Bray's Learning Curve

Each week, author Chris Bray lends his sharp insight and easy-to-understand analysis to help you improve your game. 

Chris is the author of multiple backgammon books, including Backgammon for Dummies, and is the backgammon columnist for The Times of London. 

Expert Backgammon Player and TeacherChris Bray Photo

A New Puzzle Every Week

Every Monday Chris posts an interesting backgammon position on our Facebook page.  We encourage you to join in the lively discussion and return here to our website on Tuesdays to read his extended analysis. 

Bray’s Learning Curve in-depth analysis is one of the great benefits of a USBGF membership.
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Backgammon board in play with red and white checkers on triangular points, bars at sides, and two red dice visible near the bottom right.

Washing Day

I see this misplayed so often I thought it was time to point readers in the right direction.

This position occurs after Red 53: 8/3, 6/3, White 62: 24/18, 13/11

With double twos the only

Overhead view of a backgammon board in progress, with orange and white checkers distributed across the board, a cluster of white checkers near the top-right and a stack of red checkers in the bottom-right area; dice showing 64 and 29 on the sides.

Beware the empty 4-pt

It might seem odd to have a simple bear-off as an expert problem but most experts and nearly everybody else gets this wrong.

By any formula, including the Thorpe adjusted Ward Count

Backgammon board in play: orange and white points, red checkers clustered on the right side and white checkers on the left, with two red dice visible near the bottom-right.

Take Care

Making the 4-pt with 7/4*, 6/4 looks obvious so why not do that?

Firstly, if you are going to have an open point in your structure when bearing in, it should be as high as possible. Low empty

Overhead view of a backgammon board in play, with orange and white checkers on numbered points, bars on the sides, and score marks along the edges.

Basic Doubling Theory

Most experts know this position as part of their basic understanding of backgammon.

The untitled games question is easy as this is one of the first positions you ever learn when studying

Backgammon board with white and red checkers on triangular points; two dice show 2 and 3 nearby.

Not so easy

Should Red give up one of his anchors? If so, how?

A move like 12/6, 8/3 is clearly wrong. Red should not cede the outer boards to White. Running one checker with 20/9, or 21/10 is wrong

Backgammon board mid-game with red and white checkers on the points, two dice near the bottom showing the roll, and numbers along the edges indicating positions.

Flawed Strategy

I am the first to admit that I got this wrong over the board. It seemed to be clear to step up with 24/22 and then play 10/7, safetying the blot on the 10-pt.

That move turns out to be a double

Backgammon board in mid-game with red and white checkers on multiple points and two dice visible.

Early Game Skirmish

This position occurs after Red 54: 24/20, 13/8 White 21: 13/11, 6/5* and I played it incorrectly for years believing that bar/23, 6/5 gave White a good four which she didn’t have anywhere

Backgammon board mid-game with red and white checkers; two dice are visible on the board edges.

Monte Carlo 1985

This position is taken from the video of the 1985 Monte Carlo World Championships. Trailing 6-10 to 21 Rick Steiger (Black) had doubled early and Paul Magriel had blundered by accepting

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