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Forum Archive :
Strategy--Checker play
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> I'm having trouble deciding exactly when to move off of anchors and make
> the push for my home board, particularly when I'm holding the good ol'
> 20-point. I know there probably isn't one golden rule on when to
> relinquish points, as its more likely dependent on the specific game,
> but is there any kind of general knowledge on the topic?
There is a golden rule, but it is useful only about 50% of the time :
if you are behind in the race, keep the anchor and hope for a shot
since if you run and escape sucessfully, you are still the underdog,
and if you are hit, you are in trouble.
In the other cases, the significant factors are the race status (the
bigger your lead, the more you wish to disengage) and the timing.
Timing is possibly the most important concept in backgammon. It is the
ability to play without weakening your position. If your opponenent has
a better timing, your position is likely to deteriorate first and you
will usually have to take some risks (to either "lock" the win, with
some kind of attacking play, or in the case of holding games by breaking
contact with a substantial racing lead, or to improve your own timing).
On the the other hand, if your timing is better, you can (and usually
should) wait.
> Here's a hypothetical situation (I'd make diagrams, but I don't know
> how to): I've built a 4-point prime from the 4-point to the 7-point,
> trapping three of my opponent's checkers on the 3-point. I also hold
> the 20-point ... the only other two checkers of my opponent that haven't
> cleared have made the 16-point.
>
> Where I run into problems is, for instance, if I were to roll a 6... do
> I break the prime down off the bar-point, leaving my checkers on the 20?
> Or do I finally begin to move the checkers on the 20-point home, running
> the danger of being hit by either of the checkers on the 16-point or
> checkers escaping from the 3-point?
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
| X O | | O X O O O |
| X O | | O X O O O |
| | | O O |
| | | |
| | | |
| |BAR| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | X X O |
| X | | X X X O |
| X | | X X X O X |
+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
In this position for instance, your timing is fine. You can play from
the midpoint and you must not break your anchor. Good things are quite
likely to happen : O may have to break the 16 point, or he may spring a
checker from the 3, be hit and dance, allowing you to break the 20pt
relatively safely, or you may roll doubles... Time is on your side and
you should play conservatively. Moreover, you don't have much of a
racing lead.
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
| O | | O X O O O |
| O | | O X O O O |
| | | O O |
| | | |
| | | |
| |BAR| |
| | | |
| | | |
| X | | X X X O |
| X | | X X X O |
| X | | X X X O X |
+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
In this one, the situation is trickier. If you play on your side of the
board, O is a favorite to extricate a checker from your 3pt and obtain a
better timing. You should still play 61 and 51 in your board since leaving
a blot on the 20pt is much more dangerous than on the 17 or 18, but you
should probably run with 63 and 53 (62 an 52 are less clear). You may
be hit and gammoned, but you just have to take the chance. If you wait,
your position is likely to deteriorate while O's will improve.
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
| O | | O X O O O |
| O | | O X O O O |
| | | O O |
| | | |
| | | |
| |BAR| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | X X O x |
| X | | X X X O x |
| X | | X X X O X |
+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
And here your timing is even worse. You should run from the 20pt with
all 6s and 5s (except 51 ?) and maybe even with some "small" rolls like
32 (note that keeping the bar point is important : if O cannot play
his 4s from your 3pt, his position will degrade considerably and
moreover 4 landing places for your back checkers is better than 3).
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Strategy--Checker play
- Avoiding major oversights (Chuck Bower+, Mar 2008)
- Bearing off with contact (Walter Trice, Dec 1999)
- Bearing off with contact (Daniel Murphy, Mar 1998)
![[Long message]](pics/Long.gif)
- Blitzing strategy (Michael J. Zehr, July 1997)
- Blitzing strategy (Fredrik Dahl, July 1997)
- Blitzing technique (Albert Silver+, July 2003)
![[GammOnLine forum]](pics/GammOnLine.gif)
- Breaking anchor (abc, Mar 2004)
- Breaking contact (Alan Webb+, Oct 1999)
- Coming under the gun (Kit Woolsey, July 1996)
- Common errors (David Levy, Oct 2009)
- Containment positions (Brian Sheppard, July 1998)
- Coup Classique (Paul Epstein+, Dec 2006)
- Cube ownership considerations (Kit Woolsey, Apr 1996)
- Cube-influenced checker play (Rew Francis+, Apr 2003)
- Defending against a blitz (Michael J. Zehr, Jan 1995)
- Estimating in volatile situations (Kit Woolsey, Mar 1997)
- Gammonish positions (Michael Manolios, Nov 1999)
- Golden point (Henry Logan+, Nov 2002)
- Hitting loose in your home board (Douglas Zare, June 2000)
- Holding games (Casual_Observer, Jan 1999)
- How to trap an anchor (Timothy Chow+, Apr 2010)
- Jacoby rule consideration (Ron Karr, Nov 1996)
- Kamikaze plays (christian munk-christensen+, Nov 2010)
- Kleinman Count for bringing checkers home (Øystein Johansen, Feb 2001)
- Late loose hits (Douglas Zare+, Aug 2007)
- Mutual holding game (Ron Karr, Dec 1996)
- Pay now or pay later? (Stuart Katz, MD, Nov 1997)
- Pay now or pay later? (Stephen Turner, Mar 1997)
- Pay now or play later? (Hank Youngerman+, Sept 1998)
- Play versus a novice (Courtney S Foster+, Apr 2004)
- Playing doublets (Grunty, Jan 2008)
- Playing when opponent has one man back (Kit Woolsey, May 1995)
- Prime versus prime (Albert Silver+, Aug 2006)
- Prime versus prime (Michael J. Zehr, Mar 1996)
- Saving gammon (Bill Riles, Oct 2009)
- Saving gammon (Ron Karr, Dec 1997)
- Splitting your back men (KL Gerber+, Nov 2002)
- Splitting your back men (David Montgomery, June 1995)
- Trap play problem (Brian Sheppard, Feb 1997)
- When in doubt (Stick+, Apr 2011)
- When to run the last checker (Stick Rice+, Jan 2009)
- When you can't decide (John O'Hagan, Oct 2009)
From GammOnLine
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