New &
Noteworthy
How to Play the Opening in Backgammon/Part 3 – Order From Chaos
How to Play the Opening in Backgammon/Part 3 – Order from Chaos covers some key opening concepts that weren’t discussed in Books 1 and 2 and sheds some light on some situations that haven’t really been described in the literature at all.
The third chapter, for example, talks about the Outfield. When do you run to the outfield, and when don’t you? But even more important, what do you do when you run to the outfield and don’t get hit? Do you quickly run that blot to safety, or do you recognize that the blot is now as much an asset as a liability, and leave him where he is?
The last chapter discusses doubling in the very early part of the game, in positions which aren’t blitzes. Such doubles not only exist, but are much more common than you might think. The book lays out some examples and rules of thumb for identifying these doubles. And the chapter concludes with some advice for avoiding that most dreaded of opening traps – the horrific Blockhead Blockchain!
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Info: 142 pages, 223 diagrams, softbound
Price: $50 + S/H
Bestselling
Books
Bill's Latest
Blog
A Back Game with Questionable Timing
Cash game. White owns the cube. White on move.
White to play 4-3.
This isn’t a particularly hard position when presented as a problem. The right play is 8/5 13/9, keeping both back points, slotting the 5-point, and playing 13/9 so as to create two cover numbers for the 5-point.
Over the board, with no one hinting that this is actually an interesting position, it’s fairly easy to make a small mistake. I’d expect to see a lot of players move either 13/9 13/10, a slight error because it doesn’t start the 5-point, or 8/4 8/5, another slight error because the builder on the 4-point is somewhat misplaced and White has fewer cover numbers for the 5-point than he should.
Leaving a blot on the midpoint after 13/9 8/5 is not especially costly because for the most part Black doesn’t want to hit it. Let’s take a quick look at how Black should play his aces after White plays 13/9 8/5.
Black needs to notice these features of the position:
> If he can play safe and not hit, he should do so. Not hitting leaves White’s timing in jeopardy, while hitting improves White’s timing somewhat and may give White a shot at Black’s blot on his ace-point. Right now White trails by 65 pips in the race, which is enough to give him some reasonable winning chances, but not enough to say that he has a well-timed back game. One extra checker back, especially if White could dance for a turn, would make a big difference.
> Playing safe is essential for Black, so if he can only play safe by hitting, he will do so. Black very much doesn’t want to get hit right now, because White’s board is already strong enough to cause real trouble.
> If Black can’t play safe, hitting wins more gammons, and may decrease the count of hit and cover numbers.
So with 6-1, 5-1, and 4-1, the best plays are 13/6, 13/7, and 13/8, all without hitting.
With 3-1, Black can only play safe by hitting, so the right play is 13/12* 4/1.
With 2-1, Black can’t be safe no matter how he plays, so he should hit. Hitting substantially increases his gammon chances compared to the non-hit play (13/11/10), while his losing chances are close after both plays.
As a last point, note that White shouldn’t consider playing 23/16 with his 4-3. While it’s true that his back game/holding game isn’t ideal, it’s the only game he has. Playing 23/16 breaks much of the contact and leaves him 58 pips behind in a game that will mostly become a 5-point holding game, an essentially hopeless situation. If White really wanted to break one of his anchors, the better choice is to keep the back anchor and play 20/13.
Guest Appearances
USBGF Women of Backgammon Federation: Q&A with Bill Robertie
Bill Robertie meets with the USBGF Women of Backgammon group for an informal Q&A session. Founded, and directed by women, the USBGF Women of Backgammon provides support and resources to girls, women, and gender minorities seeking to get involved in the game.
Backgammon Galaxy: Backgammon Podcast #3
In this episode of the Backgammon Podcast, Marc has a deep conversation with the Backgammon legend, author and double world champion Bill Robertie. The conversation includes:
- Bill's career as a player and author.
- The evolution of backgammon theory.
- The difference between backgammon and chess.
- Writing the best-selling poker books "Harrington on Hold'em" series.
- Bill's "new way of thinking" about backgammon philosophy.
The opening rolls are not often at the top of the heap of things to hone as we improve our play. Automatic right? Not so much, Bill Robertie, two-time World Champion, pulls out four, yes, just four, plays to discuss and everyone there found the discussion riveting. One master player said it was a great learning lesson for beginners and for advanced players. So, whatever your level of play, don't miss this. And for those who remember backgammon in the 70's, Bill's anecdote about Paul Magriel is a heart-warmer.
Featured
Backgammon Books
A good book by a backgammon expert can provide game-changing information at a reasonable price which players can absorb at their own pace. The Gammon Press store stocks essential reads by Bill Robertie and Kit Woolsey, along with the works of Bob Wachtel, Peter Bell and others.
If you want to improve your backgammon game, this is the place to start.