Instead of pausing to calculate the (relative) pip count multiple times per game, some players prefer to keep a running pip count in their heads throughout the game. The dice and the checker play have all the information you need to keep track of it at every step of the game. As far as techniques…

The mental shift method is a relative count method that is as old as time. It was described in Magriel’s classic Backgammon, and is very simple and intuitive. I don’t know that it’s worth using in every single position, but in some, it’s certainly by far the best tool for the job. Let’s study a…

There are many algorithms to help you get an absolute count for a position. Of the lot, I think the kangaroo count is the easiest. It was invented by Nack Ballard, and follows this poem: First you double the far side men.Add big diagonal, double again.Add small diags, times 3, plus 30,And shifting to the…

A unit adjustment is an optional final step that can fine-tune the relative count from methods based on the half-crossover count (such as the colourless count or the criss-cross count). Usually, a relative pip count within 5 pips is enough to help you decide what play to make, and this step can be entirely skipped……

The second pip counting method we will learn, the criss-cross count, is another easy algorithm for calculating the relative count. Like the 321 colourless count, it starts with a crude phase that gives you a count within 5 or so pips and can be further perfected using a unit adjustment refinement phase. The main benefit…

The 321 count is a colourless pip counting method that produces a relative pip count. It’s a sort of hybrid descendent of Zare’s half-crossover count and Urquhart’s colorless count. It is so easy and works so well that it feels like magic. It’s the first one I learned, and the one I still use most…