Golden Point
Henry Logan
5-point ("the golden point") whenever possible
My problem is - I don't know what to do with it when I've got it!
Should I vacate it as soon as I can hit a blot, or stay there until I've got
all my other men home, or what?
Any advice?
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.417 / Virus Database: 233 - Release Date: 08/11/02
Adam Stocks
main functions. In no particular order, these are:
1. Allows you to escape these anchored men if you throw nice doubles at an
appropriate time.
2. Gives you blot-hitting coverage of your opponent's outfield.
3. Stops you from being closed out (as does holding other anchors).
Which of these functions is most important depends on the characteristics of
the position, but they are all tend to be important in most types of
position. During the early stages of a game, you will be looking for
opportunities to safely escape your back men, even if it is one at a time.
If you don't roll the right combinations to do this, then anchoring them on
a high point such as the 20 or 21 point will create an intermediary
launching pad for future escape attempts.
The Blot-hitting coverage it gives you tends to be most useful either in the
opening stages of the game, when your opponent's return hits will not be so
devastating, (since he still has a weak board), or during the later stages,
when your hit will be devastating to him (you have a strong board).
However, in quite a lot of middle game positions, if your opponent's board
is strong and yours is weak, letting go of your anchor is often
counter-productive, since what you temporarily gain in the race may be far
outwayed by the loss of immediate safety the anchor affords you. Therefore,
don't automatically hit with your anchormen - the 'quality of shot' is
extremely important in middle games. Only hit if what you stand to gain by
doing so outways the dangers of giving up all that long-term safety. It is
common to forgo one or two (more, sometimes) hitting opportunities with your
anchormen, in order to wait until the highest 'quality' of shot comes your
way. After you have been closed out and gammoned umpteen times by hitting
too eagerly with your anchors, you will gain a sense of when to hit and when
to hold on for later, better shots.
Hope this helps,
Adam
"Henry Logan" <henry...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:awqz9.28410$8P5....@news-binary.blueyonder.co.uk...
Bob Stringer
<henry...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>Friends, opponents and backgammon books all advise me to
>make my opponents 5-point ("the golden point") whenever
>possible
I'd say that if all other things are equal -- which of
course they never are -- it's better to make your *own* five
point, on the theory that victory comes from offense over
defense (a la Napoleon and Grant, amongst others).
>My problem is - I don't know what to do with it when
>I've got it!
More on what you should "do" with it below. For now, think
about *why* it's valuable -- it crimps your opponent's style
by covering his entire outfield, it gives you your best
re-entry point when your hit (unless you position is getting
bad enough that you'd rather enter deep in your opponent's
board, to make it hard for him to come in -- if you're only
on his five point, he can dump checkers behind your anchor),
it's the closest point to the safety of your side of the
board when it comes time to run, and if you're never able to
hit your opponent, it doesn't hurt you in the race as badly
as deeper anchors.
Move-by-move, you have to evaluate whether these and other
advantages make the anchor worth holding onto, based on what
the rest of the board looks like.
>Should I vacate it as soon as I can hit a blot, or stay there until I've got
>all my other men home, or what?
>Any advice?
The answer is, as often happens, "it depends."
If you're way ahead in the race, you do yourself no favors
by maintaining your opponent's five point while you vacate
your midpoint and otherwise divide your armies in half. If
you do so, you may have trouble escaping those last two men.
So, your very last idea -- waiting until everyone else is
home -- generally is not a good idea. Yet if you're way
behind in the race, and your only realistic chance of
winning is to hit your opponent, then you usually should
hold the point while using your other men to strengthen your
board.
In cases where your opponent has a *much* stronger inner
board than you do, and you can hit him only by breaking your
anchor, you have to consider that he may easily re-enter and
then hit you while his inner board is very strong. Since
you'll no longer have a safe anchor to use for re-entry, you
may have just allowed him to close you out.
The bottom line, then, is that you have to look at the
entire board to decide what's best -- which of course is
what makes the game interesting.
If there's a rule of thumb, it should be that *other things
being equal* one of the best ideas is to make your
opponent's five point. Yet even there, your own 5 point is
usually stronger, as mentioned above.
One of the most useful rules of thumb is "when in doubt,
don't break an anchor." The more you play, the more you'll
get a feel for when you can break your opponent's five
point. In this case, as in most others, try to get into the
habit of looking at the entire board before you make your
decision. Consider things such as the fact that if you're
behind in the race, you usually can play more aggressively;
likewise if you have a stronger inner board. Consider also
the when you have a strong anchor, that lets you play more
aggressively, since that gives you a good re-entry point if
you're ever hit. And so on, and so on.
Bob Stringer
--
In order to reply by e-mail, please replace
"1nospam" with "0" (a zero) in my address
Bob Ebbeler
Bob
"Henry Logan" <henry...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:awqz9.28410$8P5....@news-binary.blueyonder.co.uk...
SusanJane
The answer to your question is not a simple one because one must first
understand what type of a game you are playing. Many factors have a
strong influence on the answer as to when to vacate your opponents 5
pt. Are you playing a running game, in a race, way behind in pips and
playing a holding game where your only chance to win is to hope for
contact get a shot at your opponent? Are you trying for a Gammon?
Holding your opponent's 5 point has many advantages. In no particular
order, it prevents you from being stuck deep in "enemy" territory
behind that dreaded prime. It gives you agressive control over your
opponents outer board.
Basically, each game should be viewed on an individual basis and once
you establish your position and your goals and the possibilities of
achieving them, you will know when it is right to vacate and "get the
flock outta Dodge".
Michael Sullivan
> On Sun, 10 Nov 2002 10:27:35 -0000, "Henry Logan"
> <henry...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> >Friends, opponents and backgammon books all advise me to
> >make my opponents 5-point ("the golden point") whenever
> >possible
> I'd say that if all other things are equal -- which of
> course they never are -- it's better to make your *own* five
> point, on the theory that victory comes from offense over
> defense (a la Napoleon and Grant, amongst others).
Here's a question that came up in a recent game of mine. I had the
opportunity to make my own 4 point *or* my opponents 5 at around my
third or fourth roll of the game. race roughly even.
I chose to make the opponent's 5.
I've been trying to figure out the relative values of 4,5,7 vs.
opponent's 4,5,7, and what kinds of winning percentage advantage each
offers to figure out a good doubling strategy. If I wait until I have a
full prime, the opponent is sure to drop. What if I have my 4,5 and
opp's 5, and opp has only taken his own bar, and no high anchor in my
board. Is that a double worthy position?
Michael
Bob Stringer
Sullivan) wrote:
>I've been trying to figure out the relative values of 4,5,7
>vs. opponent's 4,5,7, and what kinds of winning percentage
>advantage each offers to figure out a good doubling
>strategy. If I wait until I have a full prime, the opponent
>is sure to drop. What if I have my 4,5 and opp's 5, and opp
>has only taken his own bar, and no high anchor in my board.
> Is that a double worthy position?
In many positions it is, but you have to consider other
factors. For example, the following isn't a double,
although it may be leading up to it:
Money session. Score X-O: 0-0
X on roll, cube action
+24-23-22-21-20-19-------18-17-16-15-14-13-+
| O X O | | O O X |
| O X O | | O O X |
| O | | O X | S
| | | X | n
| | | X | o
| |BAR| | w
| | | | i
| | | | e
| | | O |
| X X X | | X O |
| O O X X X | | X O |
+-1--2--3--4--5--6--------7--8--9-10-11-12-+
Pipcount X: 151 O: 150 X-O: 0-0/Money (1)
CubeValue: 1
If O's back men weren't split, I'd seriously consider
doubling in that position.
Or take the same position and give X a threat, say, to make
his bar point, and I'd definitely double:
Money session. Score X-O: 0-0
X on roll, cube action
+24-23-22-21-20-19-------18-17-16-15-14-13-+
| O X O | | O O X |
| O X O | | O O X |
| O | | O X | S
| | | | n
| | | | o
| |BAR| | w
| | | | i
| | | | e
| | | X O |
| X X X | | X O |
| O O X X X | | X X O |
+-1--2--3--4--5--6--------7--8--9-10-11-12-+
Pipcount X: 144 O: 150 X-O: 0-0/Money (1)
CubeValue: 1
But if X has only a slight threat and O has an outfield
point blocking X's back men, it's not a double even if O's
back men aren't split:
Money session. Score X-O: 0-0
X on roll, cube action
+24-23-22-21-20-19-------18-17-16-15-14-13-+
| O X O | | O O O X |
| O X O | | O O O X |
| | | X | S
| | | X | n
| | | | o
| |BAR| | w
| | | | i
| | | | e
| | | X O |
| O X X X | | X O |
| O X X X | | X O |
+-1--2--3--4--5--6--------7--8--9-10-11-12-+
Pipcount X: 146 O: 159 X-O: 0-0/Money (1)
CubeValue: 1