Bray’s Learning Curve – Page 3 – U.S. Backgammon Federation

A graphic illustration of the difference between money and match play.

In unlimited games having given away the cube Red must play with some caution. The correct play is to make White�

This is difficult because there are so many options.

We are taught to attack a lone rear checker and here we can do that with 8/1*. With ten checkers in the attack zone that is certainly

Red opened with 61 and White replied with 33. How should Red now play this 21?

White has both a blitzing and a priming structure. Meanwhile a blitz is out of the question for Red and priming

With an even race it is unlikely that Red will end up playing a backgame.

With four rear checkers he should not be giving up his mid-point as that destroys a vital communication

This is an easy problem if you have been taught the right technique but very difficult if you have not.

There are three candidate plays: (a) 22/13; (b) 6/1, 5/1 and (c) 13/4*.

Racing when

There are four candidate plays in this position: (a) 13/7*, 8/7 (b) 8/7*/1 (c) 8/2*/1 and (d) 11/5, 6/5

There is an old saying in backgammon that once you have started the ace-point then

I thought it was time for a relatively easy problem and this is it!

Over the board Red chose 24/23, 16/10 but this wrong on several counts:

Red can choose to make his 21-pt, his bar-pt or his 4-pt. Which is correct?

Trailing by twenty-five pips his primary game plan is priming. Making the 21-pt is the wrong idea as it allows

Bray's Learning Curve