How to remember a board position? In backgammon everyone is better at some things but needs practice at other things. For example, I am good at the numbers game, but poor at recalling positions from the recent past. My younger brother, however, is a master at remembering the shapes on the backgammon board. Sibling rivalry demands I up my game and remember board positions with some organized practice. Here is what I find works.

Use the bot’s Set Up Position feature or dust off an actual backgammon board.

Clear all checkers off the board.

Set the state of the board position to Double Action before any dice roll.

Black is him (or you) and White is her.

Place any black checkers dancing on the bar (none in the upcoming example position).

Then place any white checkers dancing on the bar (none here).

Place the black backmen in White’s home board.

Then place the white backmen in Black’s home board.

Place White’s blocking checkers on her side of the board.

Then place Black’s blocking checkers on his side of the board.

Place any structural points into the outfield. (Midpoint for Black and none for White)

Place remaining spares, builders, and blots onto the board.

Ensure the correct number of bearoff checkers are in the black and white bathtubs for the position. (Zero – No bearoff yet)

Establish cube ownership. (Here the cube is in the center)

Briefly consider the situation as a cube position. Is this the recalled position? Does it look right?

Either roll the correct dice as a checker play problem, or examine the position as a cube play problem. Maybe both.

Rinse and repeat.

Every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening I add a new board position to the queue and remove the oldest position from the queue. This keeps the queue at a quartet of positions. Each day I try to set up each of the four board positions for practice a couple of times.

I also scrawl the layout of the board position on a small piece of cardboard and shove it into my coat pocket (along with any grocery list). Waiting time now becomes valuable. (Smart phones are also helpful)

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