Position 339

 How should White play 42 here?

You could make a completely safe play here by playing 5/1 5/3:

Your gameplan here is not to blitz your opponent by hitting them and putting them on the bar, rather it is to get your checkers home safely and win the race. This is a very feasible game plan is after the roll you will be ahead in the race by 31 pips.

Unless you roll doubles, you will probably have to you leave a shot, and the best time to leave a shot is when your opponent’s board is weak or has blots in it. Here Black has a blot and only a 3 point board, so you are justified in leaving shots in order to start getting your checkers home.

In “Backgammon Boot Camp” by Walter Trice, the author recommends that if you’re not sure what to do, just pick up your rear most checker and move it closer to home. If you followed that advice blindly, you would play 16/10:

This allows Black to hit you with any 3 or 4. There is some duplication of 4’s as they also cover Black’s blot on their 4 point. Unfortunately, when Black hits your checker on their 9 point, they also bring another builder off their 13 point with to cover the blot on their 4 point.

Walter Trice’s advice is very good, particularly when you listen to the qualification of “when in doubt”. Here you should not be in doubt, as this just leave too many good rolls for Black.

Note that this move leaves 2 blots. If we do not mind leaving 2 blots, consider 13/11 13/9:

This move also leaves 2 blots, and Black will hit you with any 2 or 4. Both of those numbers are duplicated as Black covers the blot on their 4 point with 2’s and 4’s. And usually they will not end up with another builder to cover their 4 point blot.

Although this move does nothing about your checkers on your 16 point, because of the duplication and the timing that it buys you, this is the correct move.

Black having a weak board, and an inner board blot allow you to play boldly.

Let’s move a Black checker 5/4, giving Black a 4 point board without any blots.

Now your opponent’s board is far too strong to leave two blots in the outfield’s, so you should make the safe play of playing 5/3 5/1.

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