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Opening Moves in Backgammon

Since the initial position in backgammon is always the same, experts have spent a lot of effort to determine the best first moves for each possible roll. Learning these optimal moves is a great way to start your backgammon games off right.

Principles for the Opening Move

Learning the optimal moves for each roll is easier if you understand the principles behind them. These principles also hold (to varying degrees) throughout a backgammon game and can guide your play:

Make points: By making points, you hinder the movement of your opponent’s pieces while also giving your pieces a safe place to land.
Slot your checkers: Slotting a checker means putting a blot on a point you’d like to make. If you don’t get hit, you’re halfway to making that point. On your next turn, you may be able to move another checker and cover your blot, thus creating a point. Leaving a blot in this way is often worth the risk of getting hit.
Create builders: A builder is a blot that you can move on a subsequent turn to make a point. This differs from slotting a checker in that the builder is not on a point you wish to make but may be moved to a desirable point later. Usually, you’ll create builders in your outer board.
Advance your checkers: This is the least important of the principles early in the game, but don’t overlook it. Moving your checkers around the board brings you that much closer to winning the game.

The Best First Moves for Each Roll

Since there are only 15 distinct first rolls in backgammon, memorizing the best moves for each is a reasonable goal. Historically, experts have disagreed about which moves were best for certain difficult rolls. With the advent of computer simulations, though, most of these debates have been settled.

The following images in this section show the best first moves for each of the 15 possible first rolls in backgammon. In cases where the evaluations for two options are very close, both moves are included. Though all the moves given here are for the light-colored checkers, you can use the mirror image of each move if you’re playing with the dark-colored checkers.

Best Moves for a Roll of 2-1

With a roll of 2-1, you have two reasonable options.

Option 1: 24/23, 13/11

This move creates a builder on the 11 point. Though it leaves blots in your opponent’s inner board, these blots are unlikely to be hit since doing so doesn’t send them back significantly and may weaken your opponent’s position. Also, if your opponent leaves a blot on his side of the board, you have two points from which to hit the blot.

Option 2: 13/11, 8/7

This move places a builder on the 11 point and slots a checker on the valuable 7 point. Though this is a very aggressive move, its soundness has been confirmed by both computer simulations and human players.

Best Move for a Roll of 3-1

3-1 is the best opening roll, and there’s only one way to play it: 8/5, 6/5. This play makes the very valuable 5 point without taking any risk from leaving a blot.

Best Moves for a Roll of 3-2

With a roll of 3-2, you have two reasonable options.

Option 1: 13/11, 13/10

This offensive move places builders on the 11 and 10 points. If you don’t get hit, you’re likely to make a valuable point on your next roll.

Option 2: 24/21, 13/11

Though it creates only one builder, this move is a safer choice than the previous option because you create fewer blots in your outer board. The blots in your opponent’s inner board are generally safe at the beginning of the game since your opponent gains little by hitting them.

Best Move for a Roll of 4-1

The best way to play a 4-1 is 24/23, 13/9. This play creates a builder on your 9 point and splits your back checkers.

Best Move for a Roll of 4-2

A 4-2 is the second-best opening roll (after 3-1), and there’s only one way to play it: 8/4, 6/4. This play makes the valuable 4 point without taking any risk from leaving a blot.

Best Move for a Roll of 4-3

With a 4-3, your best first move is 13/10, 13/9. This move is especially effective because the checkers on your 10 and 9 points serve as both builders and slots. Depending on your next roll, you can move one of these checkers to create a point in your inner board, or you can move another checker and make the 10 or 9 point. These options are well worth the risk of leaving two blots.

Best Move for a Roll of 5-1

Though 5-1 isn’t a particularly good opening roll, you can still play it relatively well: 24/23, 13/8. This moves a checker to your 8 point and splits your back checkers.

Best Moves for a Roll of 5-2

With a roll of 5-2, you have two reasonable options.

Option 1: 24/22, 13/8

This safe play advances a checker to your 8 point and slots a checker in your opponent’s inner board. On your next turn, you’ll likely be able to make the 22 point. Though many early experts failed to see the advantages of this move, computer simulations have shown that it’s a good option.

Option 2: 13/11, 13/8

With this move, you create a builder on the 11 point rather than slot the 22 point.

Best Move for a Roll of 5-3

The best first move for 5-3 is 8/3, 6/3. This risk-free move makes your 3 point.

Best Move for a Roll of 5-4

The best first move for 5-4 is 24/20, 13/8. This move slots the 20 point and advances one checker to the 8 point.

Best Move for a Roll of 6-1

A 6-1 is the third-best opening roll (behind 3-1 and 4-2). The best way to play it is 13/7, 8/7, which makes the valuable 7 point without leaving any blots.

Best Move for a Roll of 6-2

The best move for a roll of 6-2 is 24/18, 13/11. This balanced move puts a builder on your 11 point and advances one of your back checkers to the 18 point.

Best Move for a Roll of 6-3

Play a 6-3 almost the same way you play a 6-2: 24/18, 13/10. Another balanced move, this play puts a builder on your 10 point and advances one of your back checkers to the 18 point.

Best Moves for a Roll of 6-4

With a roll of 6-4, you have three reasonable options:

Option 1: 24/14

Advance one of your back checkers to your 14 point. This move puts a blot in a risky position but advances your back checker as far as possible.

Option 2: 24/18, 13/9

Advance one of your back checkers to the 18 point, and move another checker to the 9 point. This move is risky and complicated, but the checker on the 9 point serves as both a builder and a slot. Choose this move if you’re generally better than your opponent at backgammon and can take advantage of a complicated position.

Option 3: 8/2, 6/2

This move makes your 2 point. Though that’s not a very valuable point because it can’t block many of your opponent’s checkers, it’s still a good way to play this poor roll. Backgammon experts traditionally shunned this move, but computer simulations show that it’s a reasonable choice.

Best Move for a Roll of 6-5

A 6-5 is the highest, but not the strongest, opening roll you can get. The best move for this roll is 24/13, which advances one of your back checkers all the way to your 13 point. This move is sometimes referred to as the lover’s leap.

Acknowledgments & Disclaimer

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How to Count Pips in Backgammon

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