Posts Tagged tips for playing backgammon
Tips for Beginners -1
Posted by oscar in Backgammon, Board Games on January 16th, 2009
Single checkers (blots) on a point are vulnerable to enemy attack and must start over if hit by n opponent’s checker. Two or more checkers on a point are safe from attack and can also be used for blocking or trapping your opponent.
Essentially backgammon is a race to see who takes off all of his checkers first. However, the shortest distance between two points is not always a straight line. Most beginners, rarely leave exposed checkers and hit as often as they can.
As you will find out, this seemingly logical approach is not the best strategy. The following is a simplification of some of the factors that you should consider in forming a winning game plan:
Distribution.
Distribution is how evenly your checkers are divided among the points occupied. It is usually better to have 3 checkers each on two different points rather than 4 checkers one and 2 on the other.
You should rarely have six checkers on a point and almost never have any more. A player with even distribution will seemingly get “luckier” dice than his less flexible opponent.
Exposure.
Don’t be afraid to leave shots early in the game to establish a strong offense or defense. Be more cautious as your enemy’s home board gets stronger.
The more points he has in his home board, the more difficult it will be for you to re-enter after being hit. Conversely, the more points that you control in your enemy’s home board (anchors) the bolder you may play.
Even if his board is weak, limit the number of blots (single checkers) to no more than four. If you are significantly ahead in the race or position, then restrict your exposure to maintain your lead.
Blocking and Priming.
Blocking
Try to build points without gaps between them directly in front of the enemy checkers in your home board to prevent their escape. Establishing these critical points as early as possible in approximate order of importance: 5, 4, 7 to start your blockade.
Six points in a row is called a prime. This makes it impossible for your opponent to escape for as long as you can maintain that structure.
Hitting.
Hitting
Try to hit checkers that are the most advanced or checkers that your opponent would like to cover to establish an important point. Attack only when it is advantageous to do so. For example, if you already have two enemy checkers on the bar, it is more critical to make another point in your home board than to hit a third checker.
Also refrain from hitting if it makes you more vulnerable than your opponent. Keep your objectives in mind and don’t be side-tracked. However, there is an old backgammon adage that still carries weight, “When in doubt, hit.”
Anchoring.
Anchoring
Anchoring is establishing a defensive point (anchor) in your enemies home board. This gives you a landing spot to come in on should you get hit and prevents your opponent from making his home board. Early in the game try to establish anchors on the higher points (20,21). If you become significantly behind in the race, the lower points (22,23,24) have more value as your strategy is to build your home board and wait for a shot. If you have two anchors try to keep them on adjacent points.
These are just a few ideas for the beginner to get started and is not meant as a tutorial. There are many fine books available if you want more information.
Backgammon: This Game is Crucial -2
Posted by oscar in Backgammon, Board Games on January 16th, 2009
Shall we begin with a fairly cheap one?
Challenge 1: Red to play 4-3.
It’s always tempting, when you don’t roll what you need, to just do something safe and hope for a better roll next time. In this case the safe play would be 8/1. Actually that’s a blunder, and Red’s natural game plan suggests a much better move.
What is Red’s plan, given that it must be to win by racing, priming, or attacking? Well we can discount racing, down 34 pips. As for attacking, that might come about in the course of things, since Red has one man back and cannot anchor. Red could commit to an attacking plan right off the bat with 7/3* 7/4, hoping that White won’t roll the 3.
Possibly Red could even pick up the other blot and close out both! But the offensive asset that stands out is the prime, so Red should think about using it to win.
Now the trouble with the prime is that it’s not good enough to do the job, with White sitting there at the edge just a six away from escaping – he is a favorite to escape in two rolls if left unhindered. Red would like to hit White’s blot off the edge or extend to a six-prime.
The stand-out play is 13/9, 13/10. Red gets hit if White rolls the 6, but a 6 was very strong anyway, so the hit doesn’t cost much. The 69% of the time White doesn’t get hit 6 Red is in great shape, with all aces and 6-5 to make the full prime, and literally every other roll hitting White’s blot.
Note that 13/6 would be very illogical, giving White good 6’s and good 1’s instead of just good 6’s, but it would still be better than 8/1. The last thing you want to do when you are trying to win by priming is to bury a checker out of play where it can’t help.
Challenge 2: Red to play 3-2.
We need not count to see that Red is far ahead in the race. Does this mean that he should ignore other assets that produce priming and attacking chances, and just make the only safe play, which happens to be 9/7, 9/6? Not necessarily.
White is playing the game too. White’s primary game plan is to attack Red’s blot. It is hard to build an effective prime against a single blot, because it constantly threatens to escape, so one must generally take the hits and home board points as the dice present them.
In the course of attacking White might still produce a prime that contains Red’s straggler effectively.
Important Starting Moves in Backgammon -2
Posted by oscar in Backgammon, Board Games on January 15th, 2009
There used to be a lot of debate about how to play an opening of 5-3. Many experts in the 70’s and 80’s believed that making the 3 point was wrong. That they were better off making several other moves that provided them with more “flexibility” and put their checkers in better strategic places for the next move.
The problem with the others moves, however, is this :
First, it leaves exposed blots, and if hit, gives the opponent an immediate advantage, and second, an opportunity to make the 3-point has been passed up, and the 3-point, while not as critical as the bar, 5, and 4 points, is still a very good point to have. The experts of the new millennium virtually all agree with each other that it is right to make the 3 point with your 5-3, regardless of what the score is.
Here is the list of standard opening moves in backgammon with variations
* 6 – 5 run a back checker
* 6 – 4 There are three acceptable play in this situation. You can make your two point; you can run a back checker all the way out to your 14 point; you can run a back checker out to your opponent’s bar (24-18), and then bring down one checker off your midpoint (13-9).
* 6 – 3 There are two plays: you can either run a checker all the way off your 24 point, or you can run to your opponent’s bar and bring one down from your midpoint.
* 6 – 2 Two plays: run all the way, or run to the bar and bring one men down
* 6 – 1 Create your bar
* 5 – 4 Two plays: move a back checker up (24-20) and bring one down (13-8), or bring two down from the midpoint (13-8, 13-9)
* 5 – 3 Make your 3 point
* 5 – 2 Two plays: move a back checker 2 (24-22) and bring one down (13-8), or bring two down (13-8, 13-11)
* 5 – 1 Generally, it is cnsidered right to split the back checker and bring one down (24-23, 13-8). When behind in the match and a gammon win is a major plus, you might bring one down and slot your 5-point (13-8, 6-5).
* 4 – 3 This move has the most possible variations, depending on score, but generally, the experts agree that it is best to move up 3 off your back point (24-21) and bring the 4 down (13-9).
* 4 – 2 Create your 4 point.
* 4 – 1 Generally, it is right to split the back checker and bring one down (24-23, 13-9), but it is not a bad gambling play, when gammons are key, to bring one down and slot your 5 point.
* 3 – 2 This play also has many variations, but generally the experts agree that the best play is to bring you back checker up 3 (24-21) and bring a 2 down from the midpoint (13-11).
* 3 – 1 Make your 5 point
* 2 – 1 Split your back checkers (24-23) and bring one down (13-11). Here again, if you wish to gamble, bringing one down and slotting your 5 point is not a bad play.
Conclusion
Will you win more often if you make the above opening moves? Yes, you will. It has been proven, statistically.
With the aid of computer programs (Snowie and Jellyfish) we can take any move or position and play out thousands, and even millions of games to “prove” that over the long run, one play or cube decision is better than another.
So not only for the opening moves, but for EVERY MOVE, if you want to win more often, you must learn the correct move to play. It is IMPOSSIBLE to memorize the correct move for every possible position, but it certainly is possible to memorize the opening moves, so why not do so?
Oscar
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