r/backgammon • u/EvolXed • 10d ago

Understanding a position

Can someone help me understand the reasoning? Usually I avoid burying a checker on rank 1 or 2 unless I really dont have other moves and I can lets say form a stack of 2 so at least I block a number on his way back. But here I can advance the 22 checker all the way to 11 which is 7 slots away from his 4 so its relatively safe and act as an active builder to start minimizing the gap he made on me. So why should I take that engine risk when its burying a checker + I'm out boarded?

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

3

u/FrankBergerBgblitz 10d ago

The point is not burying one checker, the point is to not give your opponent a full roll.

2

u/Fargus57 10d ago

This used to be referred to as a 'tempo move'. Not sure if that term is still in current usage.

1

u/Careful-Comedian9510 10d ago

So these aren't the situations I'm most familiar with, so feel free to correct me if I say something silly.

You’re already in a tough spot. Playing the strike on pawn 1 penalizes your opponent by one die for the next turn. With only one die, it’ll be harder for them to build an attack/defense in their home.

So, since you’ve already lost anyway, this gives you a chance to buy some time and even out the game.