Nackgammon

Setup

Begin from the standard position, then move one checker off the 6-point and one off the 13-point and place both on the opponent's 2-point. Each player now has four checkers in the back — two on the 24-point and two on the 23-point — instead of the usual two.

Everything else is identical to standard backgammon: the same dice, the same hitting, the same doubling cube.

How it plays

With twice as many checkers stuck deep in enemy territory, the quick knockout blitz all but disappears. Games run longer and tilt towards long priming battles and back games, where holding anchors and timing your hits matter more than racing.

If standard backgammon ever feels too sharp and too short, Nackgammon is the cure — it rewards patience and positional judgement.

Strategy and tips

With four checkers stuck deep in enemy territory instead of two, the quick knockout blitz rarely pays — there are simply too many targets to close out — so play tilts towards long priming battles and back games. Because a second back anchor is so easy to make, holding games are common: you sit on an advanced anchor, keep your structure intact, and wait for a shot as the opponent brings checkers home.

Timing matters more than in the standard game, since your spare moves have to last until that shot arrives. Hold too long with nothing useful to play and your board collapses before the hit comes; break contact too early and you throw away the anchor's value.

The central challenge is escaping your back checkers without leaving a mess behind. Get them out cleanly and your extra development pays off; leave blots as you run and the extra contact turns against you. If you enjoy the standard game's priming and anchor play, Nackgammon simply gives you more of it every game.

Nackgammon was devised by Nack Ballard, one of the strongest players of the modern era, and it has become a favourite for serious study precisely because it removes the luck of an early blitz and puts the emphasis on positional skill. Newcomers sometimes find it daunting — there is more to weigh from the very first roll — but it repays the effort, with richer, more instructive middlegames than the standard opening. That is why many coaches point improving players towards it once they have the basics. In short, it is the standard game with the training wheels taken off, and a natural next step for anyone who has found their feet.

A sample opening

The extra back checkers show their effect from the very first roll. An opening 3-1 still makes the 5-point — the strongest start in the standard game — but where you would normally be delighted, in Nackgammon you must remember there are two more checkers to extract from the 23- and 24-points before that point fully earns its keep.

Rolls that split or advance the back checkers gain value accordingly: a 4-2 that makes the 4-point, or a 6-1 that makes the bar-point, builds the front of a prime you will have to hold longer than usual, because the opponent has four checkers to trap rather than two. Treat the opening as a race to build structure while quietly improving your back position, and expect the game to be settled in the middlegame rather than won off the bat.