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White is off to a good start in this position. He’s neatly filled in his 3, 4, and 5-points, making a strong home board. Black has only managed to escape one back checker, getting it as far as his 8-point.
Money game, center cube, White on roll.
(a) Should White double? If he does, should Black take?
(b) Assume White doubles and Black takes. How should White play the following rolls:
6-6
4-4
2-2
6-4
6-2
4-3
These next two positions show an unusual holding game situation, with Black’s board somewhat collapsed while he still has outfield points to clear. As compensation for his messy position, Black is ahead by 35 pips in the race, and as such is a solid favorite no matter how White plays.
(A) Money game, White owns a 2-cube.
White to play 6-4.
(B) Money game, White owns a 2-cube.
White to play 6-4.
Here are two closely related positions which illustrate an idea called diversification, which is the opposite of duplication. Duplication enables us to reduce our opponent’s good shots by moving so that the same number works for him in different parts of the board. Diversification increases our own good shots by giving us different numbers working in separate parts of the board. It’s a quick and useful tool that will generally point to good plays.
This position is a fairly typical mutual holding game, a holding game where both sides have an anchor in the other player’s territory. Your first job in these games is to count the race and see where you stand. Here the pip count is 124 for White, 121 for Black. White trails by 3 pips, but after he plays his 5-2 he’ll actually lead by 4 pips.
Money game, center cube.
Black to play 5-2.
When you play longer matches, the score can become very lopsided in favor of one player. At lopsided scores, the doubling strategy for both players can change very dramatically. In this post we’ll take a look at proper doubling strategy in a race when one player has a big lead in the match.
White on roll owning a 2-cube, leading 11-3 in a 15-point match. Pip Counts are 100 for White and 126 for Black.
Should White double? If White doubles, what should Black do?
You’re playing a 5-point match, and you lead 3-to-1. You need two points to win, your opponent needs four. The next game starts out favorably for you. What’s your proper cube strategy?
This scenario is among the most common in tournament backgammon, and among the most frequently mishandled. The leader’s doubling strategy can be succinctly summarized in these two rules:
