A Solid Grasp of Strategy: Winning the Opening and Early Game
Because every move depends on the dice, backgammon can look like a game of chance. Over a single game, luck matters a great deal. Over many games, though, the stronger player wins far more often, because he makes better use of every roll. The early game is the best place to start building that skill: a few clear principles decide most early decisions.
Know the rules cold
Strategy starts with never having to wonder what is legal. If you are unsure whether you must play both numbers, or whether you can bear off with a checker still outside your home board, your attention goes to the rules instead of the position. Our backgammon rules page answers those questions once and for all.
The most valuable points
Not all points are equal. In the early game, your most valuable point is your own 5 point, followed closely by your 4 point and your bar point (7 point). These points block your opponent's back checkers and form the start of a prime. On the other side of the board, your opponent's 5 point is the best place for an anchor of your own.
The best opening rolls
Four opening rolls make one of these points immediately, and they are among the strongest starts:
| Roll | Usual play | Point made |
|---|---|---|
| 3-1 | 8/5 6/5 | 5 point |
| 4-2 | 8/4 6/4 | 4 point |
| 6-1 | 13/7 8/7 | bar point |
| 5-3 | 8/3 6/3 | 3 point |
Other rolls are played by bringing builders down from the midpoint, splitting the back checkers, or running a back checker, as with 6-5 played 24/13. There is more than one reasonable choice for several of them, and the differences are small.
Dealing with your back checkers
Your two checkers on your opponent's 1 point are the hardest to bring home. Early in the game you want to do something with them: split them to give yourself more chances to make an advanced anchor, or run one of them when the dice allow. If you ignore them for too long, your opponent may build a prime in front of them.
When to hit a blot
An old saying is "when in doubt, hit." It has a grain of truth: in the opening, hitting an enemy blot in your outer board or home board is often correct, because it costs your opponent time and pips. But it is not automatic. Before you hit, ask what it leaves behind. If the hit leaves you with several blots in front of an opponent who is likely to hit back, a quieter play may be better. Remember that a blot six pips away is hit by 17 of 36 rolls, while one twelve pips away is hit by only 3.
Keep your blots where they are least dangerous
You will often have to leave a blot. When you do, leave it where fewer rolls hit it, where being hit costs you less (a blot in your opponent's home board loses few pips), or where it is most useful if missed, for example as a builder for a key point. More on hit numbers can be found on our backgammon probability page.
Thinking about the cube early
In match play, early positions rarely call for a double. But it is worth asking every few moves whether the game has swung enough to change that. A strong attack or a well-timed prime can turn an even game into a clear double quickly. Our page on the doubling cube explains the basics of when to double and when to take.