Gammon RivalsOpening Moves
Backgammon has only 15 non-double opening rolls, and decades of computer rollouts have settled almost all of them. Learn these and you start every game at least even against most opponents.
The 15 opening rolls
| Roll | Play | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 3-1 | 8/5, 6/5 | Makes the 5-point, the best point on the board. No other play is close. |
| 4-2 | 8/4, 6/4 | Makes the 4-point. Same idea, one point further back. |
| 6-1 | 13/7, 8/7 | Makes the bar point and starts a wall in front of your opponent. |
| 5-3 | 8/3, 6/3 | Makes the 3-point. Solid, if less valuable than the 4 or 5. |
| 6-5 | 24/18, 18/13 | Lover’s leap: one back checker runs all the way to safety. |
| 6-4 | 24/18, 13/9 | Escapes a back checker and builds. Making the 2-point instead is playable but passive. |
| 6-3 | 24/18, 13/10 | Same plan as 6-4: run one checker out, put the small die to work. |
| 6-2 | 24/18, 13/11 or 13/5 | Split and build, or run one checker halfway. Both are respectable. |
| 5-4 | 24/20, 13/8 | The 20-point anchor is worth more than any builder this early. |
| 5-2 | 13/8, 13/11 | Two builders down. Splitting with 24/22 instead is a matter of style. |
| 5-1 | 13/8, 24/23 | Split the back checkers so they are not trapped behind a wall later. |
| 4-3 | 13/9, 13/10 | Two builders aimed at the 5-point and 4-point. |
| 4-1 | 13/9, 24/23 | Builder plus a split. Slotting with 6/5 is sharper and riskier. |
| 3-2 | 13/11, 13/10 | Builders again. 24/21 with the 3 is the safer alternative. |
| 2-1 | 13/11, 24/23 | Split and build. Slotting the 5-point with 6/5 wins more games and loses more gammons. |
Three ideas behind the table
- Points beat builders. If a roll makes the 5, 4, 3 or bar point, make it. Nothing else you can do with two dice is worth as much.
- Anchors beat everything at the back. A back checker alone is a liability; the 20-point anchor turns it into an asset.
- Split or slot, but know which. Splitting the back checkers is safe and flexible. Slotting a point invites a hit to win more games, and loses more gammons when it goes wrong.
Opening doubles
In classic backgammon the opening roll uses one die from each player, so it can never be a double. Gammon Rivals instead picks the first player at random and gives them a normal roll, so doubles do happen on move one:
| Roll | Play | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 6-6 | 24/18(2), 13/7(2) | The best opening double: two escaped checkers and the bar point. |
| 5-5 | 13/3(2) | Makes the 3-point with both checkers off the midpoint. |
| 4-4 | 24/20(2), 13/9(2) | Anchor on the 20-point plus two builders. |
| 3-3 | 8/5(2), 6/3(2) | The 5-point and the 3-point in one turn. |
| 2-2 | 13/11(2), 6/4(2) | The 4-point plus two builders. |
| 1-1 | 8/7(2), 6/5(2) | Bar point and 5-point together — a dream first roll. |
What comes next
The second roll is where real backgammon starts, and no table covers it — your opponent has already answered. Learn to count the race (pip counting) and to use the cube (cube strategy), and you will beat opponents who only memorised openings.