Grant's Puzzles - Backgammon Position of the Week

 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

 How should White play 61 here: You can minimise shots here by playing 8/2: Although this minimises shots, you now are committed to covering the blot on your 2 point. Black wants to reduce the number of checkers on their 24 point, and you have made it easier for them to do so by them splitting , maybe to their 20 or 21 points while at the same time hitting your blot on your 2 point. This is just making it too easy for your opponent. You have also left your opponent in full control of the outfield, and you have not challenged their outfield blot. You really need to challenge for control of the outfield, and do it this turn before they get another checker into the outfield. Consider 21/15: This challenges Blacks blot on your 12 point. Unfortunately, you have diversified their hitting numbers so that Black can hit you with 4s, 3s and 2s – giving Black too many good rolls. Consider 21/16 6/5: This is the clever play which triplicates Blacks 4s. But as noted before Black wants t

 How should White play 61 here: This is a position from a recent match I was playing against an exceptionally good player. He was White and I was Black. Firstly, consider minimising shots with 8/7 8/2: Although this minimises shots, the bigger problem is that you are conceding control of the outfield to your opponent. In “Understanding Backgammon” by Kit Woolsey, the author devotes an entire chapter to “Outfield Wars”. They are problems are like this one where you will be in a bad position if you do not fight for your place in the outfield. If you get to move checkers into the outfield and your opponent does not, then you will be in a much stronger position. You have to keep your 8 point, so you have to give up your 21 point anchor. The move played over the board was 21/14: The only advantage of this play, is that with a 6 you can move your outfield checker to your 8 point, but you do not want to do this, you want to move your rearmost checker into the outfield, giving you contro

How should White play 41 here: ·          at DMP (Double Match Point), ·          for money with the cube in the centre ·          and for money with you owning the cube here? I will start with DMP. Our first foray into match play. DMP means you can only win 1 point, but that point wins the match for you. Gammon wins and gammon losses are irrelevant and have no value to you, so you just want to make the play that wins the most games. Any time where the score has been elevated to the level that there are no redoubles and whoever wins the single game will win the match, then you should play like you are at DMP. When I was first learning to play matches, a friend told me that some scores were like being in a different country and that DMP was like being on Moon Base Alpha. By this they meant it was like being in a whole different world where everything you thought was normal was suddenly not. Consider the keep the 5 prime p

 How should White play 43 here? You were feeling really good because you have a 6 prime and one of Black’s checkers trapped behind it. Then you rolled a bad number, and now you have to decide how to play it. It would be too easy to be disappointed with what you rolled and play 7/4 7/3: This just gives black good 6’s apart from all the combinations that make Black’s 4 point on your head. You must not allow Black to have their full roll so you have to do a tempo hit on your 1 point. There are several ways to hit on your 1 point, let’s consider 7/4 5/1*: This gives Black 20 direct shots from the bar. It also leaves 5 of your blots around the board. Normally if you have a choice between two plays which are equally effective, you want to choose the one that leaves the least blots. Consider 5/2 5/1*: This move has several advantages, it retains your 7 point and only leaves 3 blots around the board. Another advantage is that Black will stay on the bar with 16 rolls, and you only hav