Tools › Opening moves
Opening-move reference
Every game starts with one of fifteen opening rolls, and most have a settled best play. Pick your roll to see the move and the reason behind it — then learn the thinking in the opening-moves guide.
Choose your opening roll
How to use it
The four point-making rolls — 3-1, 4-2, 5-3 and 6-1 — have a single correct answer: make the point. The rest develop by splitting the back checkers or bringing a builder down, and a few have close alternatives that strong players still debate. For the principles behind all of them, read opening moves, and try them out on the board.
Plays follow modern rollout consensus, drawn from the opening-roll analysis on Backgammon Galore.
Common questions
What is the best opening roll in backgammon?
3-1, because it makes the 5-point with 8/5, 6/5 — the strongest first move in the game. The four point-making rolls (3-1, 4-2, 5-3, 6-1) are the least debated; make the point and move on.
Are these the modern best plays?
Yes — they follow modern rollout (bot-era) consensus, which differs from some older expert lists. For example, with 5-2 the modern choice is the small split 24/22, 13/8, not the older 13/11, 13/8.
Why do some rolls show an alternative?
The point-making rolls have one clear answer, but several splitting and building rolls have two or three plays that rollouts rate almost equally. Where that is true, the note mentions the close alternative.