- August 30, 2022
It is just too easy to hit with the four, 13/9*, and then work out what to do with two. 13/11 or 22/20 or perhaps even 9/7 or 8/6?
“When in doubt, hit,” is a well-known backgammon maxim but
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.
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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.
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- August 23, 2022
Hopefully nobody would double this position with a live cube. Red is the favourite, but the position is not volatile enough to warrant a double. White has a take but not a beaver.
The
- August 16, 2022
There are many elements to Red’s game plan but his top priority is to make his 3-pt. Escaping his rear checkers is important but if he can lock up his 3-pt and make a full six-point
- August 8, 2022
Always have a game plan.
Here Red is way behind in the race and has a weaker home board. Both these elements indicate that splitting the rear checkers is not the right plan.
For
- August 2, 2022
This position occurs after Red opens with 61 (13/7, 8/7) and White responds with double threes played 24/21(2), 13/10(2). This is all about understanding game planning. When
- July 26, 2022
This is a difficult problem. Red’s position looks stronger than it actually is, and this has deceived many of my students.
It is true that Red has twenty-nine numbers to cover the ace-point
- July 19, 2022
Coming in on the ace-point is a definite non-starter so bar/20 is mandatory and then it is a question of how to play the ace.
Playing 7/6 is too weak and Red does not want six checkers on
- July 12, 2022
“When in doubt, hit” is a well-known backgammon maxim”. Knowing when not to apply it is an important and necessary skill in becoming an expert player.
Red can hit here with 13/7* but