The position below is offered more as a novelty than as a puzzle to be solved. In the game, although Black played poorly, at no stage did White have enough of an advantage to consider a cube. Until now. For orientation, White's home board is at the top left and Black's is at the bottom…
down to the crossroads
During a dark night of backgammon, on an empty fruit stand at the crossroads of some rural route, deep and silent in tobacco county, the devil makes an interesting proposal. Do you want to start the game with glorious 31s, making your golden point? Or: Would you prefer to have ownership of the doubling cube…
Take( 420 )
Four-Twenty: In the smoke and fog of this annus horribilis emerges the cube position below, born in bygone years, now dubbed Reference Take Point #420. The situation was extracted lovingly from the position archives. White redoubles, and applies massive pressure on Black with the recube, an 8 pointer. Black has a powerful home board, but…
dead heat bearoff
Ignore the doubling cube. Black to roll the dice. Ignore the cube in the picture. Suppose this position occurs in a cubeless game, perhaps in a match with score 1-away to 1-away. Black is on the roll but has not yet tossed the dice. The game will be decided as a bearoff race, the first…
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…
endgame teaser
On the management of gammon prospects … Seven "long" crossovers will save the gammon for White. Black rolls 32s and has ten long crossovers to a victory bearoff. Two choices play safely. Black can bearoff one checker with 3/0 3/1 and bury a blot safely behind the action. However, the odd number of nine crossovers…
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…
Take (998)
Cash game. Black on roll. Cube actions? Black has a variety of market losers. Doubles fives can point and run. Flexible rolls can make the barpoint, a gem of a blockade. And fly shots can hit White's midpoint blot. Lastly, in a pinch, White's home blot invites Black to hit loose on the 1pt white…
a question of rodents
In backgammon an expert player of cunning and means will always try to gain a decisive edge on a suspicious gambling mark for example the jacoby rule provides that edge it focuses attention on the doubling cube gammons do not count until after somebody doubles the stakes for either side the rule injects a sense…
a word on game plan options
This is a short cash game with one actual checker play decision, and thereby one error. The choices are close in equity, so anyone could select one of the five sensible plays without losing respect. Black opens with 61s and makes the bar. White replies with 25s, splitting her backmen and moving a midpoint spare.…
the baron talks backgammon 