Why 24/14
Three plays with nothing in common score almost the same. 24/14 runs one back checker most of the way out, 8/2 6/2 makes your 2-point, and 24/18 13/9 splits and brings a builder down.
The top five plays, rolled out
| # | Play | Equity | Behind the best | Wins | Gammons won · lost | 3-ply (rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24/14 | +0.009 ±0.013 | — | 50.4% | 12.9% · 13.7% | +0.012 (#3) |
| 2 | 8/2 6/2 | −0.007 ±0.016 | 0.016 ≈ | 49.5% | 16.5% · 14.8% | +0.015 (#1) |
| 3 | 24/18 13/9 | −0.012 ±0.014 | 0.021 ≈ | 50.1% | 14.5% · 14.6% | +0.012 (#2) |
| 4 | 24/20 24/18 | −0.051 ±0.014 | 0.060 | 49.1% | 11.8% · 15.2% | −0.062 (#5) |
| 5 | 24/20 13/7 | −0.057 ±0.014 | 0.066 | 48.4% | 13.9% · 14.7% | −0.052 (#4) |
Equity is the average result in points per game for the player on roll, with the cube in play: each play rolled out 1,296 times, ± one standard error. Gammons include backgammons. ≈ marks a play behind the best by less than twice the larger standard error, inside the margin of error.
The alternatives
The rollouts put the three within 0.021 of each other, inside their margin of error, so pick the plan you play best. 24/20 13/7 and splitting both back checkers with 24/20 24/18 are clearly worse.
All 14 legal plays, ranked at 3-ply
- 8/2 6/2 +0.015
- 24/18 13/9 +0.012
- 24/14 +0.012
- 24/20 13/7 −0.052
- 24/20 24/18 −0.062
- 13/9 13/7 −0.064
- 13/3 −0.089
- 24/18 6/2 −0.128
- 24/18 8/4 −0.146
- 24/20 8/2 −0.161
- 13/7 6/2 −0.167
- 13/7 8/4 −0.167
- 13/9 8/2 −0.171
- 8/4 8/2 −0.368
Questions about the 6-4 opening
What is the best opening move for 6-4 in backgammon?
24/14 and 8/2 6/2 are effectively tied. In GNU Backgammon rollouts of the top five plays, 24/14 scores +0.009 and 8/2 6/2 −0.007, a gap inside the margin of error.
Is 8/2 6/2 a mistake with an opening 6-4?
No. It finishes 0.016 behind 24/14 in GNU Backgammon’s rollouts, inside their margin of error, so the two plays are effectively equal.
How was this 6-4 analysis made?
GNU Backgammon 1.07.001 ranked all 14 legal plays at 3-ply, then rolled out the best five, 1,296 games each, with the cube in play (money game, Jacoby off). GNU Backgammon 1.06.002, the version Boardgammon’s servers run, ranks the same five plays in the same order at 3-ply.
How these numbers were made
GNU Backgammon 1.07.001 ranked every legal play at 3-ply with the cube in play (money game, Jacoby off, no beavers), then rolled out the best five: 1,296 games each, with variance reduction and quasi-random dice. GNU Backgammon 1.06.002, the version Boardgammon’s servers run, ranks the same five plays in the same order at 3-ply. Evaluated on 2026-10-20. The same engine analyses every finished online game on Boardgammon: see how that compares. New to the numbers? Read what equity and a rollout are.
Terms on this page: Running game, Point, Builder, Blot. Next in the strategy guides: cube theory.