Human beings are blessed with an ability to “make do”. Scrimp and bargain. Do a slipshod job in one arena, and then crawl off to lay low in another arena. But some humans are scramblers, they wager on outcomes, they create possibilities out of transition. They are the players who make it their forte to use hit-and-run tactics and a menacing cube. And each scrambler plays damn good backgammon.

Some might suggest that a running game suits the scrambler best. Associate speed with scrambler tactics, make do with next to nothing — no fancy home board and no prime and no anchor — and still prevail. Win with a ball’s up race. With attitude. A runner’s epigram: Here today, gone by nightfall. A wincing story told with regularity at the local bar, On The Rail, a familiar watering hole for White and Black checkers alike, audience trapped in a close out. Another sob story. About a race.

On The Rail: a watering hole for White and Black checkers alike.