Recommended First Moves
Every game starts with the same question: how should I play this roll? Beginners and experienced players alike feel it. The good news is that the opening has been studied more thoroughly than any other part of the game. Years of expert play and, above all, computer rollouts have produced a clear picture of the best moves for every opening roll.
Why there are only fifteen opening rolls
Two dice give 21 different combinations: 15 non-doubles and 6 doubles. At the start of a game, though, each player throws a single die and the higher number moves first, using both numbers. So the first move of a game is always a non-double, and there are just fifteen opening rolls to learn. Doubles first appear in the reply to the opening move.
The opening table
Moves are written in the usual notation: 13/7 means a checker moves from your 13-point to your 7-point. Where two or three plays are listed, they are all close in value and are played by strong players.
| Roll | Recommended play | Idea |
|---|---|---|
| 3-1 | 8/5 6/5 | Makes the 5-point, the most valuable point |
| 4-2 | 8/4 6/4 | Makes the 4-point |
| 6-1 | 13/7 8/7 | Makes the bar-point (7-point) |
| 5-3 | 8/3 6/3 | Makes the 3-point |
| 6-5 | 24/13 | Runs a back checker all the way to the mid-point |
| 6-4 | 24/18 13/9, or 8/2 6/2, or 24/14 | Split and build, make the 2-point, or run |
| 6-3 | 24/18 13/10, or 24/15 | Split and build, or run |
| 6-2 | 24/18 13/11, or 13/5 | Split and build, or slot the 5-point |
| 5-4 | 24/20 13/8, or 13/8 13/9 | Split, or bring two builders down |
| 5-2 | 13/8 13/11 | Two new builders from the mid-point |
| 5-1 | 13/8 24/23 | A builder plus a small split |
| 4-3 | 24/20 13/10, or 13/9 13/10 | Split, or bring two builders down |
| 4-1 | 24/23 13/9 | A builder plus a small split |
| 3-2 | 24/21 13/11, or 13/10 13/11 | Split, or bring two builders down |
| 2-1 | 13/11 24/23, or 13/11 6/5 | Split, or slot the 5-point |
The ideas behind the moves
Make a point when you can
Four rolls make a new point at once: 3-1, 4-2, 6-1 and 5-3. A point in your home board or on your bar-point blocks the opponent's back checkers and gives you a safe landing spot. These plays are so strong that no serious alternative exists.
Run with 6-5
With 6-5 one back checker escapes in a single move, from the 24-point to the safety of your mid-point. It is the only roll that does this in one go.
Split or build
Most other rolls give a choice between two plans. You can move a back checker up from the 24-point, which makes it easier to make an advanced point later, or bring checkers down from the mid-point as builders for your home board. Both plans are sound, which is why the table lists more than one play for several rolls. Modern computer analysis has made splitting more popular than it was a generation ago.
Slotting
Some plays (13/5 with 6-2, 6/5 with 2-1) place a single checker on your 5-point, hoping to cover it next turn. It is a bold plan: if the slot is hit you lose time, but if it survives you gain the best point on the board.
Beyond the first move
Knowing the table gives you a good start, but one roll does not decide a game. To improve, try to understand why each move is chosen and apply the same ideas later in the game. Our article practice makes it perfect suggests how to train, and if you are still learning how the pieces move, start with the backgammon rules.