What are your favorite backgame points?
Allen
Just curious if you could pick any two points in your opponents inner
court to conduct a backgame strategy what would they be? I'm guessing
mine would be the 5 and 1 but I don't really know.
Adam Stocks
"Allen" <all...@starbase.neosoft.com> wrote in message
news:1C8E2FC7D057DC05.C8979BD5...@lp.airnews.net...
>
> Just curious if you could pick any two points in your opponents inner
> court to conduct a backgame strategy what would they be? I'm guessing
> mine would be the 5 and 1 but I don't really know.
The answer, as usual, is : it depends. If we fast-forward to the climax of
a deep backgame, then the traditional texts such as Magriel suggest that a
13 backgame is best (and 12 coming in as second best, if my memory serves
me - I read it 20 years ago), but that is with the benefit of hindsight
after we already know that the game has turned out to be a 'deep' backgame -
i.e. the player is expecting to get a shot only after the opponent's bearoff
has begun. In an actual game however, the full 'depth' of the backgame
won't be known at the outset, so the player has to keep his options open to
'morph' his position into a holding game if his position improves earlier
than expected, or go into an even deeper backgame if it doesn't. Given
this, the best inner points to hold often vary as the game progesses.
Sometimes, the player will prepare for a deep backgame by making 12 or 13,
but then a few rolls later, a higher anchor(s) becomes best when the
opponent's outfield deteriorates, and the player can begin preparing for
either a straight holding game, or to maximise his chance of an earlier than
expected shot. When the right shot(s) come, he must be in a position to
bring his men home whilst containing the opponent's hit checker(s), and that
is often easiest to do with higher anchors. A crucial aspect of the
opponent's structure is where his outfield gaps are, and this has a major
bearing on which anchors are best at a given time in the game. Your choice
of 15 is normally rather weak, as it falls between two stools. If the
opponent can safely navigate the 5 anchor, which is easier to do if he has
the 2,3,4 points to land on, all you will be left with is a 'last chance'
ace-point game - not good. I think Walter Trice mentioned recently that 23
was particularly strong. The idea being to leave the acepoint for the
opponent to land on when he rolls big numbers, forcing him to strip his
outfield prime or semi-prime early, to thus force a shot quickly. Apart
from the opponent's structure, you need to keep a constant eye on your own
timing, as this is a huge factor in deciding which anchors to go for. A bad
roll combination may mean you have to switch to a less desirable anchor(s)
for that position, in order to maintain a reasonable position. To sum up,
for a 'deep' backgame, any two out of the 1,2,3 points is pretty good
(assumin you have decent timing of course), but there are a variety of
factors that determine which anchors are most effective, and you have to
balance them all on a case by case basis, and as ever, there are usually
compromises to be made at various stages.
Adam
spurs
from doubling against 1,2 point backgame and surely double all others for
the 4-point swing!
In fact.... holding the 1,2 points COULD induce me to REDOUBLE!
Tho' all of this depends on the timing!
--
----- spurs º¿º
Roy @ Oxnard, California
spur...@verizon.net
www.dock.net/spurs
"Making a living is NOT the same as making a life"
Roy Passfield...1999
"Allen" <all...@starbase.neosoft.com> wrote in message
news:1C8E2FC7D057DC05.C8979BD5...@lp.airnews.net...
>
Douglas Zare
spurs wrote:
> No contest....... 1 and 2 all others are peripheral! I will refrain
> from doubling against 1,2 point backgame and surely double all others for
> the 4-point swing!
There is a correct time to double each backgame.
> In fact.... holding the 1,2 points COULD induce me to REDOUBLE!
> Tho' all of this depends on the timing!
What's an example of a pure 12 backgame in which you would redouble?
You might be a favorite to win the game, and on the way to winning the game
you would get some use of the doubling cube. However, there are so many
gammons and backgammons that I can't imagine I wouldn't beaver in an instant.
Normally, with no gammons, you can beaver with 42% or 43% winning chances.
The gammon price is about 0.43, so I think a beaver would be appropriate with
about 30% winning chances if all of those are gammons. Of course, some of my
wins would come from winning after you hit my 15th checker.
Backgames are fun to play, and lucrative to play against.
Douglas Zare
Julian Hayward
<spur...@verizon.net> writes
>No contest....... 1 and 2 all others are peripheral! I will refrain
>from doubling against 1,2 point backgame and surely double all others for
>the 4-point swing!
>In fact.... holding the 1,2 points COULD induce me to REDOUBLE!
>Tho' all of this depends on the timing!
1-2 has the big disadvantage that the opponent gets slowed down bringing
his men in, as once he's cleared the 9 point he has no sixes, and when
the 8 point is cleared he has no fives either. Meanwhile, being very
deep you can't easily recycle men if your timing starts to turn pear-
shaped. 1-3 is better for your timing. The 2-3 is better still for
breaking your opponent's prime - sixes tend to be forced 7/1 and fives
6/1, making the prime break from the middle rather than the back and
giving you more shots. The disadvantage of 2-3 is that without the ace
point, you're not in the game to the very end - though by the time it
makes a difference you're usually playing to save the gammon rather than
win the game.
--
Julian Hayward 'Booles' on FIBS jul...@ratbag.demon.co.uk
+44-1480-210097 http://www.ratbag.demon.co.uk/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"A witty saying proves nothing" - Voltaire
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Pickard
Robertie books recommended the 1 and 3 - and who am I to argue! I think the
argument against holding the 1 and 5 points were(and Im going from memory
clouded with experience)
1. Too big a gap between allowing for easier landing of opponants checkers,
and
2. 5 point will quickly become redundant as the opponent moves in off the
6.
Holding the 1 and 2 is good, but not quite as likely to force a blot as the
1 and 3.
Steve (pix)
"Allen" <all...@starbase.neosoft.com> wrote in message
news:1C8E2FC7D057DC05.C8979BD5...@lp.airnews.net...
>
Back4U2 BBL
"Allen" <all...@starbase.neosoft.com> wrote in message
news:1C8E2FC7D057DC05.C8979BD5...@lp.airnews.net...
>
> court to conduct a backgame strategy what would they be? I'm guessing
> mine would be the 5 and 1 but I don't really know.
When I started to play backgames... I do remember the advice I got that
time:
First rule for backgames: don't play them.
Some time later I was told:
Second rule for backgames: don't play them if you don't know how to play
against them.
So I think: play backgames for fun (thrill games indeed!), learn how to
recognize a backgame, how to play against them..... and don't think of a
backgame if you have the 20 and 24 anchor (5 and 1 in opponent's home)
Nardy
Win At Betting
>> court to conduct a backgame strategy what would they be? I'm guessing
>> mine would be the 5 and 1 but I don't really know.
>
>When I started to play backgames... I do remember the advice I got that
>time:
>First rule for backgames: don't play them.
Only rule you need.
Ray Gordon, GENIUS
http://www.cybersheet.com
Michael Crane
you're doing they can be quite successful - especially if your opponent
isn't that experienced.
My advice is set up JF or Snowie and practice playing a few; you never know
when the skill will come in handy :-)
Michael
"Win At Betting" <winatb...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020501111203...@mb-cm.aol.com...
Win At Betting
>you're doing they can be quite successful - especially if your opponent
>isn't that experienced.
>
>My advice is set up JF or Snowie and practice playing a few; you never know
>when the skill will come in handy :-)
It's like learning how to play chess endings a pawn down.
Will get you a lot of points in practice, but the position SUCKS.
Michael Crane
I disagree. A well timed backgame is very satisfying. It requires great
skill and an element of luck.
Michael
"Win At Betting" <winatb...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020501130957...@mb-cm.aol.com...
Frank Mazza
When you see you can't win going forward 'playing from the back' is
the only viable strategy.
If you play Nackgammon you will need some skill with backgames because
you will find yourself either playing one or defending against one a
decent amount of the time.
It is always painful, though, when your opponent gets and hits that
shot and you have to sit on your hands while your 230 pip lead goes up
in smoke...lol...
Frank Mazza
Back4U2 BBL
----- Original Message -----
From: "Win At Betting" <winatb...@aol.com>
Newsgroups: rec.games.backgammon
Sent: Wednesday, May 01, 2002 5:12 PM
Subject: Re: What are your favorite backgame points?
> >> Just curious if you could pick any two points in your opponents inner
> >> court to conduct a backgame strategy what would they be? I'm guessing
> >> mine would be the 5 and 1 but I don't really know.
> >
> >When I started to play backgames... I do remember the advice I got that
> >time:
> >First rule for backgames: don't play them.
>
> Only rule you need.
You took one of my lines and commented that one.
Is ok for me, but just for the record:
This IS what I said ;-)
When I started to play backgames... I do remember the advice I got that
time:
First rule for backgames: don't play them.
Some time later I was told:
Second rule for backgames: don't play them if you don't know how to play
against them.
So I think: play backgames for fun (thrill games indeed!), learn how to
recognize a backgame, how to play against them..... and don't think of a
backgame if you have the 20 and 24 anchor (5 and 1 in opponent's home)
Nardy
BBL
ZJ Driver
> >> Just curious if you could pick any two points in your opponents inner
> >> court to conduct a backgame strategy what would they be? I'm guessing
> >> mine would be the 5 and 1 but I don't really know.
> >
> >When I started to play backgames... I do remember the advice I got that
> >time:
> >First rule for backgames: don't play them.
>
> Only rule you need.
I rarely play a backgame. I'm nto good enough to have a clue how to do it
effectively. However, 4 times in an 11 point match today I was forced into
one and managed to win those four games.
Fern
Thomas W
wrote:
>> Just curious if you could pick any two points in your opponents inner
>> court to conduct a backgame strategy what would they be? I'm guessing
>> mine would be the 5 and 1 but I don't really know.
>When I started to play backgames... I do remember the advice I got that
>time:
>First rule for backgames: don't play them.
Backgames are often the only way to turn a game around.
Would you fly pilot a plane if you'd never practiced emergency
proceedures?
There's no need to set up Snowie et all. Play gung ho for the first 5
moves of any game then try and get yourself out of trouble. Apart from
being great fun you'll soon learn that nothing is ever lost until it's
mathematically impossible.