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Backgammon Opening Roll

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Backgammon opening moves have been studied scrupulously over the years. Experts have been using computer software, human skill and great intuition, and are now in agreement on which are the best opening moves is for every possible combination of the dice.
Should you decide to make an opening move that differs than what backgammon experts recommend, you should bear in mind that you are most certainly reducing your odds of winning the game and match.
In short, if you want to win more often you must memorize the best backgammon opening moves. If you can’t memorize them, keep the list of moves below close by when you play. To improve your backgammon techniques to the next level you will have to understand the reasoning behind each move. The famous ‘practice makes perfect’ motto is your best teacher in backgammon. The more you practice the more you will improve. Obviously you will improve faster by knowing what to do. For that you must study a little. You will win more often if you make the opening moves below, they have been scientifically proven many times.

We assume that you are making the first move. Each row represents you r roll and your opponent’s roll. In the first row you have rolled a ‘six’ and your opponent has rolled less than a ‘six’. The consecutive rows represent lower rolls by you. The possible rolls are:

6-5/6-4/6-3/6-2/ 6-1
5-4/5-3/5-2/5-1 
4-3/4-2/4-1
3-2/3-1
2-1

These are the best ways to play each roll of the dice (in several cases there is more than one option):

Opening Roll

Backgammon Recommended Moves

gammon-Dice gammon-Dice

Move all the way across with a back checker
    gammon-Dice gammon-Dice
    • Make your 2-point.
    • Move all the way across with a back checker to your 14-point.
    • Run a back checker to the opponent's bar-point (24/18) to bring a checker down from your mid-point.
      gammon-Dice gammon-Dice
      • Move a checker from your 24-point to your 15-point.
      • Move a checker to your opponent's bar-point to bring a checker down from your mid-point.
        gammon-Dice gammon-Dice
        • Move to your 16-point.
        • Move to the bar to bring a checker down from your mid-point.

        gammon-Dice gammon-Dice
        		Make your bar-point.
          gammon-Dice gammon-Dice
          • Move a back checker up (24/20) while you bring a checker down (13/8).
          • Bring two checkers down from your mid-point (13/8, 13/9).

          gammon-Dice gammon-Dice
          		Make your three-point
            gammon-Dice gammon-Dice
            • Move a back checker up two spaces (24/20) as you bring one down (13/8).
            • Bring down two checkers (13/8, 13/11).
              gammon-Dice gammon-Dice
              • Split the back checker and bring one checker down (24/23, 13/8).
              • If you are behind during a match you can bring one checker down and slot your 5-point (13/8, 6/5).

              gammon-Dice gammon-Dice

              This might be the trickiest dice combination in backgammon. According to most experts you should move up three off your back point (24/21) and bring the four down from the mid-point (13/9).

              gammon-Dice gammon-Dice

              Make your 4-point.

              gammon-Dice gammon-Dice

              Most of the time you should split the back checker and bring a checker down (24/23, 13/9). However, when gammons are very important you might want to bring a checker down and slot your 5-point.

              gammon-Dice gammon-Dice

              Another tricky dice combination that offers many plays depending on the score of the match. In general you should move up three off your back point (24/21) and bring the four down from the mid-point (13/11)

              gammon-Dice gammon-Dice

              Make your 5-point.

              gammon-Dice gammon-Dice

              Instead of splitting your back checkers, computer rollout testing has showed that you should split your back checkers (24/23) and slot your 5-point.