Author: Orad Reshef

Just like how I struggled to even describe backgames in its game plan article, it was challenging to come up with reasonable rules of thumb for cube action in backgames. There simply isn’t anything as neat and tidy as “double with a 14 pip lead.” However, a true 101 course would feel incomplete without at…

For the last lesson in the module, we’re going to learn another beloved backgammon proverb: Two on the bar is better by far. The idea is that it is extremely powerful to hit two checkers — way better than hitting only one checker, and better than many alternative plays. In the current context, it often…

The next great reason to leave loose blots in your homeboard is when you’re playing a containment game. Sometimes, you’re desperate to keep your opponent from leaving and will stop at nothing to keep your opponent from doing so. Below is our first example. We’re trailing by a ton in the race, and are split…

In the last lesson, we highlighted positions where leaving blots in our homeboard somehow turned out to be safer than any alternatives. Here, we will focus on positions at the complete other end of the spectrum — where the consequences of the hit are the main benefits of the loose play. Tempo hit Sometimes, hitting…

We conclude this module on checker play by addressing something that we’ve been teasing since the very beginning of the course — when to play loose in the homeboard. This will be a 3-part series, highlighting different categories of positions where it’s worth the risk to play loose. This concept has the highest potential to…