Strategy in the Backgammon Straight Race

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

The point in the game at which your last checker has passed the last of your opponent's checkers is known as the backgammon straight race. At this point, neither player will be able to block or hit his opponent and the game becomes a pure race to see who can bear off all of his or her checkers first.

There are a couple of factors to think about when you are in the backgammon straight race in order to determine your strategy. These factors are your chances of winning and the position of your checkers on the board.

Your chances of winning the backgammon straight race are extremely important in determining your strategy. If you see that you have no chance of winning, the objective of the straight race becomes quite different. Rather than focusing on bearing off all of your checkers before your opponent you must focus on getting all of your checkers into your home board before you opponent finishes bearing off so that you only take a one point loss, rather than a two point gammon or a three point backgammon.

If you see that the game is very close, you have to focus on the position of checkers in your home board. It is good to prepare your home board by avoiding gaps that will keep you from bearing a checker off. Try to keep checkers evenly spread or on lower points in order to increase your chances of good rolls in the backgammon straight race.