Author: Orad Reshef

Having completed the module on safe play, we almost have a complete foundation upon which we can start building some more advanced intuition. First, we need to learn to recognize the larger patterns that typically appear in a game of backgammon. Backgammon checker play can be categorized into 5 main game plans: Being able to…

So you finally managed to collect all of your checkers in your homeboard, entering the bear off stage of the game. If your opponent has broken contact and has left your homeboard, then it’s a straight race and you are rushing recklessly to remove as many checkers as possible on each roll. But what if…

One of the main goals in a game of backgammon is to safety your backcheckers. Those are the two little guys that start every game stranded on your 24-pt: These checkers have the farthest to go, and to make matters worse, your opponent Gary is doing everything in his power to keep them in his…

There’s a number of common backgammon idioms. One of them is to “Clear from the rear and don’t ask questions.1” This refers to situations where you’re trying to bring your checkers home safely. An example is shown in the position below: You’re ahead in the race and if you could just skip over your opponent’s…

Here’s kind of a tricky question if you’ve never thought about it: how many pips away from an attacking checker is the most dangerous, that is,  the one that leaves your opponent the most rolls that can hit you (shots)? We know from other board games that 7 is the most likely number when rolling…

As discussed in the last lesson, you want to avoid leaving lone checkers (blots) in your home board within striking distance of your opponent’s checkers on the 1-pt. But the goal of the game requires you to bring your checkers into your home board! How can you do that safely? The answer is to make…