Grant's Puzzles - Backgammon Position of the Week

 How should White play 54 here: Firstly, you consider the move that leaves the fewest shots; 16/7: But this leaves you only one builder to continue fighting for the gammon, and making the 7 point would be nice, but it is not very threatening. You have also diversified Black’s numbers, as they enter with any 5 or 4 and hit from those points with any 3 or 2. As you want to be able to continue blitzing, you consider 16/11 13/9: Black will still enter with any 5 or 4, and be able to hit with 6, 5 or 4. There is some slight duplication here, but not enough. You do not want to make your 11 point especially if Black ends up anchoring on your 5 point. If this happens, you will then have to clear your 11 point and the hardest point to clear is the one 6 pips away from an anchor. So do not start it in the first place. Note that this leaves 3 blots around the board. The correct move leaves 4 blots around the board. It is 13/9 13/8: Black will enter with any 5 or 4, and be able to hit ...

 How should White play 32 here: One of the principles that I teach to students is that 3 checkers on your 24 point is an unbelievably bad formation. Whatever you do here, you must move at least one checker from your 24 point. Consider 24/22 13/10: This enables your checker on your 22 point to see daylight and be able to jump Black’s prime with a 6. It also stays back on a point Black would less like to make. This move duplicates both Blacks 62 and 63 rolls. But you can do better, consider 24/21 24/22: This does give black a lot of pointing rolls, but if Black makes either their 4 or 3 points, you have a good chance to anchor on the point they didn’t make. But you can do even better, consider 24/21 6/4: Whenever I have a difficult move to make, I always check to see if there is any duplication. Here after 24/21 6/4, there is perfect duplication of 2s and 3s on both sides of the board. This move seeks to go forward and wins the most games and the most Gammons. It is the cor...

How should White play 55 here: You have to you put a second checker on the bar, so first you consider making your 1 point by playing 11/1* 6/1 10/5: The problem with this play is that you only have 2 builders with which to make new inner board points. You are also stacked on your 5 point. This looks ugly, because it is awkward. Consider instead 11/1* 6/1 13/8: You now have 3 builders for your 4 point but still only 2 builders for your 3 and 2 points. You are stacked on your 8 point, and you have given up control of the outfield. Fortunately, there is a better move. Consider 11/1* 8/3(2): This still makes a 3 point board. It also slots your 1 point. This means you now have 4 builders for your 4 point and 3 builders for your 2 point. If the checker on your 1 point is hit, you will still have your 13 point and an outfield presence. If Black misses your checker on your 1 point, then you will have many rolls to cover it and continue the attack if they have entered elsewhere or jus...

 How should White play 62 here: The bad news here is that you are behind in the race by 21 pips before the roll. The good news is that Black has a weak board and will be forced to break an anchor with any roll except 11. This means that you want to keep contact and improve our board. Consider 7/1 5/3: This move keeps contact and makes it so that Black cannot hit you. But is it so bad to be hit? No, as you will enter with 32 rolls and only stay on the bar with 22, 11 and 21. Being hit could be an advantage as you will probably enter and be able to pick up any checkers that have got past your rear most anchor. What is good about this move, is that you have started to improve your board by slotting points that you want. Consider 14/8 7/5: You are not worried if Black hits your checker on the 8 point, so you should just slot your 8 point. Unfortunately, 7/5 just creates a stack on your 5 point rather than starting a new inner board point. Consider the best move of 14/8 5/...

 How should White play 65 here: You know that inner board points are good, so you consider 7/1 6/1: While it is true that inner board points are good, you would rather make your points in front of Black’s anchor, rather than behind it. This move would not be so bad if Black were ahead in the race and would be forced to leave their anchor – then you could attack the remaining blot. Unfortunately, you are ahead in the race so you should find another move. Consider 22/11: Although this move does duplicate 2s, there is more to this than duplication. Yes, Black does want to make the 4 point with any 2 but there are many rolls that cover and hit a blot. Although you really want to run when you are ahead in the race, this move gives Black too many good rolls. Consider 22/16 7/2: This move puts a blot into your inner board. If you end up hitting a Black checker, if this blot is not covered it could cause you problems as Black will have returned shots from the bar. Rather than cre...

 How should White play 65 here: After the roll you will be ahead in the race by 19 pips, so you consider the safe play of 10/4 9/4: This move just creates TMP (Too Many Points), plus your position is inflexible. That means that you will have very little choice about how to move your future rolls. You have also done nothing about escaping your rear most checkers or stopping Black from extending their prime. Consider 23/17 10/5: You have split to Black’s 8 point, the point he would most like to make. This move just makes it easier for him to make it because he can hit you loose on his 8 point, then if you do not return hit, he has slotted the point you most want to make. The other problem with this play is that you want to leave your blots in front of stripped intermediate points, and Black’s midpoint has 3 checkers on it so that it is not stripped. Consider 23/17 22/17: You have blots on your 22, 10 and 9 points. But all the checkers aiming at these blots, are from points th...

 How should White play 44 here: After the roll you will be ahead in the race by 19 pips. You first consider playing 13/9(4): This gives you 13 checkers in the attack zone and seems to block Black’s checkers on your 3 point. This seems good, but it also gives up control of the outfield. This means; that Black can spread their checkers out in the outfield and make it hard for you to escape your rear-most checker. If Black rolls a 4, they can hit you or make their 18 point. They can also make their 18 point with any 5. Once they have their 18 point, you will not be out to prime or block them, you will only be able to attack their single remaining checker. Consider 13/9(2) 24/20 6/2*: This is the bit of everything move. You advance your rear most checker ready to escape, you make your 9 point and you attack an inner board checker. Although this seems like it is achieving a lot, it is trying to do too much. You can be hit with any entering 4, 3 or 1. You can also be double hit her...