| Up Close and Personal with Dice
Dice are tiny cubes, and exist as inanimate objects. In casinos, craps players try to infuse life into the dice. You will see all kinds of body language, and hear colorful expressions such as "baby needs a new pair of shoes.” Veteran Backgammon players roll the dice with somewhat less flamboyance. Each cube is called a die and has spots called pips. It seems that the term pips is popular – it’s the name for the spots on a die, points on the backgammon board, symbols on a playing card, and the group that backs up Gladys Knight! If you add the corresponding sides of a die you will get the number seven. The side with six pips will have one pip on the opposite side. Two and five are on corresponding sides, as are the three and four. Since each die has six sides and the game is played with two dice, there are 36 (6x6) combinations that can be made giving totals of two through twelve. Each roll is independent of the previous roll.
There is only one way to make the numbers two (1 and 1) and twelve (6 and 6). There are two ways to make the number three (2 and 1 and 1 and 2). If it helps you to understand the combinations, picture a green and a red die. You could have number one on the red and two on the green or number two on the red and number one on the green. There are two ways to make the three and eleven. There are three ways to make the four and ten. There are four ways to make the five and nine. There are five ways to make the six and eight. There are six ways to make the seven. By knowing how the numbers are made, you can calculate the odds of making any number before the seven is rolled. Since the number 7 can be rolled six ways, you divide the number six by the number of ways a number is rolled.
The odds of rolling doubles are 1 in 6. Here are the odds of rolling several doubles in a row:
Two doubles in a row: 36 to 1
Three doubles in a row: 216 to 1
Four doubles in a row: 1296 to 1
Any more consecutive doubles and you should consider making an immediate trip to Las Vegas!
Layout of the Board
Each side has 15 pieces.
Red moves left to right across the top, then down, as they turn the corner, and then right to left, and into the inner board. White moves right to left, across the bottom of the board, then up, as they turn the corner, and the left to right, across the top, and into the "inner" board.
Here is how the board looks at the start
<------ White pieces move this way
Dark pieces move this way -----à
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
<------ Dark pieces move this way
Light pieces move this way -----à
The notation that will be used is somewhat comparable to chess notation, in principle. The points on the board are numbered, and the "men” or checkers are identified by the points which they occupy.
For example, on the first move, if red wins the first roll, with a 4-1, the opening moves could be: 24-23 and 13-9.
As you may know, a game begins with each player rolling one die, and the person with the highest roll, plays first. (In the event of a tie, players roll again.)
Your strategy is clear-cut. You must traverse the board, get all of your men into your inner quadrant, and "bear off" 15 checkers before your opponent does the same. Two or more men block a point. Early on, you will try to secure an anchor point (two of your men on the four or five point of the opponent's inner board). If you can grab a bar point (#18 or #7) with two men, that is very powerful. There is a tendency of novice players to want to pile up checkers on a few points. This approach is called building "towers" and is very unsound. It limits options and allows the opponent to whiz around the board in a running game, or to set up a defensive wall. A better game plan is to create a "blocking" situation, where you have four, five or six connected points in your inner board occupied. You hope to deprive your opponent of safe landing spaces for his men, and gradually constrict him. This may sound brutal; however, Backgammon is a game of timing and technique. You must strike a balance between conservative and aggressive play (depending on rolls), and be prepared to shift to a running or blocking (back) game at any time. And now, let the dice roll!
Opening Rolls and Plays
We shall assume that you have rolled a six and your opponent has rolled less than a six. The rolls that can be made with a six are: 6-5/6-4/6-3/6-2 and 6-1
And here are the best ways to play each roll:
6-5: Make the Lover's Leap! 24-13. Sometimes this is called "jumping from Moscow to Vladivostok." You safely move out one man from the opponent's inner board. An alternative is 24-18; 13-8. This is not a good choice.
6-4: A very close call between "splitting" 24-18; 13-9 and "running" 24-14. Another choice is 8-2; 6 - 2. I don't like the latter as pointing in so deeply takes two men out of the game.
6-3: The play of 24-18; 13-10 is slightly stronger and aggressive. Or you can run with 24-15.
6-2: A clear choice is 24-18; 13-11. Running to the 16 point is weaker. A bad choice is 13-5.
6-1: The ONLY call here is 13-7; 8-7. This is a classic book play!
The rolls that can be made with a five are 5-4/5-3/5-2/ and 5-1 We have already used the 6-5 and double fives do not apply to the opening play.
5-4: Try 24-20; 13-8. A close second is 13-9; 13-8. Running to 15 point is less desirable.
5-3: Closing the three point with 8-3; 6-3 is best. I just don't like the somewhat timid 13-10; 13-8.
5-2: This is a bad roll. One good choice is 24-22; 13-8 I would not quibble with 13-11; 13-8. A real "dog" is the attempt with the inner board slot, 13-8; 6-4.
5-1 A few "slotting" (leaving a single checker on a point, and hoping to close it on the next roll) options are available. A splitting play is stronger. 24-23; 13-8. Gambling players might consider 24-18 or 13-7. If the opponent cannot cover these points, this tactic might work. Then again, if he can, you will lose time and pips.
Next month, I will list a glossary of terms, discuss the doubling cube, and continue with more opening rolls and plays. See ya then! | |
