Backgammon Fro99er vs Plotinus Game 1

[Plotinus]

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X           O    |   | O              X |     0 points
| X           O    |   | O              X |     
| X           O    |   | O                |
| X                |   | O                |
| X                |   | O                |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
| O                |   | X                |
| O                |   | X                |
| O           X    |   | X                |
| O           X    |   | X              O |
| O           X    |   | X              O |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

roll 2d6 to move. submit moves in backgammon notation (example after rolling 3-1: 17/20 19/20). i’ll keep the board updated.

[Plotinus]

high goes first. we each roll 1 die, and the combination of my die and your die is the first roll. subsequent rolls are 2d6.

We should decide what we’re playing to (“until we finish a game and don’t want to start another” works) and whether the doubling cube is in effect or not. If you need a recap of the rules, let me know.

Original Roll String: 1d6

1 6-Sided Dice: (6) = 6

[Plotinus]

Original Roll String: 1d6

1 6-Sided Dice: (2) = 2

You’re X. You’re trying to get all of your guys from the top right quadrant down to the bottom right quadrant (going anticlockwise). Once all 15 of your guys are in the bottom right, you can start bearing off (removing them from the board entirely). whoever gets all of their guys off first wins. If you want to play with the doubling cube, when it is your turn, but before you roll the dice, you can offer to double, then I can accept and we continue playing for 2 points intsead of 1, or I can decline and you win 1 point.

If you roll doubles, you get to go again. If you roll for example a 1-2, you can move a single man 3, but only if there is an intermediate landing space so that it can go 1 and then it can go 2. If you land on one of my guys then that guy is “out” and has to sit on the bar on the middle, and then I have to come into your home (bottom right) before I can move. A good strategy is to try to block your home up so that you build 2+ men on each space in your home, then if you get me out I can’t come in at all until you’ve presumably got all of your guys home and started bearing them off and some spaces clear up.

If you get all your guys off the board before I get all of mine home, you get a gammon (double win), and if I still have any of my guys in your home at the time you get all your guys off then you get a backgammon (triple win).

[Plotinus]

You start, you’ve rolled 52

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X           O    |   | O              X |     0 points
| X           O    |   | O              X |     
| X           O    |   | O                |
| X                |   | O                |
| X                |   | O                |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
| O                |   | X                |
| O                |   | X                |
| O           X    |   | X                |
| O           X    |   | X              O |     Rolled: 52
| O           X    |   | X              O |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

And I’m V/LA today for pride!

[Plotinus]

Yeah you did. usually the opening role is the combination of my dice and your dice (would have been a 52) but it doesn’t really matter and i don’t mind counting this.

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X           O    |   | O              X |     0 points
| X           O    |   | O              X |     Rolled: 
| X           O    |   | O                |
| X                |   | O                |
| X                |   | O                |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
| O                |   |                  |
| O                |   | X                |
| O                |   | X                |
| O           X    |   | X  
X
           O |     Rolled: 31
| O           X    |   | X  
X
           O |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

Original Roll String: 2d6

2 6-Sided Dice: (4, 2) = 6

[Plotinus]

42: 8/4 6/4

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X           O    |   | O     
O
        X |     0 points
| X           O    |   | O     
O
        X |     Rolled: 42
| X                |   | O                |
| X                |   | O                |
| X                |   |                  |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
| O                |   |                  |
| O                |   | X                |
| O                |   | X                |
| O           X    |   | X  X           O |     Rolled: 
| O           X    |   | X  X           O |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

[Plotinus]

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X           O    |   | O     O        X |     0 points
| X           O    |   | O     O        X |     Rolled: 
| X                |   | O                |
| X                |   | O                |
| X                |   |                  |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
| O                |   | 
X
                |
| O                |   | X                |
| O                |   | X  
X
             |
| O                |   | X  X           O |     Rolled: 32
| O                |   | X  X           O |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

(do you want feedback on your moves after you make them or do you want to figure strategy out for yourself?)

Original Roll String: 2d6

2 6-Sided Dice: (1, 1) = 2

[Plotinus]

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X              
O
 |   | O  
O
  O        X |     0 points
| X              
O
 |   | O  
O
  O        X |     Rolled: 11
| X                |   |                  |
| X                |   |                  |
| X                |   |                  |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
| O                |   | X                |
| O                |   | X                |
| O                |   | X  X             |
| O                |   | X  X           O |     Rolled: 
| O                |   | X  X           O |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

11: 8/7 8/7 6/5 6/5

[Plotinus]

12/17 would have been better than what you did, but 12/14 12/15 would have been optimal, I think. It maximises the number of rolls on your next turn that would allow you to build a wall of several occupied tiles in a row that i couldn’t pass (incidentally like the wall i have between 4 and 7 now. to get out of my home, you need to roll a 1 or a 2 and then a 5 or 6).

You would have had two guys open if you did that which looks scary early on, but think about the rolls I would have needed to hit either of them: 63 or 64. That’s only a 1 in 9 chance and you would have had a lot of options whatever you rolled next turn.

Using combinatorics to minimise future bad rolls / maximise the probability that you’ll have things you can do with your next roll is a large part of the strategy here.

[Plotinus]

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X              O |   | O  O  O        X |     0 points
| X              O |   | O  O  O        X |     Rolled: 
| X                |   |                  |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
| O                |   | X                |
| O                |   | X                |
| O                |   | X  X             |
| O                |   | X  X           O |     Rolled: 64
| O        
X
     
X
 |   | X  X           O |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

yeah, that was a bad roll. you did the best you could with it, though.

Original Roll String: 2d6

2 6-Sided Dice: (3, 3) = 6

[Plotinus]

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X     
O
        O |   | O  O  O        X |     0 points
| X     
O
        O |   | O  O  O        X |     Rolled: 33
| X                |   |                  |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
|                  |   | X                |
|                  |   | X                |
| O                |   | X  X             |
| O                |   | X  X  
O
          |     Rolled: 
| O        X     X |   | X  X  
O
          |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

and i got a lucky roll. sorry about that.

[Plotinus]

that would have been good too, actually. i wanted to bring the 13s down to the 10 so that i could have more builders for filling in my home and making it harder for you to get your 2 guys out of there. building on the 21 point is good mainly because it means you can’t do it and if you get me in the future i can have a safe landing point. but getting you on the 18 could have been worth it.

i’m not 100% sure which was the best move there.

[Plotinus]

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X     O        O |   | O  O  O        X |     0 points
| X     O        O |   | O  O  O        X |     Rolled: 
| X                |   |                  |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
|                  |   | X                |
|                  |   | X                |
| O                |   | X  X             |
| O                |   | X  X  O          |     Rolled: 53
| O              X |   | X  X  O        
X
 |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

(you could have built on the 23)

Have fun doing whatever you’re doing while not here!

Original Roll String: 2d6

2 6-Sided Dice: (3, 6) = 9

[Plotinus]

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X     O        O |   | O  O  O        X |     0 points
| X     O        O |   | O  O  O        X |     Rolled: 63
| X              
O
 | 
X
 |                  |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
|                  |   | X                |
|                  |   | X                |
|                  |   | X  X             |
| O                |   | X  X             |     Rolled: 
| O              
O
 |   | X  X  O        X |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

it’s okay! that’s what learning is for.

You need to roll a 1, 2, or 3 in order to take your next turn because you’re on the bar.

[Plotinus]

backgammon is a lot like chess but thinking several moves ahead is harder because of the dice. you try to have a general idea of what you’ll do for all 21 possible rolls, but usually it’s grouped together: if i roll x, y, or z then i’ll build else if i roll a or b then i’ll attack else if i roll c then i’ll cry and curse the dice gods else if i roll d or e… and then if you’re also playing to minimise your opponent’s good rolls that’s another set of 21 rolls to keep track of.

The best backgammon engines can only think 3-4 moves ahead.

memorising boards can help some the way it helps in chess, and memorising the optimal plays for all 15 of the possible initial rolls, and then the optimal counters for each of those can help. (even just memorising a few is a leg up in some games)

but a lot of it is just practice and playing lots of games.

[Plotinus]

sorry, fell asleep in my clothes. you can mark leaving the bar as either 0/1 or bar/1. bar/1 might be clearer (since i’d be marking it as 25/24 if i were coming in off the bar). Later, once all our guys are home and we’re bearing off, the notation is 3/off (me bearing off) or 22/off (you bearing off).

After you come in on the 1, you make take the 3 with any piece that has a valid move.

(usually in backgammon notation it’s always done from each person’s perspective, so 25 is always the bar and your home is always 1-6 but that feels more confusing with an ascii board, having to keep up with two different perspectives, so i’m playing upside down but the numbers are from my perspective, a compromise of sorts. if you can think of a better way around this, lemme know)

[Plotinus]

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X     O        O |   | O  O  O        X |     0 points
| X     O        O |   | O  O  O        X |     Rolled: 
| X              O |   |                
X
 |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |   | X                |
|                  |   | X  X             |
| O                |   | X  X             |     Rolled: 31
| O              O |   | X  X  O  
X
     X |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

Original Roll String: 2d6

2 6-Sided Dice: (4, 3) = 7

[Plotinus]

+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+     O: Plotinus
| X     O        O |   | O  O  O        X |     0 points
| X              O |   | O  O  O        X |     Rolled: 43
| X              O |   | 
O
              X |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |BAR|                  |     (Cube: 1)
|                  |   |                  |
|                  |   | X                |
|                  |   | X  X             |
| O              
O
 |   | X  X             |     Rolled: 
| O              O |   | X  X     X     X |     0 points
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+     X: Fro99er

21/18 10/6

If I roll a 4/3 or a 5/4 next turn i can build in my home. If you roll a 6, you can’t take it (you can still take the other half of your roll though) because i’m blocking the 18 point now. If I get a 55 then I can build on the 8, if I get 66 i’m also a little screwed (all i can do is 13/7 13/7), but any of the other doubles would work okay. Rolls adding up to 5 or 6 can bring my 10 piece home (and increase the likelihood of building on the 3 or 2 on the following turn). At first glance the lone piece on the 10 point looks vulnerable but you can’t hit it in a single turn.

(little window into my thought process here)

[Plotinus]

Have a good trip!