Grant's Puzzles - Backgammon Position of the Week

 How should White play 41 here: It is a New Zealand money game, meaning there is no Jacoby rule, so you can lose a Gammon without the cube being turned. If you want to hit play here, the best way to do it is bar/24 16/12*: This is the best hitting move as it leaves the less blots. Unfortunately, it still leaves 4 blots around your board. That is way too many, and you are vulnerable all over the board. You will be happy if Black rolls one of the 9 rolls where they cannot enter. When Black does enter, if they hit you, they will be happy but also when Black enters without hitting, they will also have a good position. It is hard to resist a hitting play, but here you should. It would be really nice to make a 5 point, so you consider bar/21 6/5: This leaves only 3 blots but Black has at least 16 rolls that make another new inner board point. If his blitz attack succeeds, they will have enough timing to roll the 2 that they need to play 24/22. This move will lose 19% Gammons. If Black

 How should White play 44 here: Sometimes you have to make the big play and put everything on the line in the next roll. Is this one of those times? You consider 13/9 13/5* 6/2: This does indeed put everything on the line. If Black rolls a 5 you will be on the bar against a 5 point board with 2 other blots lying around in danger of being hit as well. Those blots put you in danger of losing a lot of Gammons here. The advantage of this play is that 62 also covers your 5 point if you are missed. That is not enough compensation. You consider leaving less blots with 13/5*(2): Now if Black rolls a 2, it will be a little bit harder for Black to escape from behind your broken 5 prime and you will have only one other blot in the outfield. But Black still has a 5 point board, and that should scare you. I want to be ahead in the game without risking any checkers being hit, and therefore minimising my gammon losses. Consider 13/9(3) 6/2: You will be ahead in the race by 16 pips after the r

 How should White play 61 here: You could just make the completely safe move here and play 13/6: The ability of Black to escape their last checker should be your main concern here. The problem with this play is it does nothing to stop Black escaping. Next turn Black will either run into your outfield or run into their outfield. Neither of those options should be appealing to you. It is easy to think that the three checkers on your 24 point are your main concern and play 24/18 24/23: The problem with this play is that a lot of small numbers now become good rolls for Black. You are mainly concerned about having 3 checkers on your 24 point when Black has other inner board points made, which makes it harder for you to split off your 24 point. Here with Black only having the 6 point made, there is not as much urgency to get off your 24 point now. You would still like to, but you are not desperate to do it this roll. What about hitting 6/5* and moving 24/18: This does make it harder

 How should White play 22 here: You have rolled well, and can achieve many things by playing 6/4(2) 24/20: If this position happened over the board, I would make my 4 point as I am 100% sure that it is the play of the first two 2s. And making your 20 point also looks very solid. So why is 6/4(2) 24/20 not the correct move? The first thing to notice here is that you have TMP – Too Many Points. That means you have very little flexibility so a lot of your future rolls could be very awkward. You want to create flexible positions with a reasonable number of spares so you can handle bad rolls. Also moving from your 24 point takes the pressure off Black’s blot on your 23 point. Consider 6/4(2) 22/24 11/9: This does look crazy, but you make your 4 and your 20 points. You keep the pressure on Blacks blot on your 23 point by retaining a checker on your 24 point. If Black hits you from there 18 point, they have to give up their 18 point and give you return shots unless they roll 22 which

How should White play 44 here: You have to use the first two 4s to play 24/20(2) as this ruins two of Blacks primary game plans – priming or blitzing. Next you realise that this is a great opportunity to make another inner board point. You consider 6/2(2): This has a number of advantages; it retains your 8 point and gives you 3 builders on different points to make your 7, 4 or 3 points. The big disadvantage is that it makes your 2 point, which really commits you to a blitzing or running game plan. It is hard to form a prime from your 8 to your 2 point is that would need 14 checkers, so priming is very unlikely. It is easy to try to justify this move as Black has only one checker back in your home board, and they have a blot in their outfield. But the blot in their outfield will most likely be made or moved to safety next roll. In the 70s players who played the opening 64 by making the 2 point were derided and told that they had no understanding. With the advent of computers, pl

 How should White play 51 here: A lot of players think that the opening roll and replies are pretty easy and not worth studying but I disagree. I am constantly amazed at good players making incorrect second roll replies. Although the difference between the two moves is not massive here, it is the principal that is important. Years ago, the Israeli player known as Falafel was giving a seminar and an audience member pointed out that there wasn’t much difference equity wise between the two plays. Falafel replied that the numerical difference wasn’t the important thing, the important issue was to understand the principle and not get too caught up with the size of the difference. A lot of players would simply play 13/8 which is obviously right, and then play 24/23: It has been drilled into me that when your opponent makes their Bar point you need to split, before they prime you in. This is a really good principle, but it does not exist in isolation to what else is happening over the b

 How should White play 53 here: You see that you can hit 13/10*, and then consider playing 6/1 with the 5: I’ve heard many sayings in backgammon circles about hitting “hitting is fun”, “if in doubt hit” and “it can never be too wrong to hit”. But hitting is not automatic, and sometimes it will be wrong, particularly if the rest of the roll is awkward. Here playing 6/1 puts a checker where you do not want it, and Black will have no trouble entering from the bar, and it will be bad if they hit you on the 1 point. Consider giving up the midpoint with 13/10* 13/8: This appears to give you many point making rolls to extend your 3 prime but Black gets to roll first and any entering 1 will hit the checker on your 13 point. Black has lots of numbers that enter and make an anchor or numbers that enter and hit on the 13 point or your 10 point. It is really bad to give up your 13 point and give Black complete control of the outfield. Consider the double hitting play of 13/10* 7/2*: This