Strategy › Opening moves
Backgammon opening moves
There is no double on the opening roll, so every game begins with one of fifteen rolls — and for most of them, decades of play and computer rollouts have settled on a best, or near-best, move. Learn these and you start every game on the front foot.
The opening roll cannot be a double — each player rolls one die to start, and the higher number goes first, playing both dice. That leaves fifteen possible opening rolls, and they fall into three kinds of play: making a point, splitting your back checkers, and bringing down a builder. Knowing which roll wants which is most of the battle.
The point-makers — the easy ones
Four rolls let you make a valuable point at once, and for these there is no real argument. Make the point and move on:
- 3-1 → 8/5, 6/5. The best opening roll: it makes your 5-point, the most valuable point on the board.
- 4-2 → 8/4, 6/4. Makes the 4-point cleanly, with nothing left exposed.
- 5-3 → 8/3, 6/3. Makes the 3-point; modern rollouts prefer this to the older builder plays.
- 6-1 → 13/7, 8/7. Makes the bar point (the 7-point), building a block right in front of the opponent's back checkers.
The rest — split, build or run
The other eleven rolls cannot make a point, so they develop instead. The sound modern choice for each is below. Several of these have close alternatives that strong players still debate, so treat them as well-tested defaults rather than the only move.
| Roll | Common best play | Idea |
|---|---|---|
| 6-5 | 24/13 | The "lover's leap" — run a back checker all the way to safety |
| 6-4 | 24/18, 13/9 | Escape one back checker and bring down a builder |
| 6-3 | 24/18, 13/10 | Run to the bar point's edge and build |
| 6-2 | 24/18, 13/11 | Escape and build |
| 5-4 | 24/20, 13/8 | Split to the golden anchor point, bring one home |
| 5-2 | 24/22, 13/8 | Small split, builder down |
| 5-1 | 24/23, 13/8 | Small split, builder down |
| 4-3 | 24/20, 13/10 | Split to the 20-point and build |
| 3-2 | 24/21, 13/11 | Split and build |
| 2-1 | 13/11, 24/23 | Builder down and a small split |
| 4-1 | 24/23, 13/9 | Small split, builder down |
The principles behind the plays
Two ideas run through the whole list. First, points win games — when a roll makes a home-board point or the bar point, that almost always beats a fancier alternative, which is why the four point-makers are automatic. The 5-point and bar point are the prizes; read why in priming and blitzing.
Second, when you cannot make a point, you develop with a purpose. Splitting the back checkers gives them more ways to escape and to make an anchor next turn; bringing a builder down from the midpoint adds a checker that can help make a new point. The 20-point — the golden anchor — is the split worth aiming for, which is why 5-4 and 4-3 head there.
What modern play has moved away from is slotting — dropping a lone checker on the 5-point and hoping to cover it next turn. It can work, but it risks an early hit that hands your opponent the initiative, and rollouts show the safer split-and-build plays score better on average.
Replying to the opening
Your second roll — the reply — follows the same logic, with one addition: now you can hit. If your opponent split or slotted and your roll lets you point on their blot (make a point while hitting it), that is usually the strongest play available, because it gains ground and costs them a full re-entry from the bar. From there the game opens out, and the wider ideas of strategy take over.
Common questions
What is the best opening roll in backgammon?
3-1 is widely regarded as the best opening roll, because it makes your 5-point — the 'golden point' — straight away with 8/5, 6/5. Making a home-board point on the first move is the strongest thing an opener can do.
Should I split my back checkers or slot on the opening?
It depends on the roll. When you can make a point cleanly (3-1, 4-2, 5-3, 6-1) you simply make it. Otherwise most openers either split the back checkers to a new point or bring a builder down; modern play favours splitting and building over slotting a single checker into a vulnerable spot.
Which opening rolls make a point?
Four of them: 3-1 makes the 5-point, 4-2 the 4-point, 5-3 the 3-point and 6-1 the bar point. These are the least controversial openers — you make the point and you are done.
Is there one correct play for every opening roll?
Only for the point-making rolls. Several of the splitting and building rolls — 2-1, 4-3, 5-4 and others — have two or three plays that modern rollouts rate almost equally, so reasonable players differ. The table here gives a sound, widely-played choice for each.