Mobilize your back checkers
from: Marc Werner
The two most vulnerable checkers in the game are those placed on the 24-point. The reason is simple: because these checkers have by far the longest way home and these have to go through the opponents home and outer board, where they can easily be attacked or pointed on. Therefore in the opening it is a fundamental important strategy to mobilize these checkers and bring them to safety as soon as possible.
The reason why you should try to achieve this goal in the
beginning of a game is that your opponent usually has no, or still
a weak prime (a blockade is called a prime in
backgammon) to block your back checkers. Later on in the game it is
normally much more difficult (or even impossible) to get home
safely and with little risk, simply because the longer the game
lasts the more probable your opponent will have built a better
prime against the back checkers.
Position 102, Category Opening 2nd Move
Black to play 
Black vs White
Moneygame: Jacoby and Beaver
added at 1/16/2010 2:50 PM, from admin
Pipcount: 167(+4) - 163(-4)
1) 24/22 13/8 [show allhide all]
Equity: -0.298 XG Roller+
| Player: | 43.01% | 32.67% | 9.88% | 0.46% |
| Opponent: | 56.99% | 40.20% | 16.13% | 0.66% |
Pipcount: 160(-3) - 163(+3)
2) 13/11 13/8 [show positionhide position]
Equity: -0.371 (-0.073) XG Roller+
| Player: | 41.20% | 30.15% | 10.52% | 0.53% |
| Opponent: | 58.80% | 40.71% | 17.15% | 0.94% |
3) 13/8 6/4 [show positionhide position]
Equity: -0.424 (-0.126) XG Roller+
| Player: | 40.17% | 30.47% | 9.29% | 0.41% |
| Opponent: | 59.83% | 41.63% | 17.18% | 1.02% |
4) 13/6 [show positionhide position]
Equity: -0.434 (-0.136) XG Roller+
| Player: | 39.54% | 29.10% | 9.97% | 0.47% |
| Opponent: | 60.46% | 41.69% | 17.80% | 0.97% |
5) 24/22 8/3 [show positionhide position]
Equity: -0.523 (-0.225) XG Roller+
| Player: | 38.22% | 29.19% | 8.64% | 0.39% |
| Opponent: | 61.78% | 41.39% | 19.20% | 1.19% |
Software: eXtreme Gammon Version: 1.11
This example shows the principle in the opening.
In the beginning of a game try to mobilize your back checkers and bring them to safety as soon as possible.
updated: Friday, March 22, 2013