- Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Memorizing opening rolls, figuring out what your goals are in the middle of the game and how to achieve them are all well and good; but, what about the endgame?
Are getting your pieces into your home territory the most important thing; or, are moving your pieces within your home board also important? What happens when you hold your opponent’s piece in your home board - do you, eventually, leave an unprotected piece, with the real possibility of having that piece sent to the bar and having to wait to bear in, again?
Within the bear off, there are four generally recognized categories: a clear home board, an opponent’s anchor in your home board, a piece on the bar; and, a backgame, where your opponent holds two or more points in your home board. Since you can't bear off until your pieces have been borne in, your first goal is to get all your pieces into your home board.
A useful guideline is to have an even number of pieces on your highest two points. Nevertheless, here too, there are exceptions. For example, leaving two pieces on each of the 4- and 5-points gives you a few double-blot numbers for your next turn. Also, the strength of your opponent’s position and if it’s getting stronger or weaker often dictates different plays.
Where you put your pieces as you bear them into your home board will, initially, determine if you can play the dice rolled or waste a roll because your distribution is skewed to your lower points. You're more likely to bear off a piece from a higher point than two pieces from lower points. Therefore, bear off a piece leaving one on a high point, if necessary, rather than moving a piece forward to leave two pieces on lower points. It’s also better to leave two pieces on two points than to have them all on the same point - giving you more flexibility of play.
There is a maxim in backgammon lore - “clear from the rear.” In any specific position, that may not be enough to know, however. An additional guideline is to count the numbers that leave shots next turn and make the play that pays off in the immediate future. However, that’s sometimes wrong too, because there’s a benefit to bearing off pieces and sometimes that benefit outweighs an increased risk of getting hit.
To make the technically correct play all the time is nearly impossible. However, if you remember “clear from the rear” and work on getting a feel for how to balance when there’s a conflict, you'll learn flexibility from long hours of play and the “exceptions.” The more you learn, the more you learn what you need to learn.
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