by Moe Zilla

Created on: January 27, 2008

When playing backgammon, the two dice can generate 21 different rolls. But six of these rolls are doubles, which would never occur on the first move. (Since both players roll a single dice to determine who goes first. In the event that doubles are rolled - the dice are rolled again!)

The other 15 combinations are more likely anyways, since there's two ways to roll each one of them. Here's some tips for how to take advantage of them

* Trap the opponent. Pieces can't move onto any point occupied by two or more opposing checkers. There's five rolls which can create a two-checker block on the first turn.

3-1
4-2
5-3
6-4
6-1

The first four are especially useful, since they eliminate points where the opponent's pieces could later emerge from the bar. When all six points are blocked, the opponent is trapped - and even blocking a single point can decrease their options.

But the 6-1 roll has its advantages. It can create a three-point barricade which is difficult to get across, and opposing pieces can no longer use a 5-6 roll to scramble for safety.

* Scramble to safety. Rolling a five offers the chance to move at least one checker where it can't be attacked. The coveted 6-5 roll even lets one piece escape the opponent's home area and cross the entire far side of the board.

5-6
4-1

* Scramble unsafely! There's always a chance an opponent won't be able to hit a single checker on their next turn. So early in the game, it's worth taking a gamble. These rolls can be used to begin escaping from the opposing home area.

1-5
3-6
4-5

* Spread your pieces. Out of 36 possible rolls, there's only three ways to roll a ten. And double 5's won't work for the opponent's two outer pieces, since they'd land on the five-checker point. So the odds are 18:1 against an opponent picking off a single checker that's left ten points away from them. And having a checker on that square doubles the chances for a roll creating another block.

That makes it a good move for any of the remaining opening rolls with a 2. And that checker offers the possibility of making a counter-attack on a second checker moved in front of it - for example, a checker moved one square in front of it with a three...

2-3

If the second dice rolls a one or six, it's often best to split the far pieces in the opponent's home board, before they've had a chance to erect their own defenses.

2-1
2-6

If the second dice rolls a five, the second checker can simply be moved to safety among the group of pieces that's five points away.

2-5

And I'll even try this trick with a 3-4 roll, using the 4 to begin moving one checker out of the opposing home board. It's a dangerous move, but it's very unlikely that on the next roll, both pieces will be hit.

3-4

Good luck!

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