Bill Robertie’s Blog

How to Play a Proto-Backgame

Apr 17, 2019 | Backgammon Problems: Back Games

White – Pips 175 (-42)

Black – Pips 217 (+42)
Black to Play 6-2

This position is an example of what I like to call 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.

5-Prime versus 5-Prime

Apr 1, 2019 | Backgammon Problems: Priming Games

White – Pips 105 (-10)

Black – Pips 115 (+10)
Black to Play 2-1This problem 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.

What are the goals in these positions? Here’s what the players are trying to do, arranged roughly in order of importance:
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Gino Scalamandre – A Remembrance

Mar 16, 2019 | Backgammon Generally

Gino Scalamandre passed away last month at the age of 87. Gino was a member of the very first group of backgammon giants who dominated the game in the 1960s and 1970s, along with players like Tim Holland, Oswald Jacoby, and Joe Dwek. Gino was a fixture at all the big international tournaments of that era and won many. In the first ‘unofficial’ listing of the world’s best players in a 1972 issue of Harper’s, Gino was securely in the top 10.

When to Make an Early Double

Mar 1, 2019 | Backgammon Problems: Early Game

White – Pips 173 (+38)

Black – Pips 135 (-38)
Black on roll. Cube action?Proper doubles in the very early stages of the game are somewhat unusual. It takes some time to build an advantage strong enough to turn the cube. Most correct early doubles come from blitz positions, where one side rolls a quick double, makes a couple of inner-board points, and catches his opponent on the bar. Here the attacker gets enough gammon chances to compensate for the fact that he still doesn’t have a big positional edge.