Keith count

How it works in play

Tom Keith’s count adds penalty pips for awkward checkers, such as extra checkers stacked on your lowest points and gaps on your 4-, 5- and 6-points, and a seventh for the player on roll, then compares the totals with fixed margins to decide doubles and takes. It is more accurate than the raw-pip rules in short races.

Related terms

• Pip count — The total pips all your checkers still need to travel to bear off. Both sides start at 167.
• EPC — Effective pip count — the raw pip count plus expected wastage; the standard measure in bear-off positions.
• Late race — A race position with most checkers in or near the home board.
• Take point — The minimum winning probability at which taking a double breaks even — about 25% in money play; score-dependent in matches.
• Wastage — Pips lost to inefficiency in the bear-off — rolling a 6 when only a 1 was needed.

Go deeper

• Pip counting: race formulas for the cube
• Pip counting
• Backgammon strategy, from first roll to bear-off

In other languages

• العربيةعدّ كيث (Keith count)
• ΕλληνικάΜέτρημα Keith (Keith count)
• فارسیشمار کیث (Keith count)
• עבריתספירת קית׳ (Keith count)
• РусскийСчёт Кита (Keith count)
• TürkçeKeith sayımı