Annotated Games

Click on any diagram to see a rollout

Now that our students have a clear understanding of the rudiments of play, we will take him over part of a game. (The student should make the plays on his board and refer to the diagrams.)

After each play it would be well to study the situation carefully, noting the reason why the plays were made. This will register the movements and purpose of the plays and speed up your playing ability.

The players each throw one dice to decide who gets the opening play, and White wins the throw, a [3] and [1], one of the best opening throws in the game.

Illustrative Game

White

Black

1.	3-1:  ?

White to play 3-1.

White winning the [3] and [1] throw, plays it in the best way possible, by blocking the 5 point in his Home table.

	3-1:  8/5, 6/5	1-1:  ?

Black to play 1-1.

This being a double and the strongest possible opening throw on the dice, enables him to cover his 5 point in his Home table, also his 7 or Bar Point.

Both players are aiming at securing a row of Blocked Points to block the escape of the Opponent’s two men in their inner table.

Black’s throw of a Double has left a blot on his 8 point but the chances are very slim that White will get a throw that will enable him to hit this man.

		1-1:  8/7(2), 6/5(2)
2.	5-1:  ?

White to play 5-1.

White now throws a [5] and [1] and plays a man from Black’s 12 point to his own 8 point for the [5] and continues the same man to his 7 or Bar point for the 1.

This leaves a blot on White’s 7 point but if Black fails to hit it on the next play, White has a good chance of covering it (This is always a risky play, for Black has an even chance of making a 6 and hitting this blot.)

	5-1:  13/7	3-2:  ?

Black to play 3-2.

Black now throws a [3] and [2], and immediately moves a man from White’s 12 point to his own 8 point. This covers the single man or “Blot” on this point and likewise gives him 4 consecutive blocked points.

		3-2:  13/8
3.	6-2:  ?

White to play 6-2.

For the [6] he immediately moves a. man from Black’s 12 point over to his 7 or bar point to cover the White single man on that point and give him 4 blocked points in a row. For White’s [2] he plays another man from Black’s 12 point to his own 11 point. This leaves a Blot on his 11 point, but the blot is safe here, for Black cannot hurdle your 4 Blocked Points with any throw and strike this man.

	6-2:  13/11, 13/7	6-5:  ?

Black to play 6-5.

For the [6] he plays a man from White’s 12 point to his own 7 or bar point, and for the [5] he plays another man from White’s 12 point to his own 8 point.

As will be seen, Black has four blocked points, several of which contain 3 men, and is in a very favorable position to Block the 4 point in his Home table on the next throw. Such a blockade known as a “Side Prime” when it covers 6 points would securely bottle up the two White men on Point 1.

		6-5:  13/8, 13/7
4.	3-3:  ?

White to play 3-3.

This is an opportune throw for White, and enables him to advance his outposts from Point 1 in Black’s Home table to Point 4, where they are in a position to hurdle the Black blockade on a later throw of double fives or sixes. White plays the other [two three’s] of his Double by advancing the 2 White men on Black’s 12 point over to his own 10 point, and now the tide of battle has changed in White’s favor and Black must endeavor to get his two furthermost men started home.

	3-3:  24/21(2), 13/10(2)	2-1:  ?

Black to play 2-1.

Now Black boldly plays the [2] and [1] by moving two men from White’s 1 point: one man to White’s 3 point, and one to White’s 2 point.

This leaves two single men or “blots” in White’s Home Table, either of which White can very likely hit on his next throw.

Now White having a definite lead on Black must be cautious about hitting those two blots that Black left on points 2 and 3. He must remember that if he hits one of the blots and cannot block the point at the same time, his own single man on that point will be liable to be re-hit by the Black man when it re-enters from the Bar. In such an event, White’s man would be sent to the Bar and have to re-start in Black’s Home table and lose the slight advantage he has gained.

In this situation, White’s best policy is to endeavor to advance his blot on point 11 to safety on one of his Blocked Points and look forward to the throw of a high Double which would enable him to escape with his two men on Black’s 4 point.

		2-1:  24/23, 24/22
5.	3-1:  ?

White to play 3-1.

He plays safe by moving his blot on point 11 to point 8 for the [3] and from point 8 to point 7 for the [1].

	3-1:  11/7	5-2:  ?

Black to play 5-2.

He moves a man from White’s 12 point to his own 11 point for the [2] and continues the same man from the 11 point to the 6 point in his Home table for the [5]. This was Black’s best play as he has advanced another man to his blockade and is in a good position to secure additional Blocked points in his Home table.

If he can secure these and manage to hit a White Blot, White will have considerable difficulty in re-entering the “hit” man.

		5-2:  13/6
6.	4-1:  ?

White to play 4-1.

This was a poor throw for White, but in Backgammon, the element of luck ofttimes can turn the tide of battle.

White must make the best of a bad throw. He can play a man to hit one of Black’s Blots, but that is exactly what Black desires, for it would enable him to come back from the Bar and, in all probability, re-hit the White man.

White’s safest play is to move a man from his 10 point to his 6 point, and then play the man from his 6 point to his 5 point. He leaves a blot on his 10 point, but Black must throw either a [6] and [1] or [6] and [2] to hit this blot.

	4-1:  10/5	6-1:  ?

Black to play 6-1.

Black plays his man from point 3 in White’s Home table to point 9 for the [6] and then continues the same man to point 10 for the [1], hitting the White man on that point and sending it to the Bar.

Now, White is on the defensive and his man on the Bar has to travel a hard road to hurdle the Black blockade on Black’s points 5, 6, 7 and 8. Not alone that, but White must cast a [1], [2], [3], or [4] to re-enter this man and continue his plays.

		6-1:  22/15*
7.	6-6:  ?

White to play 6-6.

Again, the elements of chance have swung in Black’s favor, for point 6 being blocked, White cannot re-enter his man from the Bar and loses a valuable throw. Had White got this double six on the previous throw, he could have advanced both his men from Black’s 4 point to the 10 point, and then continued the same two men forward to his own 9 point. This would have changed the situation considerably in White’s favor.

However, the fortunes of chance must be met and White casting double sixes loses a play that would have advanced him 24 points.

	6-6:  ∅	6-4:  ?

Black to play 6-4.

Again, Black has secured a formidable throw which enables him to move his two blots from White’s 10 and 12 points to his own 9 point, securing another point in his blockade.

		6-4:  15/9, 13/9
8.	3-3:  ?

White to play 3-3.

This time, White has won a fortunate throw and he plays it as follows: He must first re-enter his man from the Bar on the 3 point for the first [3]. He then plays the two men from his 5 point to his 2 point and hits Black’s man on that point. For the final [3], he plays a man from his 8 point to his 5 point. This leaves a blot on point 8, but Black must get a [3] and a [5] or [double fours] to strike it, and Black only has three open points to enter on.

	3-3:  bar/22, 8/2*, 5/2	2-2:  ?

Black to play 2-2.

This time Black loses his throw, as White has the 2 point blocked.

		2-2:  ∅
9.	4-2:  ?

White to play 4-2.

Again White takes advantage of this throw to secure another point in his Home table, and plays a man from his 8 to his 4 point, and another from his 6 to his 4 point.

Now Black’s worries start to pile up, for if he does not throw a [1] or [3] on the next cast, White may be able to block still another point in the Home table and possibly maroon the Black man on the Bar.

	4-2:  8/4, 6/4	2-1:  ?

Black to play 2-1.

This time, Black throws a [1] and a [2], and re-enters his man on point 1 in White’s Home table; then moves it to point 3 for the 2.

Black could have played the 2 by hitting White’s blot on point 3 in his own Home table, but that would leave three Black blots subject to almost a certain hit on the next play. By Black advancing his restarted man to point 3, he is in a better position to escape from White’s Home table, if White fails to hit the man on the next throw.

		2-1:  bar/22
10.	6-6:  ?

White to play 6-6.

White now throws a [6] and [6] and takes advantage of the high double to liberate his two men on point 4 in Black’s Home table. He moves these two men to the 10 point and then continues them forward across the table to his 9 point for the other [two sixes].

	6-6:  21/9(2)

Now the game can turn in either player’s favor if they secure the proper throws. If Black throws a [5] he can escape from White’s Home table, whereas, if Black fails to accomplish this and the White checker in Black’s Home table manages to make his escape by a throw of [6] and [1], the fortunes would be entirely in White’s favor.

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