
Black – Pips 135 (-38)
Black on roll. Cube action?

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This problem isn’t difficult, but it contains some interesting points. The right play is just 21/13. Remaking the midpoint creates a fluid, well-connected position that’s relatively easy to play compared to alternatives. Black has chances to make the 3-point, and some other rolls that make the bar-point. He gets some outfield coverage in case White’s next roll is 6-3 or 6-4. He blocks White’s best roll, 6-6, turning it from a game-changer into merely a good shot.
(A) Black to play 5-1.

When should you double in the very early part of the game? How soon is too soon? Let’s take a look.


Back at World Cup VI, in 1998, Kent Goulding and I introduced a ‘Quizgammon’ contest, consisting of a set of 30 problems taken from all phases of the game. Everyone who was interested paid an entry fee of $20 and sat down for an hour with their problems and answer sheet. After everyone handed in their solutions, Kent and I went over the answers and announced the winners. The event was an instant success. Players really liked the idea of matching wits, with the luck of the dice finally and thoroughly removed.

This problem is taken from a game in the Athens finals between Billy Horan and I in 1994. (Billy was White, I was Black.) The game was early in the match and the score wasn’t relevant, so I’ve recast it as a cash game position.