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Backgammon For Beginners

Backgammon - The Importance of Counting Pips

Summary

One of my favourite pastimes is to meetup with backgammon players at a new backgammon club in Edinburgh, Scotland called ScotGammon.  It's a great club where the emphasis is on tournament play.  I am a match player and as such, the set-up at ScotGammon suits my type of play.

Anyway, the reason I am writing this article is because recently, one of the ScotGammon members has introduced a new method of counting pips.  I have found learning it so simple.  Moreover, I can now count pips within seconds.

Definition

A pip-count is the total number required on future dice rolls for you to bear all your Checkers off.  This definition  assumes that no-one gets hit and all numbers can be played. 

Asssessing the status of the race is essential

I have found it difficult to convince beginners at Edinburgh backgammon meetups that it is more difficult to improve their game if they don't learn to count pips. 

They have various objections to counting pips.

Some say that it slows the game down.  However, there are methods which enable people to count each side of the board in seconds. 

Another common objection is, " I'm no good at maths".  Most pip counting systems are not about "maths".  Only simple arithmetic is involved.   

The significance of the race in backgammon

Below are just some of the questions that can be answered if you have an accurate assessment of the race in backgammon.

Should you run your last checkers past your opponent's last checkers if you get the opportunity?  

When you roll a big double and are still behind in the pip-count after you move your checkers, how much contact should you keep? 

Should you leave a shot either by hitting and leaving a blot, slotting, or by playing to diversify your builders? 

Should your game plan be for the priming game or for another type of game? 

The answers to all of these questions are race-dependent. 

A Method of Pip-Counting 

I would like to tell you about a pip-counting system that was recently published by one of the ScotGammon members.  I will be using this method at every Edinburgh backgammon meetup that I attend in the future. 

There are many pip-counting methods to choose from. 

With any method, you do have to practice before you can guage the advantages and disadvantages of the system.  They don't always look easy if you just read about the method.  I would say that this system doesn't take much practice relative to other methods that I have tried. 

http://www.scotgammon.co.uk/index.php

About the Author

Scot Gammon has been playing and studying backgammon seriously for over 10 years.  He plays at a backgammon club in Edinburgh in Scotland called ScotGammon.  The club is mainly for players who play advanced or better. 

The main aims of the club are to raise standards of play and to increase interest in Backgammon In Scotland. 

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Backgammon For Dummies $12.99 A comprehensive and fun guide to Backgammon! Backgammon is one of the oldest games in the world, the origins of which date back some 5000 years – and it's still going strong. It enjoyed a huge resurgence in the 1970s, and then again in the 1990s with the popularity of the Internet, where millions of people play tournaments online every day. Today, backgammon's following in the UK is huge, with a dedicated British Isles Backgammon Association, and hundreds of face-to-face tournaments taking place across the UK every year. In this book, backgammon expert Chris Bray walks you through the basics of setting up a board, opening strategies, middle and end-game tactics, and tips on when to make key moves. You'll also get to grips with basic probabilities, the doubling cube and the 25% rule. And if you want to take your gaming further, there's plenty of advice to get you started in tournament backgammon, as well as playing online. Suitable for both beginners and experienced player looking for more tips and techniques, Backgammon For Dummies includes coverage on: Starting and Playing the Game Handling the Middle Game Bearing Off (The Last Lap) Varying the Play About the author

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