Position 25, page 64
From Backgammon for Blood, by Bruce Becker

White to play 2-1.

For the 2-1 opener, I play 13/11, 6/5.

An alternative to this, which I do not like as much, is to split the back men, 24/23, 13/11.

I like to keep the B1 point intact for several throws, if possible, in order to preserve the option of a strong back game; splitting these back men drastically diminishes this possibility. Remember, the B1 point is the best point on the board to hold for a back game; once you break it and leave a blot on it you can re-cover it only from the bar. and then there are only eleven out of thirty-six ways to do it. Therefore, caution: don’t break up this point too soon.

In the 2-1 move I recommend, of the nine advantageous ways my opponent can hit my blot on the W5 point, two (6-4, 4-6) also hit the blot on W11; if this happens I of course may then decide to go into a back game earlier than I otherwise would. However, should my blots not be hit, the chances for me to cover the W5 man are now increased to thirty-one, because of that extra position on the W11 from which to make that point! Therefore I love this opener: it’s almost foolproof.

13/11, 6/5  *
Alt: 24/23, 13/11
Rollout 
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Tom Keith 2013 
Money play
Centered cube
White rolls 2-1

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XGID=-b----E-C---eE---c-e----B-:0:0:1:21:0:0:0:0

2-1: Game BG   Equity
1 13/11, 6/5 W
L
.5065
.4935
.1433
.1436
.0061
.0087
+0.0220 x  *
2 24/23, 13/11 W
L
.5017
.4983
.1410
.1373
.0065
.0063
+0.0111 (0.0109)  Alt
3 24/21 W
L
.4914
.5086
.1286
.1365
.0063
.0056
−0.0374 (0.0594) 
4 13/10 W
L
.4890
.5110
.1404
.1458
.0061
.0075
−0.0544 (0.0764) 
5 24/23, 24/22 W
L
.4845
.5155
.1265
.1388
.0051
.0059
−0.0701 (0.0921) 

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No. 24, page 63
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No. 27, page 65

List of Positions from Backgammon for Blood

Backgammon for Blood (1974), by Bruce Becker

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