If your roll can make a new point, make it. With 6-5, run a back checker to safety. Otherwise, bring a checker down from your midpoint. Try it below.
Pick a roll, make your move and press Submit to see how it rates.
If your roll can make a new point in front of your opponent's back checkers, make it. These are the best rolls to start with.
Bring a checker or two down from your midpoint, often moving a back checker up with the other number. The top plays are close, so don't worry about picking the perfect one.
The arrows show the best play. Below each one, the next best plays are rated the same way the practice board rates your move.
13/7 means move a checker from point 13 to point 7. You move from 24 down towards 1, and your home board is points 1 to 6.
2-1: Slot your 5-pointPlay 13/11 6/5
2-1 can't make your 5-point, so put one checker there and aim to cover it next turn. Your opponent hits it about 4 times in 10; if they miss, you will almost always cover it.
3-1: Make your 5-pointPlay 8/5 6/5
The best opening roll. Your 5-point is the most valuable point on the board: it gives you a second point in your home board, blocks your opponent's back checkers and leaves nothing to hit.
3-2: Split and bring down a builderPlay 24/21 13/11
The 3 moves a back checker up to 21, and the 2 brings a builder down to aim at your 5-point. Bringing down two builders with 13/11 13/10 is just as good.
4-1: Split and bring down a builderPlay 24/23 13/9
The 4 brings a checker down to aim at your 5-point, and the 1 splits your back checkers so they are harder to attack and easier to anchor.
4-2: Make your 4-pointPlay 8/4 6/4
Nearly as good as 3-1. A second home-board point makes it harder for your opponent's back checkers to escape, and every checker you move lands safely.
4-3: Split to 20 and bring down a builderPlay 24/20 13/10
The 4 moves a back checker to 20, the point you most want to anchor on, and the 3 brings a builder down to aim at your 5-point. Bringing down two builders with 13/10 13/9 is just as good.
5-1: Split and play safePlay 24/23 13/8
The 5 moves a checker safely to your 8-point, and the 1 splits your back checkers so they are harder to attack.
5-2: Split and play safePlay 24/22 13/8
The 5 moves a checker safely to your 8-point, and the 2 splits your back checkers, giving them more ways to make an advanced anchor.
5-3: Make your 3-pointPlay 8/3 6/3
Any new home-board point is worth making. The 3-point is deeper than ideal, but it is safe, and it leaves a checker you hit later fewer places to come back in.
5-4: Bring down two checkersPlay 13/9 13/8
One checker goes safely to your 8-point and another lands on 9, ready to help make your 5-point. Splitting with 24/20 13/8 is just as good.
6-1: Make your bar pointPlay 13/7 8/7
Your 6, 7 and 8-points now form a three-point wall right in front of your opponent's back checkers, so they can no longer escape with a 6.
6-2: Slot your 5-pointPlay 13/5
Move one checker from your midpoint all the way to your 5-point and aim to cover it next turn. It can be hit, but if it survives you can make the best point on the board. 24/18 13/11 is just as good.
6-3: Split to 18 and bring down a builderPlay 24/18 13/10
Move a back checker up to 18 and bring a builder down to 10. Both can be hit, but they give you good chances to make a strong point next turn.
6-4: Split to 18 and bring down a builderPlay 24/18 13/9
Move a back checker up to 18 and bring a builder down to 9. Running with 24/14 and making your 2-point with 8/2 6/2 are close behind.
6-5: Run a back checker (lover's leap)Play 24/13
Run one back checker all the way to your midpoint, where it is safe. One of your two most exposed checkers escapes, and you move well ahead in the race.
We took all 190 legal plays for the 15 opening rolls and played each one out to the end of the game with GME, GammonMatch's neural-network engine, making every move for both sides. Every play got at least 1,296 games, and the closest contenders got up to 15,552: 844,992 games in all. All the plays for a roll faced the same dice, so differences come from the moves, not from luck.
The results are for games without the doubling cube, with a gammon counting 2 points. With a cube, a few of the closest choices can change; the point-making plays and 6-5’s run do not.
As a cross-check we compared our results with GNU Backgammon’s published rollouts on bkgm.com. They pick the same best move for 10 of the 15 rolls. They differ on 3-2 (GNU prefers 13/11 13/10), 4-3 (GNU prefers 13/10 13/9), 5-4 (GNU prefers 24/20 13/8), 6-2 (GNU prefers 24/18 13/11) and 6-4 (GNU prefers 8/2 6/2). In each case the two plays are within 3 points per 100 games of each other in both rollouts, so either is a good choice.