Reading the notation
Moves are written from/to counted from your own perspective —8/5 6/5 means one checker from the 8-point to the 5-point and one from the 6-point to the 5-point, together making the 5-point. Your back checkers start on the 24-point; the midpoint is 13.
The table
| Roll | Best play (modern consensus) | The idea |
|---|---|---|
| 3-1 | 8/5 6/5 — make the 5-point | The single best opening roll. Claim the golden point immediately. |
| 6-1 | 13/7 8/7 — make the bar point | The third-best opening roll, after 3-1 and 4-2. A made 7-point blocks escaping sixes. |
| 4-2 | 8/4 6/4 — make the 4-point | A strong home-board point with no blot left behind. |
| 5-3 | 8/3 6/3 — make the 3-point | Deep but real: a made point and a stronger board. |
| 6-5 | 24/13 — the lover’s leap | Run a back checker safely all the way to the midpoint. |
| 5-4 | 24/20 13/8 — split and build | Grab at the golden anchor while bringing a builder down. |
| 6-4 | 8/2 6/2, 24/18 13/9 or 24/14 | A three-way tie: make the 2-point, split and build, or run. All three are within 0.004. |
| 6-3 | 24/18 13/10 — split and build | Advance the back checkers and stage a builder. |
| 6-2 | 24/18 13/11 — split and build | Running 24/16 is about 0.02 worse; slotting the 5-point with 13/5 about 0.04. |
| 5-2 | 13/8 13/11 — two down | Two builders into the outfield, ready to point next roll. |
| 5-1 | 13/8 24/23 — build and split | A builder to the 8, a minor split to the 23. |
| 4-1 | 13/9 24/23 — build and split | Builder to the 9-point, back checkers start moving. |
| 3-2 | 13/11 13/10 — two down | Double builders aimed at the 5- and 4-points. |
| 4-3 | 13/10 13/9 (or 24/21 13/9) | Two builders down, or split-and-build — rollouts call it close. |
| 2-1 | 13/11 24/23 — build and split | The standard minor split with a builder. |
Plays and margins checked with GNU Backgammon (3-ply). Plays within about 0.01 of each other are effectively equal.
Three patterns to internalize
- Point-makers play themselves. 3-1, 6-1, 4-2 and 5-3 all make a point on the spot. Never pass up 8/5 6/5 with 3-1 — it gains roughly 0.23 equity over the next-best play, an enormous margin for move one.
- Split and build. Most awkward rolls (5-4, 6-3, 5-1, 4-1, 2-1…) combine a minor split of the back checkers with a builder — diversifying your good numbers for the second roll.
- Close calls are close. Engines rank every opening play, and they show that many rolls have more than one right answer: with 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, 5-2, 6-3 and 6-4, two or three plays finish within about 0.01 of each other. With 6-4, making the 2-point, splitting and running are a dead heat. Learn the ideas; the big margins are with the point-makers and 6-5. (How the engines got here: the computer era.)
The second roll
Replies to each opening are studied nearly as deeply — the same table logic applies, but hitting options and already-split checkers change the answers. Studying the first four plies of each opening is what separates intermediate from advanced play; a practical way in is reviewing your own openings with the engine after each game and readingwhat your PR says about the leaks.
Next: cube theory — the decisions worth more than any checker play. Terms unclear? See the glossary.