How To Backgammon

Advanced Backgammon Tips

by Martin Short

2001

Here is a list of 27 tips that will help you to become a better player. These are general guidelines to consider in common situations.

Once a backgammon opponent makes an advanced anchor it is even more important to make one yourself. Your opponent can now afford to make bolder plays which could really put you on the defensive.

If you are already substantially behind in the race it may not hurt your chances to fall further behind. When you are way behind in the race it may actually improve your timing to be hit again giving you a better backgame or avoid crunching your board.

When ahead in the race, race! Break contact if you are ahead and bank on your racing advantage.

When you are behind in a race it is usually wrong to abandon an anchor or a holding point. Waiting for that shot may be your only chance to win.

When you are in doubt, hit. Hitting takes precedence in most situations, especially on your opponents side of the board when it makes a bigger difference in the race. Your opponent may dance.

When you are behind in the race and waiting for a shot, slot and build the points in your home board in order.

Always slot to extend primes, especially six-point primes since you have less checkers to work with. The exception would be when you risk being put behind a prime yourself.

When considering a double, for every 2 gammons you think you will lose, you have to win 1 more game to make it up. Varies with match score.

When considering a double, you should be able to win 25% of the games, if there is little risk of a gammon, to break even. Varies with match score (when behind be a little more aggressive, when ahead be a little more conservative).

When trying to save a gammon, always bear into the six-point, and make crossovers whenever possible. On last roll situations, make the play which allows you to save gammon the most often.

In prime vs. prime situations, make plays that don't allow you to play high numbers on your next roll.

Fight for equality early in the game. Battle for your five-point and four-points on both sides of the board.

When considering doubling while on the bar, a better backgammon tips is to make sure you have serious market losers, you may dance.

When in doubt, lock up permanent assets. Making a key point is often better than a loose hit.

When bearing off, use all your numbers to take checkers off rather than trying to smooth your distribution by filling holes.

If you are 2 points away, try for the undoubled gammon rather than turning an early cube.

Keep your composure during big swings of luck in a game. Consider each position as a new one and not as the one you used to have.

When considering plays, try and duplicate your opponents constructive numbers.

If the likelihood of getting a gammon is close to 50%, bear off aggressively; if it is very likely or unlikely, play it safe.

Loose 6's are better played on your opponents side of the board. Better to try and escape or go for an anchor than to risk getting hit on your own side of the board.

When you already have several of your opponents checkers back, a better backgammon strategy is to strengthen a prime than to send more back which may give them a better backgame or improve their timing.

Recirculate your checkers when in a backgame. Getting hit will improve your timing and help you to avoid crunching your board.

When in a backgame, consider all your opponents rolls and create shots by opening up points and increase your chances of hitting.

Try and keep an even number of checkers on your highest points when bearing off against an anchor to avoid leaving shots if you roll high doubles.

As a general rule, if you have fewer checkers left and fewer pips in a bearoff, you have a sound double.

If you have a choice between hitting a checker on your opponents side of the board or make a point on your own side, a better backgammon tip is usually to hit.

Your bar-point (seven-point) is valuable but, if you have a choice, it is better to make your five-point or four-point.

Backgammon is played for an agreed stake per point. Each game starts at one point. During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a sufficient advantage may propose doubling the stakes. He may do this only at the start of his own turn and before he has rolled the dice. Each player places 2 pieces on the 24 point, 5 pieces on the 13 point, 3 on the 8 point and 5 on the six point. Always arranged in a vertical line. The Objective of Backgammon / How to Win. The objective of the game is to bear off each of your own pieces before the opponent. Backgammon Rules Backgammon is one of the oldest known boardgames. The object of the game is to move your pieces along the board's triangles and off the board before your opponent does. There are a few different ways that this game is played. Backgammon Game Strategy Fortify your checkers in backgammon by ensuring all remain in stacks of two or more at all times. Knock opponent backgammon checkers off as much as possible. Build up your home territory with two checkers + in each spot. This makes it more difficult for the opponent to roll. Once a backgammon opponent makes an advanced anchor it is even more important to make one.

The Set Up

A backgammon's board consists of 24 triangles (points) that alternate colours and are grouped by six on each quarter of the board. The quarters are known as home and outer boards, opponent’s home and outer boards. In the middle of the home and outer boards, the ridge is called the “bar.”

Each point is assigned a number, starting at one on your home board (which corresponds to 24 for your opponent) and going along out and around.

To set up, you need two checkers on each players’ 24 point, five checkers on each 13 point, three checkers on point eight and five checkers on point six.

Each player rolls a dice to decide who starts. The higher number starts, moving the checkers by the value of both dices.

How To Move Checkers

Black checkers move clockwise, and white checkers move anti-clockwise around the board.

Each player rolls two dice to move around the board. Each dice can represent a different move, or the move can take into account both dice. For example, if a player rolls a six and four, one checker can move six points and another four or only one checker can move ten points. If a player rolls a double, the number is doubled. For example, a three and three means that the player has four threes to use. In this case, the player can move one, two, three or four checkers in a turn, depending on the available moves.

Moves are only allowed when the point to which a player wants to move has no more than one of the opponent’s checkers on it. The checkers move from one point to another in sequence.

If an opponent’s checker is on a point you move to, you send it to the bar in the middle. This is a hit. To bring the checker back into play, a player must roll a value corresponding to a point with no more than one of their opponent’s checker on it.

Once a player's checkers are back into play, they start from the beginning of the board again. A player cannot make moves until all their checkers are out of the bar.

How To Win!

To win the game, a player must first get all their checkers around the board and into their home board. This is when a player can start to bear off. Bearing off means removing checkers from play. To win a game a player must have borne off all their checkers.

Backgammon Instructions

To bear a checker off, a player rolls the dice value of the point on which a checker is located. If no checkers is on the point corresponding to the value rolled, a checker from the highest point number has to be moved or borne off.

If a player is hit after they have started bearing off, the checkers hit have to be moved back into play and around the board again before any other checkers can be borne off.

Backgammon Stakes

The basic aim of the game of backgammon is to bear off all your checkers, but this is only half the story. For older kids, introduce stakes and the real objective of the game: to get more stakes than your opponent.

The gambling aspect of backgammon does not have to be monetary. Stakes can be anything from sticks, candy or money. Or you can also simply keep track of stakes on a piece of paper.

How To Backgammon Board Setup

A stake is decided upfront before the game begins.

When starting, if both players roll the same value, the stake is doubled and both players roll again. This repeats until one player gets a higher number.

After the first turn, a player can offer to double the stakes before casting the dice. The other player either accepts or forfeits. Only the player who accepted can now offer to re-double.

How To Backgammon Someone

With or without stakes, the winner of the game is the player who bears off all his checkers. If the opponent has borne off at least one piece, a single game is won and the stake forfeited. A gammon is when the opponent hasn’t managed to bear off any of their checkers. This is worth double the stake. A backgammon is when the opponent has a checker left on the bar or home board: this is worth triple the stake.

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