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  Backgammon Tips and Strategies

Getting Better at Backgammon
By RedTop and PhilipJSimborg

Backgammon is a fascinating, beautiful, maddening game. People play it on MSN Games because they enjoy it. Some are content to stay at their present level; others want to improve and have more success in ratings, tournaments, and ladders.

Two of the most successful players -- both online and in real life -- are RedTop (Hank Youngerman) and PhilipJSimborg (we'll let you try to guess his real name). Most experienced players believe that, like in golf, chess, bridge, or any complex sport or game, you will get more enjoyment and satisfaction if you play better and win more. These two top players offered to share their tips for beginning players who wish to improve their game.

Checker Play Strategy

1.       There are all types of games -- races, priming games, holding games, backgames. It doesn't matter if you know what all these terms mean. Just look at the board and, based on your experience, think. Ask yourself what your main goal is, how you expect to win the game (or, if the game is hopeless, avoid losing a gammon) without a miracle of the dice. And if only a miracle will save you, make sure you set yourself up to benefit from that miracle. Your game plan may change from roll to roll -- but always have a game plan. Focus on your best chance to win, and then play your checkers to achieve that.

2.       Early in the game, try to avoid playing checkers too deep in your own home board. Once you play checkers to the 1-point or 2-point, they are pretty much out of play for the rest of the game. While that may help you in the race, almost all games have a phase where hitting your opponent or containing their checkers are the most important goals, and checkers buried in your board can't do that.

3.       It is almost always better to make the 5-point than the 7-point. The 5-point has almost as much blocking power as the 7, plus it can prevent your opponent from entering from the bar and helps you unstack the 6-point at the beginning of the game.

4.       Avoid building towers. Try to get 2 or 3 checkers on a larger number of points. Having 5 or 6 (or more) checkers on each of 2 points is very bad strategy, and is usually worth taking some risks to avoid.

5.       A common error of many beginners is avoiding blots (a single checker on a point) at all costs. When considering whether to make a risky play, pay special attention to how many points your opponent has made in their board. If they only hold 1 or 2 points, you are probably not in much danger even if you get hit. When they have 4 or 5 points made, a hit could easily be fatal to your game.

6.       Remember that ultimately, every game boils down to a "race," getting your checkers off the board before your opponent. Therefore, the "race status," or "pip count," should always be kept in mind. If you are ahead, generally try to avoid contact and race; if you are behind, you need to consider ways to block and hit your opponent to slow him down.

Doubling Cube Strategy

1.       If you want to win, you MUST at least try to use the cube correctly. If you don't, and your opponent does, you are at a huge disadvantage.

2.       As a general rule, you should take a double when you have at least a 25% chance to win the game. If there is high odds that when you lose you will be gammoned, you should drop even with somewhat better game-winning chances.

3.       Pay attention to the match score. If your opponent will win the match if he wins the current game, then double (unless the Crawford rule prevents it). Always be alert for no-cost redoubles. If you are trailing 3-0 in a match to 5 and your opponent doubles, if you take, immediately redouble! You have nothing to lose.

4.       A good rule of thumb for positions where no more checkers can be hit is this: Double when you are on roll and your opponent's needed pip count is at least 8% more than yours. If doubled, you should take if trailing by no more than 12%. These rules only apply to races of at least 25 pips or so remaining, and are just guidelines. (Example, if your pip count is 110, and your opponent's is 90 and then doubles, you are trailing by 20 pips. Divide 20 by 90, and you are trailing by 22% -- well over the 12% needed to take.)

5.       Remember that the cube is a weapon that can be used to end the game. If you give away the cube too soon, your opponent can always use the cube to end the game, but you can't. Conversely, if you hold the cube, don't be quite as quick to give it up (redouble) as you would if the cube were in the center.

Conduct and Demeanor

Backgammon is an inherently frustrating game. Sometimes you will play flawlessly and the dice just won't cooperate. In the long run, you will have as much good luck as bad luck. Learn to accept your bad luck graciously.

There are questions about the randomness of the dice not only on MSN Games, but for every online site and every computer backgammon game. The dice on MSN Games have been tested extensively and found to be random. Further, there is no known way to cheat the dice by selecting your own roll or your opponent's. Blame your losses on bad luck if you must -- and you WILL lose games due to bad luck -- but not on MSN Games dice or on your opponent cheating the dice.

MSN Games in particular is a social place as well as a serious gaming site. You'll have more fun -- and find it easier to find opponents -- if you behave like you would if you were in a real-life backgammon club interacting with people face to face. Accept that not everyone has the same views as you. One person may think it rude not to say "nr" (nice roll) when you roll a big set of doubles; another might feel it insulting as though to say, "You got a good roll, but that's the only reason you can win, because of luck."

You don't have to be happy about losing, but don't be nasty about it either. Everyone likes to win, no one likes to lose. You will win matches against much better players, and lose matches against much weaker ones. Be a nice person and both a good winner and a good loser. It doesn't cost any more to say "Good match" than it does to say, "You were lucky; you could never beat me again." And above all, avoid profanity and insults. Not because they're against MSN Games rules, but because they are pointless and brand you as someone people would rather not be around.

Tools For Improving

1.       Backgammon is inherently a game of playing the odds. Like it or not, the player who uses their mathematical ability to best advantage will win more than the player who doesn't. Learn the odds and take the time to apply them when playing.

2.       There is instructional material available for every skill level. You don't have to read every book ever written, but one or two will surely help a lot. Excellent books by Paul Magriel or Bill Robertie can be found in many mainstream book stores or ordered online.

3.       Anyone with a computer can play against some of the best players in the world, for free. There are two backgammon computer programs, Jellyfish and Snowie, that play on a par with the very best world-class experts. Each has a downloadable version on the Web (Jellyfish is free, and Snowie requires a registration fee after 30 days), and both have higher-level versions with extensive teaching capabilities. Even if you don't want to spend a dollar, download Jellyfish and play against it. Watch how it plays differently than you would, and you cannot help but improve your game.

4.       If you have a positive attitude and a pleasant demeanor, you will find it much easier to get good players to play against and teach you. Kibitz good players and, if they don't mind, ask questions. Nothing is more rewarding to a good player than a novice who thinks that with the right help he or she can become an intermediate; nothing is more irksome than an intermediate whose main skill is telling everyone how good he or she is and blaming all the losses on bad luck. Be a good winner, a good loser, and a good opponent, and you'll have more fun and find more people willing to play you.