The 2nd Roll

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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.

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1

159

167

0 12

11

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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.

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24

6

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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

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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

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2

1

167 12

b

20

159

0

m

19

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-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.

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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.

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161

167

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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

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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

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167 12

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157

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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).

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24/21(2) 13/10(2)

+0,233

24/21(2) 6/3(2)

+0,205 (-0,028)

24/21(2) 8/5(2)

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167 12

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159

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+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.

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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$).

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24/18 13/10

-0,366

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24/15

-0,381 (-0,015)

24/21 13/7

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2

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167 12

E

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163

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-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.

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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).

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24/15

-0,145

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-0,381 (-0,015)

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13/7 6/3

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167 12

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-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

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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.

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167 12

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24/20 13/11m

+0,100

2

13/9 13/11m

+0,081 (-0,018)

B

20

157

0

3

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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.

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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)

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b

8/2 6/2

-0,301

2

24/14

-0,310 (-0,010)

24/18 13/9

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4

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167 12

E

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161

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-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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147

163

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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

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167 12

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160

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b

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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

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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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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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167 12

E

20

164

0

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19

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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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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167 12

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160

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b

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+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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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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167 12

2

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164

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b

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+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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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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167 12

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164

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+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