 64R)
13
14
15
16
17
18
0
11
10
9
8
b
8/2 6/2
-0,301
2
24/14
-0,310 (-0,010)
24/18 13/9
21
22
23
24
6
5
4
3
2
1
167
12
E
20
161
0
3
19
7
-0,322 (-0,021)
This helps the opponent’s game plan since blitzing is very
volatile, often resulting in having extra checkers sent back.
With extra checkers sent back, the opponent gets even more
value out of his priming position, since our mobility and
timing worsen, often creating a vicious circle. So when the
opponent has an efficient/pure position we also want to
Making a point, any point, In general, is good. However, 64
create an efficient position.
often presents us with some appetizing alternatives, such
as whether to run or split. Let’s look at the instances where
Themes:
it is incorrect to make a point and see if it guides us in the
• Making points is good
right direction.
• Playing efficiently/purely against prime position
• 2-point creates blitzing position
When the opponent has made the 5-point or barpoint we
should not make the 2-point. What kind of position does the
opponent have after these plays? A priming position! His
game plan from this point is to block and limit our mobility,
hopefully creating a position where we crash our board or
create dead checkers. When we make our 2-point we start
a blitzing position since the point is too deep to create a
prime with.
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R U L E N O. 1 3 " T I N S O L D I E R S "
Never move the back men after 44 or
55 have made an inner board point
When the opponent has made an inner board point on his second roll, you should never move the back men on the third
roll, except with doubles! (Rare exception sequences: E1 (55P): 53P – 55P – 65; 64P – 55P – 64, 65 and E2 (44P): 31P –
44P – 63, 64, 65; 42P – 44P – 62, 63, 64, 65; 53P – 44P – 62, 63, 64, 65; 64P – 44P – 62, 63, 64, 65, i.e. some of the running rolls but a very limited number of sequences).
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1
147
163
0
12
11
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9
8
7
b
13/11 13/10
+0,158
2
24/21 13/11
+0,055 (-0,102)
strength, but it simply does! This fact combined with the still
stacked position of the opponent means that we should be
very hesitant to break our anchor. For further study try moving a checker from the midpoint to the 8-point and examine
This is a rule for the third roll and applies to situations where
the opponent has made a point with checkers from the midpoint. The new point starts establishing a priming position
but we should not split!
The point also strengthens a potential blitz and the extra
checkers, beyond the 8 already there, makes a big differ-
the value of the possible double hits5.
Themes:
• Extra checkers in the zone increase blitz value
• Placement of the new inner board point
• Stacked position vs. smooth/prime position
ence in the blitzing strength of the opponent.
This is also the reason why rule number 5 cannot generally
be applied to the third roll and later since there are usually
more than 8 checkers in the zone. It is probably a bit surprising that even one extra checker vastly improves the blitzing
5 It’s a contrived position but it proves a point.
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R U L E N O. 1 4 " D O W N M I R R O R S "
Against D-moves you
should slot and mirror
If the opponent has played two checkers down from the midpoint (32D, 43D, 52D, 54D), you should always slot with 21,
41, 51 and always mirror the previous roll with an identical return roll. You should always bring two down with 32 and 43,
except 32Z against 43D. With 52 you should split against the low D-rolls (32 and 43) and bring two down against the high
D-rolls (52, 54). You should always “run behind” with the running rolls if it’s not possible to hit (62 = S).
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E
21
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1
167
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2
20
160
0
b
19
11
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9
8
13/10 13/9
-0,180
24/21 13/9
-0,220 (-0,040)
7
forego an opportunity to make a key point if he wants to hit.
When he does hit we are still anchored on the 1-point and
can often utilize the hit checker to safely make an advanced
anchor and neutralize his aggressive D-move.
Remember when I said that we shouldn’t mirror offense with
With the running rolls (62, 63, 64, 65) we could split to the
an offense in the opening moves? Here the seemingly safe
opponent’s barpoint, but this is far too dangerous since the
splitting plays aren’t even safe which is why we have to play
checkers is ideally placed for a blitz, and so we have to qui-
“offensively” as well. As we have seen with many of the rules
etly run6.
I have listed, having more than 8 checkers in the zone is a
warning signal that we should be careful about splitting the
Themes:
back checkers, and maybe also a signal to tempo hit. If we
• Extra checkers in the zone increase opponent’s blitz value
play the 2nd best move in the position above, we would split
• Exploit opponent’s temporary weakness
directly into a very potent blitz6.
When it comes to the slotting responses we should also
remember how strong slotting is on the first roll (21 is the
only correct slotting move but 41 and 51 are not too bad).
If we slot and the opponent can hit with a 4, he often has to
6 Often expressed as coming ”under the gun”.
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R U L E N O. 1 5 " D O W N E R "
When the 2 point has been made
you should play down
Besides the previous rule, you should play down when the splitting moves are blocked and when
your opponent has made his 2-point (31P – 54D, 42P – 43D, 53P – 52D, 64P – 32D, 43D, 52D, 54D).
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157
167
0
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8
b
13/11 13/10
-0,122
2
24/22 13/10
-0,132 (-0,010)
7
opponent has low prime value but increased blitz value. The
alternative play then becomes the D-move. We could slot
but since the opponent has the better board we should not
play boldly.
Some of the plays from the previous rule could have been
written into this rule instead, but for memorization purposes, I have kept them separated. In the first three sequences,
we would like to split, but since the opponent has made an
Themes:
• Splitting against blitz position
• Playing efficiently/purely against blitz position
inner board point, these plays are blocked.
As I have explained earlier, having the 2-point made is an
indication that we don’t need and should not split, since the
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R U L E N O. 1 6 " S LOT M A C H I N E S "
Counter slot with 21 and 51
(returns to slots)
You should always counter slot with 21 (optional to split), 51 counter slots except against 21$, rolls containing a 2 must
be slotted against 51$ (due to duplication of 3s and only two builders), 11 always make two points except against 41$, 31
always hits, the running rolls should be run (except 21$ - 62S). Match play: If you’re behind you should make the reverse
split with 63 against 21.
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11
10
9
8
b
13/11 6/5
-0,261
2
24/23 13/11
-0,261 (0,000)
24/21
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24
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5
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167
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E
20
164
0
3
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7
-0,302 (-0,041)
Counter slotting against a 51-slot with 2-rolls shows the
strength of duplication. Here the opponent has even fewer
chances to both hit and make the 5-point, in fact only 11 %
percent of the time. If the opponent does hit without covering the slot we're probably able to hit him back from the bar.
This rule contains a lot of concepts, but let’s keep it simple
Themes:
and look at the counter slotting moves (I’m only going to
• Race deficit
explain counter slotting even though splitting is just as good).
• Duplication
• Blotty position
In general, the main reasons to slot is when we’re 1) in a race
deficit, 2) there’s duplication going on or 3) if the opponent
has a blotty position. In the example above the opponent
has two blots lying around, allowing us to play freely. If we
slot he has to roll a joker to both hit and make the 5-point,
which he has only a 17 % chance of doing.
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R U L E N O. 1 7 " T W I N S "
Make the 4-point with 22
In general, you should make the 4-point with 22. How the rest of the roll should be moved is shown in the following: If the
opponent has split you should make a point in your own inner- and outer board (E1: 64S – 22H, E2: 41S – 22E). The same
goes if the opponent has run with a running roll. If the opponent has brought two checkers down from the midpoint, you
should make an advanced anchor and a point in the inner board (E1: 32D – 22O). Match play: At gammon save and similar scores 24/20 (2) tends to be correct.
This rule should be supplemented with rule no. 8 which has been described above.
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3
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B
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8
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13/11(2) 6/4(2)
+0,215
24/22(2) 6/4(2)
+0,175 (-0,039)
24/22 13/11 6/4(2)
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22
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24
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5
4
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2
1
167
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2
20
160
0
b
19
+0,103 (-0,111)
bad but it’s not that strong either since we’re still able to be
primed a bit (compared to the 44 rule). Making the 11-point
gets two more checkers into the zone and makes a new
point (opposed to simply moving an existing one), both intrinsically strong improvements.
Now the time has come to look at the doublets. It is proba-
Themes:
bly prudent to look at these at the end since they incorpo-
• Strength of 4 point
rate much of what has been said previously. Initially, we
• Opponent’s prime value
should make the 4-point without much thought since it is
• Moving a point vs. making a new point
just so strong compared to any alternative play.
In general, this “rule” can be a helpful aid when faced with
hitting dilemmas in the early game, where the hitting play
most often does not come out on top compared to the structural 4-point play.
With the remaining 2’s we can either make an advanced
anchor or the offensive 11-point. The 23-point anchor isn’t
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R U L E N O. 1 8 " T H E O P P O R T U N I S T "
33 LV: make an anchor and point
from the mid. 33 HV: make an
anchor and 5-point
If the position has low volatility (LV) you should make an advanced anchor and a point from the midpoint. If the position
has high volatility you should make an advanced anchor and the 5-point (E: 54D – 33E). If the opponent has run with a
running roll you should make two inner board points (E: 65R – 33B).
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E
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8
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24/21(2) 8/5(2)
+0,189
24/21(2) 13/10(2)
+0,157 (-0,032)
24/21(2) 6/3(2)
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24
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5
4
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2
1
167
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2
20
164
0
b
19
+0,145 (-0,044)
The reason we make two inner board points when the opponent has run is that he is stacked and inflexible, which
means that he will probably have blots lying around on our
next roll. By improving our board we make it very costly for
him to be hit. The reason we shouldn’t make an advanced
anchor is that the opponent isn’t threatening with making
What is meant with volatility should be clearly defined as
an inner board point, which is exactly why we should make
this term usually isn’t used for the early game. For the sake
an advanced anchor in the volatile positions. Compare this
of the second roll, a volatile position is when we have an
point with rule number 7.
increased chance of hitting, usually when our opponent has
blots in his zone or is stacked and inflexible. Since we’re
Themes:
making an advanced anchor in the position above we’re
• Increased hitting chances vs. blotless positions
shooting at two checkers which the opponent might not
• Opponent’s flexibility
clean up on the next roll. By making the 5-point we’re in-
• Immediate or future prime value
creasing the value of any possible future hitting sequences.
The non-volatile positions are usually blotless or defensive
positions such as 1st roll splits where nothing noteworthy
is going on.
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R U L E N O. 1 9 " T W O F O R O N E "
44 makes an anchor and outer
board point (with a few exceptions)
The only time to run all the way with the back men is when the opponent has split with 64. You should only make the 4or 5-point if you hit on the point at the same time (E1: 31P – 44P). You should only make the 2-point if you hit twice. You
should always hit twice if possible.
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10
9
8
7
24/20(2) 13/9(2)
+0,440
+0,410 (-0,030)
E
24/20(2) 6/2m(2)
3
E
8/4(2) 6/2 (2)
m
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24
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5
4
3
2
1
167
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2
20
164
0
b
19
+0,393 (-0,047)
posed to just making the 5-point (two good things vs. one).
We should only make an inner board point when we hit at the
same time since we otherwise often expose ourselves to a
direct shot. Hitting on the 2-point creates an overextended
blitz position that can only be justified if it has some potency
to it, hence we only make this play if we’re able to hit twice.
Most of the ways to move 44 are pretty easy to figure out
over the board, but some dilemmas do come up, most often
Themes:
whether to make the 5-point. As we often see in backgam-
• One vs. two good things
mon doing two good things is most often better than doing
• Hitting plus pointing
just one. With 44 the move that’s most frequently correct is
to make the best advanced anchor and the 9-point, as op-
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Minor rules
In addition to the main rules described above there’s a bunch of minor “rules” that
come up all the time but don’t need much explanation. I use quotation marks since
these are not really rules of thumb, but simply things to be memorized.
Non-obvious answers to 65R
When to play 43U
Against 65R the following rolls must be played accordingly:
The only time to play both back checkers forward is when
21$, 51S or $, 52D, 64P. In general we should play aggres-
the opponent has played 51S, 61P, 41$ or 21$. We also play
sively against 65R and try to contain the back checker.
32U against 62S.
When not to hit on the 3 point
Returns to 43U
You should not hit with 21S, 41D, 63R, 51S, 52D, 54S. As we
Some of the answers to 43U are a little unusual: You should
can see we should not hit from the 8 point with 5s, since we
hit with 53, 61 (hit and down!) and 63, double hit with 21, 32
then only have spare cover numbers from the 6 point.
and 41 and split with 54 and 65. With 43 you should hit and
split the back men. By the way, it’s actually never correct to
Big split with 32 after a split
play 43U on the first roll, but it happens
once in a while during live (human) play.
You should always play the big split with 32, unless you
can hit (E1: 32Z – 32K, E2: 43D – 32Z, E3: 62S – 32U).
Slot with 21 at DMP & Gammon Go
Only play 41D against 52S
If the opponent has split, you should always slot with 21 if
It is thought provoking that it’s only correct to play down to
has made an inner board point, except the 5-point.
it’s not possible to hit. You should also slot if the opponent
the 8 point in one instance. This rule can definitely be applied to later rolls.
20