White – Pips 134 (-1)

Black – Pips 135 (+1)
Black to Play 5-3 

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.

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White – Pips 137 (-13)

Black – Pips 150 (+13)
Black to Play 4-1Here’s a problem of a familiar sort. Black has been steadily building his front position, while White has tossed in a 5-3 and a 6-5. White’s last roll of 6-5 completes the escape of his back checkers, but leaves him with a huge stack on his midpoint. Now that White has escaped entirely, Black has to leave his front position alone and start mobilizing the back men. He has two choices: 24/20 11/10, or 24/23 13/9. (24/23 11/7 is all right as well, but 13/9 yields a slightly more active distribution.) Which is best?

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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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In my last post, I introduced the concept of duplication. It’s a powerful idea, one of the crucial tactical ideas in backgammon. Look for your opponent’s numbers that already play well, and remember that plays which expose blots to those very same numbers elsewhere on the board become stronger than they at first appear. Here’s another good example.

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Slotting to make a key point and splitting your back checkers are two tactical ideas that dominate early-game play when more obvious choices like hitting blots and making points aren’t available. The 1970s and 1980s were the heyday of slotting. The preferred method of winning a game was to build an imposing prime (often by slotting points, then covering) and follow it with a crushing double. The older method, taking the points you were given and looking for a chance to escape your back checkers, was seen as antiquated and wimpy, a game plan only suited for geezers playing in the park.

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