Backgammon Chouettes

Chouettes

Strategy

From:   Michael J. Zehr
Address:   tada@mit.edu
Date:   9 September 1998
Subject:   Re: Chouette Strategy
Forum:   rec.games.backgammon
Google:   6t63u8$20v@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU

Claes Thornberg wrote: > I hope I'm not repeating what anyone else has already said. > Kleinmann's excellent "Vision laughs at counting" deals with chouette > strategy in some detail, if my memory doesn't fail me. > > "Vision laughs ..." can be ordered through Carol Joy Cole > (cjc@flint.org). Some of his collected articles also discuss chouette strategy, for example the "Wonderful World of Backgammon." Chouette strategies depend heavily on the specific cube rules being used. Some variations include how many cubes are being used, how many cubes have to be taken in order for a game to continue, whether team members can consult after their cube is turned, whether and when people can buy out other people's cubes, etc. Most of these strategies only come into play when you have players of noticeably different skill levels. For example, if you're a strong player on the team, with a weak captain against a strong box, when consultation is allowed after your cube is turned, you might want to double much earlier than usual. You then get to consult with the captain and the box can take less advantage of the captain's weakness. On the other side of the board, if there's a single strong player on the team, the box might drop that person's early double in order to play out the rest of the game against the weaker field. There are also changes in take/drop strategies based on who is going to be the next captain. A strong captain followed by a weak team member might take later than usual in order for the chance of playing as box against the weaker player, and in order to avoid being on the team when the weaker player is captain. Conceivably this might swing normal strategy far enough that you might find a cube being dropped that in a one-on-one game isn't even a double! The strategies can become more and more complex when you take into account what the other side is thinking, tuning your strategy to your opponent's viewpoint of who is strong and weak at the table. Chouette playing is a different kind of backgammon, just as straight money play is different than match play. Some people might find it more enjoyable, others might find it less so. I personally have had many pleasant summer evenings in a chouette in Harvard Square (Hi Albert!), keeping one eye on the cube and one on all the people wandering past. Happy playing, Michael J. Zehr

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