Forum Archive : Strategy--Checker play

Kleinman Count for bringing checkers home From:   Øystein Johansen Address:   ojohans@statoil.com Date:   23 February 2001 Subject:   Re: Kleinman Count Forum:   rec.games.backgammon Google:   3A961C7A.68337F1E@statoil.com > The count I;'m seeking will be low, in the 6 to 9 range give or take a > tad. You assign certain values to checkers in the outer tables and, > depending upon your impending roll you have to keep the 'Kleinman Count' > even to stay out of trouble when bearing in against opposition. > Something like being able to take a double six next roll; I think! I don't refer to this count as the Kleinman Count (obviously). The count you are referring to is described in Jeff Ward's book "Winning is more fun". I don't have any name on this count, but it may be one of Danny's inventions. The count can be applied on closed board situation when you don't want to leave a shot (i.e. your opponent has a man on the bar, and you have a closed board). Since a closed board will use 12 of your checkers the count is all about the remaining 3 checkers. The whole theory is based on a postulate: "If 6-6 doesn't leave a shot in such situation, no other roll will leave a shot." I have not found any practical possible positions that violates this postulate. Here a short brief: Divide the board into 5 zones: Zone 1: 1-point to 5-point (and off) Zone 2: 6-point to 11-point Zone 3: 12-point to 17-point Zone 4: 18-point to 23-point Zone 5: 24-point and bar For each of the 3 checkers, count 1 for each in zone 1, count 2 for each in zone 2, count 3 for each .... .... If the total sum is 6 or 4, then 6-6 will leave a shot. The safe values of the sum is 5, 7 and any number higher than 7. Remember you don't have to recalculate this count for each roll you're making, just decrement the sum by one for each time you cross from one zone to another! Hope this was the count you where looking for! Øystein Johansen 8^)   Did you find the information in this article useful?           Do you have any comments you'd like to add?

 

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) 

Blitzing strategy  (Michael J. Zehr, July 1997) 

Blitzing strategy  (Fredrik Dahl, July 1997) 

Blitzing technique  (Albert Silver+, July 2003) 

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) 

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