Short games can sparkle in miniature. Such jewels are easier to recall, and focus on a single idea or two. Here is an example: White opens with 35s and makes her home 3pt. The natural play. Black replies with double 22s and also makes the natural play, his 4pt and his 11pt. Lucky to roll…
make a list
Black opens with 32s and tries an old school play that brings two spares down from the midpoint, hoping to develop a blockade. Seven white rolls can hit. W36s One of the seven rolls that hit a black blot. B62s Black enters from the bar and slots the 5pt, hoping White misses. Starting the 18pt…
geography on a backgammon board
When I was a child, the first subject in school that I "dropped" was geography. I later regretted this rash decision and, as an adult penance, read about economic geography, how trading and location work together. The backgammon board has some geographic trades too. White opens with 35s and makes her 3pt in the home…
golden point antics six-four
Sometimes during a practice session against the bot it is worthwhile to design and build a blunder into the game, to make a mistake on purpose which launches a worldly exploration of a play's merits. There could be a whole series of blunders in response to an opening play, different rolls that push the parental…
nitpicking 101
The nitpicker Max White is our opponent. White is a solid player, meticulous but adheres to ancient principles long debunked. A kind of visionary error that overlooks routine things. Max White, by trade, is a scientist. Born and soon indoctrinated to research something important but never get it published. Knows something, but seems unable to…
practicing a game
As a recent Nebula video explains, effective practice is specific and purposeful. It is not merely diddling about. One key to effective practice is intent: find understanding through observing mastery, then pick apart the fundamentals of that mastery, and creatively imitate those ideas during play. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Just ask any…
swinging from cube to cube
As a position to remember, this situation is fairly easy. In a cash game with a centered cube, White is on the roll. The contact boils down to the white outfield point perched on the other midpoint and an ogle of the vulnerable black blot on White's side of the board. Both players have closed…
How to remember positions
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…
a mutual racing cube
Cash game. Jacoby rule. White opens with 25s, a small split to the 22pt and an extra spare on the 8pt from the midpoint stack. Seven pips is the exact average of the inaugural roll; from now on, the average roll will be eight pips and a bit. No hint that this game will become…
about the opening of 42s
The opening of four-two is a great beginning. Vitally it makes the 4pt. It produces a trio of blockers whose toothy gaps are just where the opponent wants to anchor. Conflict and a strong attack are imminent. When Black's responds with 64s to White's opening of 24s, the large split to the black barpoint becomes…
the baron talks backgammon 