Author: Orad Reshef
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The doubling window
Let’s first enumerate the different types of cube actions. It’s customary to describe the action for both players for a given position. The common cube decisions are as follows: These decisions lie on a spectrum, illustrated below: As you go left from right, the strength of your position is improving: at first you shouldn’t be…
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Score-based cube actions
Mastering the doubling cube is hard to do; however, in certain conditions, the decision can be automatic. Below are some cubing scenarios that arise often during matches that tend to surprise newbies, but make perfect sense when you think about it and should be committed to memory. Post-Crawford automatic doubles (1a cubes) As we’ve mentioned…
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Recube vig
As we’ve touched upon before, ownership of the cube has some intrinsic value. This value is oftentimes called the recube vigorish. Vigorish, or vig, is an old-timey word that refers to the small rake taken by a gambling establishment. The general sense is that you’re getting slightly less than you’ve earned because of the vig.…
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Michy’s “Endgame Techniques,” on Closeout positions
[39:45] This is one lesson in a seminar series on how to bear-off checkers, following Michy’s “Endgame Techniques” book. This specific lesson focuses on how the opponent’s checkers influence what play we should make.
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The Polar Triangle Backgammon Opening Series
[13:09] A video that illustrates how the match score can influence what moves you should play. This is episode 1 of a series.
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Solving the race in backgammon by Art Benjamin
[48:48] A technical lecture on cube actions in different race conditions. Includes some original research on a new method (the “variance method”) to figure out cube decisions that is 95% accurate (albeit mathematically cumbersome).