Many backgammon players view turning the doubling cube as a solitary event. To improve upon cube decisions, a cube action should be viewed as a sequence of events — a three-act stage play with theatrical opening-middle-end scenes.

The sequence below is clearcut to all good players, no puzzles about the decisions, thereby allowing the underlying process to be exposed. The commentary is divided into a sequence of exchanges.

Black senses his advantage before tossing the dice. Black pauses to consider a first double of the cube.

Backstory: This game began as a developing prime versus prime, the imperfect blockades trapping both White and Black runners. Now, the outfield has turned into a relatively safe domain with indirect coverage. Both White and Black have home board strength. White just danced and still has a checker on the bar. Black has a vulnerable blot slotted in his home board. Black has five builders trained on the exposed white blot, threatening a blitz. If White somehow anchors, however, the black attack will become an unkept promise. The position certainly favors Black, but Black does not currently have a first double.

After the game the bot evaluates the equity as definitely not a double but the 424 market losers and the high volatility of 0.32 both favor Black.

The precursor exchange was: B52s pointing on a white blot in the black home board 9/4* 6/4 followed by: W24s entering a white dancer from the bar. This exchange is not one of the prior market losers. In fact, most market losers when Black previously considered the cube were Hit-Dance scenarios.

Now Black considers the cube again in this position. Black’s home board is even stronger. Black can still attack and blitz. White seems no better off. Black still has the home blot, which could be covered with sevens and nines. Black could also put a second white dancer on the bar, which usually requires a second black slot in the home board.

Black doubles and White takes. Correct decisions.

After the game the bot evaluates the equity as definitely a double with the 655 market losers and the same high volatility of 0.31, favoring Black.

The most likely situation to make a checker mistake is immediately after a taken double. There is no mystery — the volatility needed for the double means the position is inevitably complicated and can easily be misunderstood. Beware. Put full thought into the checker play after the double.

After White takes the cube, Black rolls B65s immediately and hits the second white blot loose.

White rolls W24s again (not shown), enters and hits.

This exchange after the cube action is also not a market losing sequence. In fact, most market losers when Black cubed are again Hit-Dance scenarios.

The purpose of this example in cube action is to remind the player that good cube skills involve understanding sequences similar to that of theatre plays, three acts with climaxes in each act followed by what Mark Twain called “the marrying and the burying” — which mimics the details of the checker play immediately after the take.