Make a point when the roll offers a good one
On the opening roll, both sides start with identical positions. The clearest plays use both dice to put two checkers on one useful new point. A good point blocks the opponent and gives your own checkers a safe place to land on later turns.
With 3–1, play 8/5 6/5. This makes the 5-point, immediately next to the 6-point you already own. With 4–2, play 8/4 6/4. With 5–3, play 8/3 6/3. All three strengthen your home board. The 5-point is especially useful for connecting future blocks across the 6 and 7-points.
Bring a checker from 8 and one from 6 to the same destination. Your opponent will need to jump over 5 or land somewhere else.
The same two starting stacks supply the checkers. Now a 4 from 8 and a 2 from 6 meet at 4.
Make the bar-point or run a rear checker
With 6–1, play 13/7 8/7. Point 7, the bar-point, is just outside home. You now own three consecutive points from 6 through 8. Future rolls can extend that block in either direction.
With 6–5, play 24/18 18/13, often written 24/13. The rear checker travels eleven pips and lands safely on the midpoint. The other rear checker still needs a plan, and there are now six checkers on 13. Those spares can be used to build or hit later.
The 6 from the midpoint and the 1 from point 8 both land on 7.
Split and build when you have no clear point
Opening 6–2 is one example where the position does not offer an obvious home-board point. A conventional play is 24/18 13/11. Splitting the two rear checkers gives one a chance to escape or make an advanced anchor. A builder brought down from 13 gives future dice more ways to make a forward point. Both checkers are exposed, so this works in part because the opponent starts with only one home-board point.
Learn the ideas behind the common openings before trying to memorise every reply. Once the opponent has played, the same roll can call for a hit, a cover or a different point. Check their new blots and made points before repeating an opening recipe.
The rear checker steps from 24 to 18. The midpoint supplies a checker at 11, from where several rolls can reach a useful point.
Practice question
Which opening roll makes point 7 in one turn, and why does that point matter?
Show answer
6–1, played 13/7 and 8/7. It joins the existing points at 6 and 8 to make a three-point block.