Bill Robertie welcomes the opportunity to share his knowledge of backgammon with experienced players and beginners alike.
On his blog, Robertie publishes set and equipment reviews, creates quiz contests and provides free lessons. He would be remiss not to include his Robertie’s Rules! He also educates readers of the Gammon Press blog on the history of the game, offers backgammon instruction and more.
Use the form to search books, blogs, and resources.
Cash game, center cube. White to play 6-3.
Note: All ‘cash game’ problems assume the Jacoby Rule is in effect. That is, you can’t win a gammon unless the cube has been turned.
This is a cute little technical problem which revolves around an unusual idea. White is clearly in serious trouble and has to find the best move to save the gammon.
Cash game, center cube. White to play 6-2.
Note: All ‘cash game’ problems assume the Jacoby Rule is in effect. That is, you can’t win a gammon unless the cube has been turned.
This position is an example of what I’ve labeled the proto-backgame. Both sides have been busy whacking each other for a while, with the result that Black now has seven men back, and White has three. Neither side has managed to make either a new home-board point or a new blocking point, so each side is free to maneuver, and the cost of getting another man hit is very small. Now Black has a 6-2 to play from the bar. Clearly he’ll come in with Bar/23, after which he can choose among five legal sixes, none of which are absurd. It’s a tough problem, to be sure.
Cash game, White owns cube. White to play 2-1.
This position shows us one of the most interesting middle game positions possible: both sides have a 5-prime, and neither side has an anchor. The play will be razor-sharp, and gammons will be floating in the air for both Black and White.
Cash game, Black owns cube. White on roll.
This problem isn’t difficult, but it contains some interesting points. The right play is 21/13. Remaking the midpoint creates a fluid, well-connected position that’s relatively easy to play compared to alternatives. White has chances to make the 3-point, and some other rolls that make the bar-point. He gets some outfield coverage in case Black’s next roll is 6-3 or 6-4. He blocks Black’s best roll, 6-6, turning it from a game-changer into merely a good shot.
read more…
From the November 2024 blog post, here’s a pair of very similar positions that shows how an (apparently) small change in an early-game position can dramatically change your approach.
Cash game. White to play 5-1
Cash game. White to Play 5-1
These two positions show a routine situation in the early middle game. Both sides have an anchor, and the race is very close. White’s position is slightly preferable since he has better chances of establishing a block against Black’s anchor.
White’s roll of 5-1 is a pretty routine shot and he has two obvious choices: 9/3, starting the 3-point, and 13/8 9/8, playing safe while keeping all checkers is front of Black. Of these two plays, 9/3 is slightly better; 13/8 9/8 creates a big stack which will prove awkward in some of the upcoming variations. In the middle game, we try to avoid creating big stacks unless alternatives are really weak. There’s nothing structurally wrong with 9/3, so it’s a better play here.
Here’s a pair of very similar positions that shows how an (apparently) small change in an early-game position can dramatically change your approach.
Cash game. White to play 5-1
Cash game. White to Play 5-1
Cash game, center cube.
Note: All ‘cash game’ problems assume the Jacoby Rule is in effect. That is, you can’t win a gammon unless the cube has been turned.
Who is a favorite? And why is this, in fact, a problem?
Cash game, White owns the cube.
White to play 3-2
Problem 176 is an example of a type of position that arises fairly frequently, especially at the tail end of a mutual holding game. Black probably held White’s 5-point for a while, then left either to hit a shot or to create a spare on the midpoint. White scores a lucky hit, and now Black is stuck on the bar against a 5-point board.
Cash game, White owns the cube.
White to play 5-1
In backgammon, much of our thinking revolves around assets. What asset can we acquire with a given roll? What asset do we have to give up? One way to look at backgammon is as a series of decisions regarding the accumulation of assets, and the conversion of one asset into another.
Some assets are quasi-permanent, like inner-board points, or primes. Others are more ephemeral, like a racing lead, which can vanish with a single hit. We tend to prefer permanent assets to temporary assets when we have a choice, although usually we’re happy to get any kind of asset we can.
Cash game, center cube.
Should White double? Should Black take if doubled?
This position is another example of our old friend, the “Action Double”. We’ve seen one of these before, in the blog post of September 1, 2023. Here’s a brief description of the conditions that create a good action double.
Cash game, Black owns the cube.
White to play 1-1.
In this position, White has escaped his back checkers, while Black has a single checker remaining in White’s board, behind a 5-prime. How these positions are conducted depends on whether Black has one man back or two men anchored.
Cash game, center cube.
Should White double? Should Black take if doubled?
Problem 172 is a position type that we’ve categorized as ‘One Man Back’. White has escaped both his rear checkers, while Black still has one man in White’s home board. Now White is considering a double. What factors go into the evaluation of a double in these positions?
Cash game, center cube.
White to play 4-2.
If you understood the logic behind our last problem, you should have no trouble with this one, although the two positions belong to different categories. Our last problem was what I call a ‘One Man Back’ position, where the issue was to move up in the board and try to get into a race, or stay back and wait for a better chance later. This position belongs in a category I call ‘Split or Something Else’, where one choice is to split the back checkers and go for an anchor, while the other choice is something different, like making an offensive point, bringing down builders, or just waiting. In this case Play A is splitting with 24/20 13/11, while Play B is to wait with 13/7, gobbling up some of White’s timing in the process.
Cash game, center cube.
White to play 4-4.
This position was originally Problem 166, where Black had just danced and the question was whether or not White should double. (The answer was borderline double/no double, and easy take.) Some of the responders asked how White should play a subsequent 4-4, and that did seem like an interesting idea for a problem, so here it is.
Cash game, center cube.
Should White double? If White doubles, what should Black do?
By convention, most cash games use several auxiliary rules beyond the basic rules of backgammon, intended both to speed up the games and increase the stakes in an exciting way. The most common cash game rules are these:
The Jacoby Rule: You can’t win a gammon unless the cube has been turned. This rule eliminates long, dull games where one side gets a huge early edge and plays for the gammon while leaving the cube in the middle.
Automatic Doubles: If both sides roll the same number to start the game, the cube starts at 2. This rule doubles the stakes in one game out of six. Since weaker players tend to play more cautiously with bigger cubes, this rule strongly favors the better player.
