Backgammon straight race - First to bear off all checkers

admin · Site Admin Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 862

The concept of the backgammon straight race is rooted in the central aim of backgammon. Each player seeks to be the first one to bring all their checkers into their home area of the backgammon board from where they can be born off. The first player to remove all their checkers from the board wins the backgammon game.

However, before a player is in a position to bear off, they need to engage with the opponent's checkers, trying to hit their blots (lone checkers) and building up primes. When the stage of the game arrives when they have broken off this aspect of the contest, then the backgammon straight race begins. The term "straight race" is thus exactly what it sounds like, the concentration of all the player’s efforts in bearing off their checkers at the end of the game.

Success in the backgammon straight race is highly dependent on a well thought out strategy. For example, when dismantling a prime it can be a challenge to avoid leaving lone checkers, or blots, exposed to be hit by the opponent. Once a checker is sent to the bar, that player needs to make every effort to bring it back into play and this delay can be critical in the straight race.

While skilled players can take steps to avoid such eventualities, the good dice throws needed to speed checker movement are beyond their control. The player who gets dice rolls of double fives and sixes is certainly at an advantage in the straight race.