#uvgammon

[kyousystem]

Advanced-Level Backgammon: An Outsider's Guide - Problem #1

Problem #1

White rolled 61 in the opening and played the standard 13/7 8/7, making their bar point. How, then, should Black play the 41 they just rolled?

Candidate Moves

Let's look at some candidate moves: - 13/8, passively redistributing a checker from the midpoint to the 8-point. - 24/20 6/5, slotting both the 20-point (aka the Golden Point) and the 5-point. - 13/9 6/5, slotting the 5-point and readying a builder to help cover it (or make another point). - 24/23 24/20, slotting the Golden Point and putting pressure on the 18-point and 17-point. - 24/23 13/9, splitting the back men against White's 3-prime and bringing down a builder from the midpoint.

13/8

13/8 can and should be rejected here. It may avoid leaving any blots and help to unstack the midpoint, sure, but it's much too passive a play in the current position, considering White's lead in development. Playing passively now would let White get an even bigger lead, one from which Black would be unlikely to recover. Besides, the danger of being hit is less than it seems, as White only has a single point closed in their inner board and Black would be an overwhelming favorite to re-enter immediately if hit—and it's far less of a threat than letting White take the initiative even further in any case.

...

(The full write-up is available on my website, UVGammon): Advanced-Level Backgammon: An Outsider’s Guide - Problem #1

[kyousystem]

Advanced-Level Backgammon: An Outsider's Guide - Problem #3

Problem #3

Black opened with 65 and escaped a back man, and White responded by using their 43 to split their own back men and bring down a builder to their 10-point (shown as the 15-point). Black's now rolled the respectable 55, but how to play it?

Candidate Moves

The candidate moves include:

13/3 8/3 6/1*, closing an inner board point and hitting loose on the ace-point.

13/3(2), making the 3-point with two checkers from the midpoint.

8/3(2) 6/1*(2), closing two inner board points and pointing on White's head in the process.

13/8(2) 6/1*(2), pointing on White's back man and unstacking the midpoint.

…

(The full write-up is available on my website, UVGammon): Advanced-Level Backgammon: An Outsider's Guide - Problem #3

[kyousystem]

Advanced-Level Backgammon: An Outsider's Guide - Problem #4

Problem #4

Black had the good fortune of opening with 31, letting them make their 5-point and start the game with a strong advantage. White rolled 41 in reply, and opted to split their back men (a minor split, to be specific) and bring down a builder onto the 9-point. Now Black's rolled 61, and is faced with a dilemma: Should they play offensively or defensively?

Candidate Moves

Some of Black's more viable options include:

13/6, moving a checker from the midpoint to the 6-point.

13/7 8/7, making the bar point using checkers from the midpoint and 8-point.

24/23 24/18, scooting both of Black's back men forward.

8/2*/1*, double-hitting White's blots in Black's inner board.

24/18 6/5, splitting to White's bar point and moving a spare man from the 6-point to the 5-point.

13/6

13/6, despite being completely risk-free, should be rejected immediately as too passive. Although Black has a lead in development, White, between their 9-point (shown as the 16-point) builder and split back men, is poised to catch up in the next turn or so by making a strong point of their own. If Black plays passively now, they'll effectively be giving away their advantage. That's saying nothing, of course, of the uselessness of the play itself: The extra checker on the 6-point does absolutely nothing for Black here.

...

(The full write-up is available on my website, UVGammon):