Backgammon Six-Five Opening Roll: The Correct Play
The backgammon experts of today have reached a consensus that there is only one way to correctly play the six-five opening roll. We'll check out the what the recommended play is and what advantage and strategic weakness this may bring for this opening roll.
The correct play for the six-five opening roll is also called the Lover's Leap. The play for this opening roll is 24/13. The six-five opening roll is also the largest possible roll any player can make. And this is the reason why today's experts recommend a running play for this opening roll.
This play for our opening roll is really safe. As a rule of thumb, it is strategically bad if you put six or more checkers on a single point. But this might not be that bad if you consider the mid-point during this opening roll.
Backgammon players will often use the checkers on the mid-point to bring down builders. And the mid-point is a key position to enhance during the six-five opening roll.
The next bit of strategy we'll now have to apply after the backgammon six-five opening roll is to use our spare checkers on the mid-point and secure our outer board. Once that is done, you can either attack any escaping enemy checker or secure some home board points or both.
From this we can say that the player who builds his mid-point and uses those spare checkers will have a more flexible position than that of the opponent.
Another advantage for this play during the opening roll is that backgammon players will have a significant lead in the pip count. Your opponent will have a hard time containing your last back checker.
This is a strong running game since one of your back men is already halfway to your home board. Since that checker has made it all the way to your mid-point during the opening roll, it is clear from any present danger.
This is also a good set up for a fast and powerful running game if your next roll after the opening roll also facilitate a fast pace.
Don't worry about the blot on your 24-point. If it does get hit, it counts close to nothing. Any result on the dice except for a six will bring it back on the backgammon board without any hassle since it is way to early in the game.
Playing safe, leading the race, and a flexible position make this play a formidable move for the six-five backgammon opening roll.