Starting Rolls in Backgammon

Vic Morawski shows some basic Backgammon techniques, rules and moves, such as starting rolls in backgammon

Hi, I am Vic and today we are introducing you to the game of Backgammon. We would like next to look at some opening rolls that might enable you to begin a blitz against your opponent. What I would like to do is show you a few opening roll situations that would put you as blue into what we call a blitz or an attacking game. The most classic opening blitz situation would come in a situation where say white rolls a 5-2 and splits the two which is a legitimate move to white's -- rather your three point. Now you then roll double fives. Well, note what you can do with double fives. You can take two of them from your six point and set the checker that was on your one point on the bar and you can take two of them from your eight point and make your three point. Now white is sitting on the bar with two checkers and you are well on your way to a blitzing situation where you have got head start and the object of a blitz is to try to do what you saw when I illustrated the end game. To set your opponent on the bar and keep them there and above all things to keep them from a making a point in your inner board. Now it's awfully nice if you are fortunate enough to roll double fives as blue after white has made that split to the three point and you are into a very easy blitzing situation. But that isn't the only situation that might get you as blue thinking about a blitz as your game plan. Suppose -- and many other situations occur more frequently suppose white instead rolls something like a 5-1, play the five down there as you just saw and splits the checkers in your home board. You then roll a 4-1. Now you could play it out here and make a split or you might try to blitz your opponent. Note, I can play the four as blue here and I can play the one down to the one point and set two checkers on the bar and by the way this is a good opening strategy whether or not you end up in a blitz game, it's very powerful at the beginning of the game if you throw your opponent off balance so to speak by hitting two checkers, if you have the opportunity to do so. At this point blue is not necessarily thinking of blitz as the only game plan. Blue has hit two checkers hoping to knock white off balance. But now suppose white rolls a 6-2, can't use six to enter but does bring a checker in on the two point. Now here is the kind of things that might get you thinking blitz if you are blue. After that you roll a 6-4. Now of course you could run with the six and the four as we saw in the running game, but here is the situations where if you make your two point -- now white has two checkers back on the bar again and then if you roll a five or a seven like a 4-3, you can cover that point on your next roll and on your way to thinking blitz. Next we will look at some aspects of the middle game strategy for the blitz.