Cash game. Center cube. White on roll.

Position 1: White to play 5-2.

Position 2: White to play 4-2.

In backgammon, most hits are done for one of two reasons: to gain ground in the race, or to attack a key point. A rarer (but still important) use of the hit is a defensive idea called the tempo play. Here the plan is to prevent your opponent from using his whole roll to do something good. By hitting (usually in your home board), you force him to spend half his roll coming in from the bar, so he’s not in position to do something devastating elsewhere on the board.

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Cash game. White owns the cube. White on roll.

White to play 5-3.

A lot of backgammon positions are pretty simple: the right play is either forced or completely obvious. Many others involve a clear decision between two very different alternatives. These problems may be hard to solve, but at least the choices are clear.

Some positions, however, involve a lot of possible plays, all of which are somewhat reasonable. These positions can be very tricky, and one of the dangers is overlooking the best play altogether while sorting through the wealth of possibilities. Be alert, and try to enumerate all the plays before starting to rank them.

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