Survey says ... 24/23, 13/11    60.1% 13/11, 6/5    35.6% 13/10    2.2% 24/21    1.5%

This is one of the most interesting opening rolls. Players have argued for centuries over the best way to play it. The two popular plays are:

• 24/23, 13/11 (splitting your back checkers and bringing a builder down).
• 13/11, 6/5 (slotting your five-point and bringing a builder down).

24/23, 13/11

The splitting play aims at making improvements on both sides of the board. Splitting your back checkers increases your chances of securing an advanced anchor and improves your coverage of opponent's outer board. Now it's more dangerous for him to bring builders down from his mid-point or slot his five-point.

The beginning of the game is the safest time to split your runners. Opponent is unlikely to hit you so deep in his home board before he has built other home-board points. Waiting too long to split can mean getting stuck back on the opponent's one-point with no easy way to get out.

Obolensky and James (1969):  You are immediately putting into effect the object of the game, that is, running and blocking.

Paul Magriel (1976):  Splitting the back checkers facilitates their escape at small risk since your opponent gains little by hitting on a point deep in his inner board.

Robin Clay (1977):  The checker on opponent's two-point makes it more difficult for the opponent to drop a blot onto his outer board.

13/11, 6/5

The slotting play concentrates all your efforts on offence. By slotting your five-point you increase your chances of making this important point next turn. Many beginners are reluctant to leave a blot within direct range of being hit. And so they should be! If your blot is hit, it will be sent back 20 spaces and you will be far behind in the race. Can the advantages of the slot really be worth this risk?

It turns out the answer is yes. The game is early and if you get hit now, there is still plenty of time to regroup and find another way to win. But when you're not hit, you can cover the blot on your five-point by rolling any 6, 3, or 1, plus double 4's—a total of 28 ways out of 36. Making the five-point is a major improvement in your position. (See the discussion of the 3-1 opener for an explanation of why.)

And there is another reason to slot here. Look at the stack of checkers on your six-point. Those checkers want to do something. 1 is the perfect number for taking a checker off your overcrowded six-point and setting it to work. As the popular backgammon aphorism says: Put your checkers where they belong. The extra checkers on your six-point belong on your five-point.

Paul Magriel (1976):  This variant leads to dangerous, exciting, but also more difficult games. The player just learning the game is advised to gain some experience before using this play.

Robin Clay (1977):  Leaving a blot on your five-point may look very exposed, but in actual fact, of the 36 permutations of the dice, only 15 of them will enable opponent to hit your five-point.

Bill Robertie (2000):  The five-point is the most important point in the early stage, and this play lets you slot it while distributing your checkers off the big stacks. Aggressive and strong.

Rollout

PLAY	W        G       BG	EQUITY	CL	DMP	GG	GS
13/11, 6/5	+ .5058, .1415, .0059   − .4942, .1418, .0084	+.0088				(.0074)
24/23, 13/11	+ .4996, .1369, .0056   − .5004, .1319, .0053	+.0045	(.0043)	(.0124)	(.0216)
24/21	+ .4918, .1254, .0056   − .5082, .1315, .0057	−.0226	(.0314)	(.0280)	(.0602)	(.0148)
13/10	+ .4897, .1378, .0059   − .5103, .1419, .0068	−.0256	(.0344)	(.0322)	(.0396)	(.0398)
24/23, 24/22	+ .4868, .1213, .0051   − .5132, .1329, .0053	−.0382	(.0470)	(.0380)	(.0784)	(.0276)

Slotting comes out on top in the rollout. This play is now favored by most experts. In match play at gammon-save, the safer splitting play is best.

Survey says ... 8/5, 6/5    99.9%

8/5, 6/5

Beginning players are often surprised to learn that 3 and 1 are the best opening numbers you can roll. After all, with a grand total of four pips, this is a pretty puny roll. Sure, you get to make a point, but there are other rolls that make good points too, like 4-2 (the four-point) and 6-1 (the bar-point). What makes 3-1 so great?

The answer is that the five-point is a tremendously useful point to own. Here's why:

1. The five-point is a home-board point. Each additional home-board point you own gives your opponent fewer ways to enter when he gets hit. That means he must play conservatively while you get to play aggressively.

2. Of all the empty points in your home board, the five-point is the best one to close first because you can use it as a landing spot for more checkers. A spare checker on your five-point can be used to attack enemy blots or build more home-board points.

3. The five-point is a good blocking point. The easiest real estate on which to build a prime is: from your ten-point down to your five-point, from your nine-point to your four-point, or from your eight-point to your three-point. All of these include your five-point.

4. Owning the five-point prevents your opponent from anchoring there. If he acquires your five-point, it is almost impossible for you to prime him.

5. The five-point is enduring. Once you've made this point, you will continue to hold it and it will continue to have value for the rest of the game.

Paul Magriel (1976):  Your five-point is the most important point on your side of the board.

Bill Robertie (2002):  With this roll you accomplish two things: you make a blocking point, further hemming in opponent's two checkers on your one-point, and you make an inner-board point.

Rollout

PLAY	W        G       BG	EQUITY	CL	DMP	GG	GS
8/5, 6/5	+ .5546, .1708, .0071   − .4454, .1150, .0051	+.1670

With one roll, your equity has gone from 0 to +.1670. That's a huge gain. For comparison, making the four-point with an opening 4-2 is only +.1234, and making the bar-point with an opening 6-1 is only +.1035. The 3-1 opener is by far your best roll.

Survey says ... 24/21, 13/11    51.8% 13/11, 13/10    40.6% 24/22, 13/10    5.6%

There are three reasonable ways to play this roll:

• 24/21, 13/11 (splitting using the 3 and bringing down a builder using the 2).
• 24/22, 13/10 (splitting using the 2 and bringing down a builder using the 3).
• 13/11, 13/10 (bringing down two builders).

Slotting the five-point, 8/5, is not a good idea with this roll because you are using the wrong checker. It's your overloaded six-point that you want to use for slotting, not your eight-point.

Phillip Martyn (1976):  You might be tempted to use the 3 to drop a man on your five-point. But it is less satisfactory to drop a man on your five-point from the eight-point than from the six-point. The reason is that you are leaving only two men on your eight-point, so if you want to use a man from your eight-point later, either to make your bar-point or your five-point, you have to leave a blot on the eight-point.

24/21, 13/11

This is the more popular of the two split-and-build plays. You use your 2 to bring a builder down from the mid-point where it can be used next turn to help make a blocking point. This is a nice way to play the 2. The blot on eleven is pretty safe from being hit and its presence helps cover your outer board in case the opponent tries to run with one his back checkers.

Advancing to the 21-point with your 3 has advantages and disadvantages. If you are not hit you have a chance to make an advanced anchor, a real advantage early in the game. The downside is that opponent's four-point is also a point he wants to make and he will be willing to fight to get it.

Paul Magriel (1976):  It is wise to split early—before your position becomes more dangerous. By moving a back man up, you not only try to acquire a valuable point, you also prevent opponent from bringing builders down to his outer board and developing naturally. This play is especially recommended if you are playing someone who is afraid to hit immediately in his inner board.

24/22, 13/10

The other split-and-build play is much less popular. In fact, it wasn't too long ago that you would never see players make this play. Everything about it looks bad. First, the resulting position is somewhat inflexible. Notice that your runners are two pips apart; the stacks on your eight and six-point are also two pips apart. That means many of the same rolls that make points with your back checkers also make points using your two front stacks. In other words, your good rolls are duplicated. All else being equal, it is better to not duplicate your good rolls.

The other reason players don't like splitting to the 22-point is the propect of the opponent rolling double 5's. This roll is devastating because you end up with two blots on the bar and your opponent has an immediate three-point board.

Today we know that this play isn't as bad as we once thought. Double 5's is only a 1/36 chance and, your opponent is less willing to hit you on his three-point than on his four-point. Still, if split-and-build is the way you want to go, the first play, 24/21, 13/11, seems to be safer and more constructive.

13/11, 13/10

This play concentrates on offence. Your plan is to build a blockade before opponent can free his back checkers. With two builders in your outer table, you're almost certain to make a good blocking point next turn.

But there is some risk. Opponent will hit you if he rolls 6-4, 6-3, 5-4, and 3-3—seven ways out of 36. Not a huge risk, but it's a factor to be weighed against the advantages of this play.

Obolensky and James (1969):  You are getting two men out as builders to block your opponent from getting out of his home board.

Jacoby and Crawford (1970):  Your blots are exposed to only a nine or ten, and you are in a fine position to make points if you are not hit.

Bruce Becker (1974):  Should neither blot be hit, you then can make one good point or another with any throw except a 5-4.

Rollout

PLAY	W        G       BG	EQUITY	CL	DMP	GG	GS
13/11, 13/10	+ .4977, .1493, .0065   − .5023, .1387, .0072	+.0053		(.0080)		(.0172)
24/21, 13/11	+ .5017, .1355, .0064   − .4983, .1341, .0060	+.0052	(.0001)		(.0196)
24/22, 13/10	+ .4985, .1366, .0059   − .5015, .1345, .0056	−.0006	(.0059)	(.0064)	(.0238)	(.0072)
13/10, 6/4	+ .4918, .1369, .0061   − .5082, .1455, .0090	−.0279	(.0332)	(.0198)	(.0366)	(.0426)
24/22, 24/21	+ .4924, .1223, .0054   − .5076, .1350, .0055	−.0280	(.0333)	(.0186)	(.0646)	(.0204)
13/8	+ .4887, .1344, .0067   − .5113, .1469, .0064	−.0348	(.0401)	(.0260)	(.0478)	(.0516)

The result couldn't be closer in this cubeless rollout; a cubeful rollout here shows the splitting play, 24/21, 13/11, to be a very slight favorite. The other split-and-build play, while in third place, is not far behind—a surprising result. At gammon-go, it is worthwhile going all out for the blockade right from play one.

Survey says ... 24/23, 13/9    74.5% 13/9, 6/5    20.3% 13/8    2.2% 24/23, 24/20    2.0%

There are two reasonable ways to play this roll:

• 24/23, 13/9 (splitting the back checkers and bringing a builder down from the mid-point).
• 13/9, 6/5 (bringing a builder down and slotting the five-point).

24/23, 13/9

This is the most popular way of playing an opening 4-1. The builder on your nine-point provides many point-making opportunities up front. This is nicely balanced by having your runners split at the back. Splitting your runners increases your chances of making an advanced anchor next turn or hitting your opponent if he puts a blot anywhere on his side of the board.

Reese and Brinig (1975):  The move 24/23 does not look dynamic, but it contains some hidden power. First, it becomes more dangerous for your opponent to leave a blot anywhere in his front board. Second, if you throw 4-3 or 3-2, you will be able to make the opponent's five-point or four-point on your next turn.

Walter Trice (2004):  You have diversified the distances between your builders. The builders are one, two, and three pips apart: thus, rolls where the numbers on the dice differ by one, two, or three can make points.

Marty Storer (2005):  The builder on the nine-point provides many point-making chances at much smaller risk than 13/9, 6/5, while splitting makes progress on the opponent's side of the board too.

13/9, 6/5

This play was more popular in the past. The idea of slotting is to take risks early in the game before your opponent has had a chance to close any of the points in his home board. The question is, are the risks worth the rewards?

There are three opening rolls for which slotting the five-point is a reasonable possibility: 2-1, 4-1, and 5-1. Compared with an opening 2-1, slotting with 4-1 is more dangerous because there are more ways for opponent to hit your blot on the nine-point than a blot on eleven. And once you move 13/9 with your 4, the checker on your nine-point already gives you many ways to make a point in your home board. It is not quite so important to take more risk by slotting the five.

These two reasons make slotting with an opening 4-1 less attractive than slotting with a 2-1, and less attractive than the other way of playing your 1, namely, splitting your runners.

Jacoby and Crawford (1970):  This is wonderful when it works. The trouble is that your blot on the five-point is exposed to any 4, plus 3-1, double 2, and double 1, while your other blot is exposed to 6-2, 5-3, double 4, and double 2.

Phillip Martyn (1976):  If you drop a man from the six-point to your five-point, there is an increased risk that you will have a man hit there, and also a danger of having both hit. As you know, it is a disaster to have two men on a bar, particularly against a stronger player.

Rollout

PLAY	W        G       BG	EQUITY	CL	DMP	GG	GS
24/23, 13/9	+ .4984, .1405, .0058   − .5016, .1348, .0059	+.0024		(.0032)	(.0050)
13/9, 6/5	+ .5000, .1414, .0062   − .5000, .1448, .0091	−.0063	(.0087)			(.0168)
24/23, 24/20	+ .4886, .1223, .0052   − .5114, .1320, .0045	−.0318	(.0342)	(.0228)	(.0610)	(.0140)
13/8	+ .4887, .1344, .0067   − .5113, .1469, .0064	−.0348	(.0372)	(.0226)	(.0366)	(.0436)
24/20, 6/5	+ .4879, .1270, .0059   − .5121, .1429, .0064	−.0406	(.0430)	(.0242)	(.0530)	(.0372)

It all comes down to gammons. The slotting play loses one percent more gammons than the splitting play, and that's the difference between the plays. But as bots get stronger, the difference between the plays has been shrinking. There may come a day where slotting wins out in the best computer rollouts.

In match scores where losing a gammon doesn't matter, the aggressive slot wins the most games. But when playing for money, or in a match at gammon-save, the safer splitting play is your best bet.

Survey says ... 8/4, 6/4    99.8%

8/4, 6/4

This is the second best opening roll. The advantages of this roll are similar to the advantages of an opening 3-1.

• The four-point is a home-board point. Each additional home-board point you own gives your opponent fewer ways to enter when he gets hit. That means he must play conservatively while you get to play aggressively.

• While not as strong as the five-point, the four-point is still a good point to own. It is place where your checkers can land safely and a useful launching pad for attacking enemy blots or building points lower in your home board.

• The four-point is good to own if you want to make a prime. Potential primes that include the four-point are: (1) from your nine-point down to your four-point and (2) from your eight-point down to your three-point.

There are two big advantages to 4-2 over 6-1. The first is that the four-point is a home-board point. You have an extra advantage when you own more home-board points than your opponent. It's like carrying a big stick around with you. Your opponent has to be more careful about leaving blots that you can hit, while you are more free to take risks to improve your position.

The other advantage of 4-2 is that it moves a checker off your overstacked six-point. It is very difficult to get these extra checkers into play early in the game, and 4-2 (like 3-1) is an excellent roll to do it.

Obolensky and James (1969):  This is a good roll. The player has made a point on his home board and has created an additional block against his opponent.

Bill Robertie (2002):  Opening 4-2 is not quite as good as 3-1 for this reason: after you make the four-point, opponent still has a chance to sneak behind you and bring his back men up to the five-point. If he can do that, the value of the four-point will be somewhat negated.

Rollout

PLAY	W        G       BG	EQUITY	CL	DMP	GG	GS
8/4, 6/4	+ .5380, .1697, .0074   − .4620, .1242, .0055	+.1234

The rollout shows that a 4-2 opener is a powerful roll. It puts you well ahead in wins, and also well ahead in gammons.

Survey says ... 24/20, 13/10    38.8% 13/10, 13/9    32.3% 24/21, 13/9    25.0% 24/21, 24/20    3.1%

There are several ways to play this roll and it's hard to sort through them all. Before looking at rolls, let's look at the numbers individually.

With the 4, there are two reasonable choices:

• You can split your back checkers, 24/20. The fastest way to make a point is slot it, and the opponent's five-point is the best point to own in his home-board. Having a checker on opponent's five also provides nice coverage of his outer table, making it more difficult for him to bring builders down from his mid-point. The downside of this move is that the blot on opponent's five-point is vulerable to being attacked. He will not hesitate to knock you off this point if he can.

• You can bring a builder down from your mid-point, 13/9. The nine-point is a great location for a builder because it works so well with your checkers on the eight-point and six-point to make new points. And the nine-point is a good blocking point, so if you roll another 4 next turn you can simply cover this blot. The downside of 13/9 is that your blot on the nine-point might be hit (6 ways out of 36), sending that checker back 16 spaces.

• You can split your back checkers, 24/21. The upside of splitting with the 3 instead of the 4 is that a blot on the 21-point is not quite a vulnerable to being hit. If opponent hits you and ends up making his four-point, you still have a chance of anchoring on his five-point. The downside of playing your 3 to the 21-point is that it is not as good an anchor as the 20-point and it provides less coverage of opponent's outer table.

• You can bring a builder down from your mid-point, 13/10. The ten-point is not as easy for opponent to hit as the nine-point (only 4 ways out of 36—he wouldn't hit with 3-3), so this blot is a little safer. But it doesn't work as well in combination with the eight-point and six-point to create new points in your home board.

Putting these numbers together in all their combinations gives four possible plays:

• 24/21, 24/20 (moving both of your back checkers forward together).
• 13/10, 13/9 (bringing two checkers down from the mid-point).
• 24/20, 13/10 (splitting using the 4 and bringing down a builder using the 3).
• 24/21, 13/9 (splitting using the 3 and bringing down a builder using the 4).

When you move both of your back checkers off the opponent's one-point at the same time it is sometimes called a double split. The play in itself is not bad; it is just that using both numbers for essentially the same purpose is rather wasteful. In general, it is better to try to do two good things in different parts of the board with each of your numbers. This is the only play of the four combinations generally recognized as not being the best way to play an opening 4-3.

13/10, 13/9

This play goes all out to try to build a quick blockade before the opponent can escape his runners. You might think the play suffers from the same problem as the double-split above, that it is wasteful using both numbers for the same purpose. The reason that 13/10, 13/9 works well is that both blots have two uses. (1) They work as builders to make new points further forward. (2) They slot good points that you can turn into blocks on your next turn.

Elizabeth Clark Boyden (1930):  The position now is favorable to make a point on the next throw, and there is no throw which will permit the opponent to take up both of these men.

Jacoby and Crawford (1970):  If neither blot is hit they are in excellent position to help you build your bar-point, five-point, or four-point; or you may be able to cover one, giving you possession of your nine or ten-point.

24/20, 13/10

This is one of two balanced approaches to playing this roll. You split your back checkers, hoping to make an advanced anchor next turn, while at the same time bringing a builder down from your mid-point as the first step in improving your blockade. This play gives preference to slotting the best anchor at the expense of not having quite as good a builder.

Phillip Martyn (1976):  You are setting your opponent the problem of what to do about your man on his five-point and the man on the 10-point is a good builder.

Robin Clay (1977):  An opening move of this sort makes it difficult for your opponent to play his normal tactics. Firstly, by placing a man on oppenent's five-point you are threatening to cover it on your next turn, and to gain control of a point vital to him. Secondly, the man on opponent's five-point makes it difficult for him to drop a blot onto his outer board. Thirdly, your blot on the 10-point equally makes it dangerous for opponent to move a blot up to your four-point, five-point, seven-point, or nine-point.

Bill Robertie (1984):  If you're going to risk splitting at all, it makes sense to split to the most valuable point possible.

24/21, 13/9

This is the other balanced approach, splitting and building. Here you're giving preference to the best point for the builder at the expense of an anchoring point that's not quite as good. Surprising, this play was never popular before the mid 1990's. The thinking of experts at the time is explained by Bill Robertie above. Why not split to the point you most want to make?

But splitting to the opponent's four-point has its advantages too. It is not as easy for your opponent to attack you on his four-point. If he hits your blot, you now have two good rolls to enter with—you can roll a 4 and hit back, or you can roll a 5 and start opponent's five-point. If you enter with a 5, your opponent has a slight problem. He wants to attack your blot on his five-point but he also needs to cover the blot on his four-point.

Rollout

PLAY	W        G       BG	EQUITY	CL	DMP	GG	GS
13/10, 13/9	+ .4984, .1529, .0075   − .5016, .1374, .0073	+.0125		(.0024)		(.0118)
24/21, 13/9	+ .4996, .1404, .0066   − .5004, .1342, .0060	+.0060	(.0065)		(.0226)	(.0030)
24/20, 13/10	+ .4989, .1355, .0061   − .5011, .1330, .0056	+.0008	(.0117)	(.0014)	(.0338)	(.0020)
24/21, 24/20	+ .4980, .1223, .0056   − .5020, .1311, .0048	−.0120	(.0245)	(.0032)	(.0620)

The rollout is far from definitive. All four plays are close and any one of them could conceivably be correct in match play depending on the score. It seems that bringing down two builders is the best play for money because of the extra gammons you win.

Survey says ... 24/23, 13/8    72.8% 13/8, 6/5    23.8% 24/18    2.8%

The first choice with this roll is deciding how to play the 1. You can slot your five-point, in which case there is only one decent way of playing the 5. Or you can split your back checkers 24/23, in which case you have two reasonable 5's: You can continue running with your back checker, or you can bring a checker down from your mid-point to your eight-point. Here's your choice:

• 13/8, 6/5 (slotting the five-point and bringing a checker down off your mid-point).
• 24/18 (running with your back checker).
• 24/23, 13/8 (splitting your back checkers and bringing a checker down off your mid-point

13/8, 6/5

Slotting your five-point has a couple desirable features: (1) You hope your slot is not hit and that you can cover it next roll thereby making a very valuable point. (2) You unstack your six-point.

Of course, slotting the five-point is risky. If you are hit, your blot will be sent back 20 spaces and you will now be well behind in the race. The only saving grace is that your opponent has not yet built up his home board yet, so if you're hit you should be able to enter easily and still have time to build and advanced anchor. Getting hit, while not pleasant, would not be devastating.

Walter Gibson (1974):  It has long been considered good strategy to put [your checker] where it will do the most good if the gamble succeeds.

Cooke and Bradshaw (1974):  It is best to gamble in order to secure the important five-point. You should not split the two men on your 24-point; the risks are serious and the rewards slight.

Paul Magriel (1976):  This variant leads to dangerous, exciting, but also more difficult games. It is neither necessarily better nor worse than the splitting play.

Bill Robertie (1998):  Since the five doesn't create a new builder, I have a strong incentive to slot the five-point with the 1, to get my offense going.

Kit Woolsey (2002):  Slotting with 5-1 is less attractive than slotting with 2-1. With 2-1, the checker on the 11-point is six away from the five-point, so it is in position to cover if the shot is missed or to hit back and continue the fight for the five-point if the shot is hit. And 2-1 is only three pips, so the cost of having a checker sent back is slightly less than it would be on a 5-1 because you aren't doing well in the race anyway.

24/18

This play has the advantage of slotting a potential advanced anchor and providing good coverage of the opponent's outfield. But this advantage comes at a fairly significant price. Your opponent will hit with any 1 or 6. Any time you are hit early in the game, you lose some ground—not so much in the race, but rather in developing your position. After a hit, you need to use half your roll to enter your checker. That portion of your roll cannot be used elsewhere to make a point or move another checker. Whereas, your opponent, when it hits you, is slotting a point he wants to make. If you don't hit back, he will be well on his way to making his bar-point or using that checker as a builder to make a point in his home board.

Bill Robertie (1982):  24/18 is a perfectly acceptable alternative to the two more usual plays. You make an immediate attempt to secure the opposing bar-point, and also hope to profit from an exchange of hits.

Marty Storer (2005):  24/18 forgoes the distributional improvement of 13/8, and takes a bigger risk of being attacked. Return hits are nice, but they don't come frequently enough for me.

24/23, 13/8

If you decide to use your 1 to advance one of your back checkers, it is safer to leave it on your 23-point rather than move up to 18. Having your runners split still gives good coverage of opponent's outer board but doesn't leave yourself open to attack.

It might seem that a fourth checker on the eight-point is unnecessary—you already have a spare checker there. But a second spare can be useful. You can use it to hit the opponent if he tries for an advanced anchor. Or if you roll 1-3, 2-4, 3-5, or 1-6, you can use the eight-point spare build a new point. There are enough uses for spares on the eight-point that having more than one there is ok.

Jacoby and Crawford (1970):  The split to the 23-point is quite good. If your opponent fails to hit either of your men on his one and two-points, you will be in position to make one of the advanced points in his board or his bar-point with one of several rolls. In addition, you will have doubled your coverage of the opposing outer board, so that if he chooses to move a blot into that terrain, you are twice as likely to be able to hit it.

Phillip Martyn (1976):  Splitting with the 1 achieves something because the throws with which you can make opponent's four and five-points, 3-2 and 4-3, are not useful for other purposes.

Rollout

PLAY	W        G       BG	EQUITY	CL	DMP	GG	GS
24/23, 13/8	+ .5006, .1350, .0054   − .4994, .1311, .0049	+.0056
13/8, 6/5	+ .4976, .1374, .0058   − .5024, .1348, .0067	−.0031	(.0087)	(.0060)	(.0012)	(.0134)
24/18	+ .4930, .1179, .0048   − .5070, .1355, .0053	−.0321	(.0377)	(.0152)	(.0494)	(.0240)

The rollout confirms the choice of the players in the survey, that 24/23, 13/8 is the best way to play this roll. But the slotting play is not far behind and you may wish to experiment with the slot to see how it works for you in your games.

Survey says ... 13/11, 13/8    55.4% 24/22, 13/8    42.7% 13/8, 6/4    1.4%

There is only one decent way to play the 5—13/8 is essentially forced. So the question is how to play the 2. Here are the possibilities:

• 24/22, 13/8 (splitting your runners).
• 13/11, 13/8 (bringing down a builder off your mid-point).
• 13/8, 6/4 (slotting your four-point).

Before the 1990's, experts were unanimous that this was the only reasonable way to play an opening 5-2. In a survey of sixteen expert players conducted by Bill Robertie in 1984 (reported in the first edition of Advanced Backgammon), all sixteen played 13/11, 13/8. By moving 13/11 you create a nice builder with little risk.

Jacoby and Crawford (1970):  13/11, 13/8 is by far the best play because you begin to set up a strong blocking action in relative safety.

Reese and Brinig (1975):  The man on your 11-point is exposed only to 6-4 and is well placed to unite with another piece to make the bar-point or the five-point.

Phillip Martyn (1976):  The man on your eleven point is useful as an extra builder to make either your bar-point or your five-point. It is not as good a builder as one which is further along, but at least it is less likely to be hit. This is the best you can do with this bad throw.

Bill Robertie (1987):  The blot on the 11-point covers the outfield and provides a builder for the five-point, bar-point, and nine-point.

24/22, 13/8

This play was unheard of before the 1990's. The fear was that your opponent would roll double 5's. You'd then end up with two blots on the bar and your opponent would have an instant three-point board. Even though it is only a 1/36 chance, the result is devastating.

The other argument against splitting to opponent's three-point is that it puts your runners exactly two pips apart. This is the same distance apart as your checkers on the eight-point and six-point. Many of your subsequent rolls that make anchors on your opponent's side of the board also make good points on your side of the board. Your good rolls are said to be duplicated.

ROLL	PLAY
3-1	Makes 21-point or 5-point
4-2	Makes 20-point or 4-point
6-4	Makes 18-point or 2-point