Grant's Puzzles - Backgammon Position of the Week

How should White play 42 here: You are ahead in the race, with one of Black’s checkers on the bar and you have a 5 point board. Your goal is to make a 6 point board, so you consider 11/5: Now you have 3 builders aimed at your 4 point. Do you have enough time, or rolls to make your 4 point? You need to make your 4 point quickly, and you are running out of time to do so. This points you towards a slotting play, to quickly make your 4 point. Every 4, except 41 is good for Black here. 42 enters and hits bar/21 6/4*. All other 4s enter and escape into the outfield, hitting a White blot if possible. So, slotting your 4 point with 8/4 11/9 does not give Black good 4s, they already have good 4s. Consider 8/4 11/9: This is the correct move, as 41 is bad for Black (as Black cannot double hit) and 42 played bar/21* 6/4* (this is the correct move for Black) at least gives you a return direct shot from the bar. This move does duplicate 5s and 3s to cover the slotted 4 point and escape the b...

 How should White play 62 here: This is from a match between two very good players. The score has been removed as it was early in the match. A world-class player played 11/3: The good news about this play is that you are threatening to make a 5 prime. Unfortunately, it is harder to prime a single checker, as it is easy for a single checker to escape. Also, you would like to be behind in the race when you are priming (as you can keep your structure for longer), but here you are ahead in the race. The bad news is Black will hit you with any 6 as well as 51, and if they do not hit, they have many rolls that will make an inner board point or their Bar point. You consider the hitting play 24/16*: Although this puts you ahead in the race, and partially escapes a checker, you will be hit by Black with any 3, as well as 62, 61, 52, 51, 42, 41, 21, 22 and 11. That is 27 rolls, or 75% of the time. Note that 11 hits twice. This move is just too risky, so you consider 13/7 3/1*: This m...

 How should White play 22 here: I have had players tell me that sometimes the move is just obvious. Those players would play bar/23(2) 7/5*(2): This move creates a 5 point board, and gives you 6s and 5s to hit and escape your rear most checkers. This play also gives Black no return hits from the bar. The problem with this play is any 3 let’s Black anchor and make a 5 prime with 35, 34 and 31. The great American player Mary Hickey tells her students to “beware Captain Obvious”. In other words, do not just make the obvious play, even if it is correct you need to consider if there are any better alternatives. Consider not making the 5 point (which would be heresy in some circles) and hitting both checkers with bar/23(2) 7/5*/3*: Although this does not create a 5 point board, and gives Black a direct shot from the bar, it wins 2% more games and 6.5% more Gammons. You can get away with this move because Black has a blot on their 1 point, and if you are hit by Black you will have...

  How should White play 42 here: “if in doubt hit” is a common saying in backgammon, so you consider 8/6 8/4*: The problem with this play is that you leave 3 blots around the board and invite a blot hitting contest where Black has the stronger board. You will be hit with any 4 as well as 53, 33, 31 and 11. That is 17 rolls or 47% of time. How about hitting and lifting with 8/4*/2: Although you are hit with far fewer shots from the bar by Black, the game has a long way to go so you do not want to create a semi dead checker on your 2 point. And you will still have 3 blots around the board. You are behind in the race, but do you really want to hit? Consider tidying up some blots and minimising shots by playing 17/13 9/7: You will be behind in the race by 17 pips after the roll, but you leave only one blot. Black has two blots around the board and will need to do something about them, especially the blot on your 4 point. You will have 3 builders aimed at the blot on your 4 point if the...

 How should White play 65 here: After entering with the 5, you see that you can hit 13/7*: Although this leaves you ahead in the race, it also leaves you with 3 blots around the board and you have given up your midpoint. Losing your midpoint is very bad here, as you now have no bridge between your back checkers and your board checkers. Your midpoint is a long-term asset, giving it up for a short-term gain is not worth the loss. Consider bar/20 16/10: 16/10 leaves only one blot, but it leaves it in front of Black’s rear most checkers. Black would love to hit from either their 20 or 18 point (your 5 or 7 points) and move those checkers closer to home. Bill Robertie wrote in Modern Backgammon “apart from counting shots, you want to leave blots in front of points your opponent least wants to hit from”. This play does the opposite of that, and leaves the blot in front of the points Black most wants to hit from. Consider bar/14: Now you are leaving your blots so that they will be...

 How should White play 52 here: The play made over the board was 7/5 6/1: Sometimes when I watch other players, I have to move away from the board because my facial expression reveals what I think about a move. Although this is a safe move, that is not what you should be trying to do here. Stick Rice always told me to initially forget about the dice, even if I have to move them to the side of the board. Look at the position and try to figure out what you want to achieve. Here Black has 7 checkers off so you would really like to put both of Blacks checkers on the bar. How do you do this? Well firstly, you have to get them to move off their anchor, and do that as soon as possible. This means you have to maximise the number of rolls that make them give up their anchor – even if you get hit in the process. Black only has a one point board. Consider 6/1 3/1: Conservative players may dislike the fact that you will be hit with 20 Black rolls, but you should be happy if they hit yo...

 How should White play 65 here: You are very early in the game, and have to decide how to play the 65. A lot of players would just play 24/13: The good news is that you are ahead in the race by 9 pips after the roll. The bad news is you have over stacked your 13 point. Generally, you want to unstack points rather than over-stack them. In the opening position of Backgammon, you start with 2/3 of your checkers on the 13 and 6 points. One of the tasks you want to do in the opening is to unstack these 2 points. You have the much stronger board, so you can make a bold play. 24/13 is not a bold play so you consider 13/8 13/7: This move threatens to make a 5 prime, and put your opponent in serious trouble. The problem is the 14 rolls that hit you. 14 rolls is 39% of the time. You have the stronger board, so you want to use it to put pressure on Black. Consider 24/18 13/8: With your strong board you would welcome an exchange of hits. Even if Black rolled 41 here and played 11/7* 8/7: Y...