Backgammon match play strategy

Last updated on January 22, 2025

In backgammon, a single game is referred to as a ‘money game’, even if no real money is at stake. Matches are usually set to a certain number of points, such as 5, and the first player to reach this target wins the match. At high-level tournaments, matches can be played to 25 points or more. There are certain strategies that are specific to match play, which occur most prominently when a player is close to winning the match. In this Deluxe Backgammon post for beginners, we will discuss backgammon match play strategy. These are strategies that are specific to match play, as opposed to money play.

In match play strategy, scores are typically referred to in terms of the number of points each player is away from victory. For example, if a player is leading 5-4 in a 7-point match, this is referred to as “2-away, 3-away”.

The doubling cube

When both players are nearing the target score, the strategy of doubling is very similar to that of money play. Generally, it is recommended to accept a double when the chance of winning is 25% or higher. For example, if a player is offered a double four times and declines all four, the net loss would be four points. Even if they accepted the double and only won one out of the four games, their net loss would still be four points 2 x (3 – 1). It is possible to accept a double even when the odds of success are worse than 25%, due to the advantage of possessing the doubling cube, which grants the player the exclusive right to redouble.

Gammons and backgammons can add an extra layer of complexity to match play in backgammon. In some cases, a position may be too good to double, meaning that the player should attempt to score two points by winning an undoubled gammon instead of settling for a certain one point by doubling out the opponent.

The Crawford Rule

Matches are normally played using the Crawford rule, named after its inventor, John R Crawford. The Crawford rule states that if one player reaches a score one point short of the match, neither player may offer a double in the immediately following game. This one game with no doubling is called the Crawford game. The Crawford rule is designed to make match play more equitable for the leading player. If a player is just one point away from winning a match, their opponent will always want to double as soon as possible in an attempt to catch up. It does not matter if the game is worth one point or two, the trailing player must win in order to stay in the match.

Match play doubling strategies

These are the strategies that apply specifically to match play in backgammon. These differ from money game strategies because we are looking at multiple points to secure the match in some instances.

Double Match Point

Double Match Point (DMP) is a scenario in backgammon where the result of the match hinges on a single game, with gammons, backgammons, and cube actions being irrelevant. Examples of DMP situations include a score of 1-away, 1-away, a post-Crawford game at 1-away, 2-away in which the leader accepts the inevitable early double, and a doubled game at 2-away, 2-away. In a DMP game, the blitz strategy, which involves aggressively pursuing a gammon by continually hitting your opponent’s checkers is usually a poor option. However, since gammons don’t matter in a DMP game, a back game, in which a player maintains two or more anchors in their opponent’s home board with the intention of hitting later in the game, is a more attractive option.

Ultimately, DMP games are often decided by a simple running strategy when one player has an opportunity to break contact with the opponent while ahead in the race.

2 away, 2 away

When two competent players are playing, this will typically be the last game of the match. One of the players will double early, and the other will take it. This is due to the fact that if one of the players wins a single game, putting the score at 1-away, 2-away Crawford, the trailing player’s odds of winning the match fall significantly. It is also essential to double while the opponent can still take; if a player’s advantage on the board passes 70% winning odds, they have “lost their market”, giving their opponent the opportunity to decline the double and continue the match at 1-away, 2-away, although with a slim chance of victory.

It is a mistake not to double if there is any possibility of losing one’s market; nevertheless, it is not a mistake to double even if there is no potential of losing one’s market. For practical reasons, the simplest approach is to double on the first move and get it over with.

1-away, 2-away (the Crawford game)

When the cube does not come into play, the trailing player has two potential ways of winning a match: by winning a gammon in the next game or by winning the next game then the decider at DMP. The combined chances for the trailing player to emerge victorious in the match are approximately 30%, assuming that 20% of the wins would be gammons: 0.10 (odds of winning a gammon in the next game) + 0.40 (odds of winning a single game) * 0.50 (odds of winning the following game) = 0.30.

This situation is referred to as “gammon go” (GG) for the trailer and “gammon save” (GS) for the leader, due to the fact that gammon wins would be very advantageous to the trailing player and gammon losses would be highly unfortunate for the leader. Thus, the trailer should be more aggressive in hopes of getting a gammon, such as by steering the game into a blitz, a back game (for either side), or a prime vs prime battle. On the other hand, the leader should try to avoid losing a gammon by establishing an advanced anchor in the opponent’s board or going for a simple running game.

1-away, 2-away (post Crawford game)

The trailer should double at the first opportunity, thereby converting the game into a double match point situation. However, the leader has the option of making a “free drop”. This means that if the leader is at a slight disadvantage, they can decline the double, thus starting a new game at 1-away, 1-away. Taking or dropping the double will both result in the next game being the decider at DMP, so it is generally preferable to start a new game at 50 – 50 rather than continuing the current game at 49.5 – 50.5.

While the free drop offers the leader a minor advantage, it is essentially the same situation as 1-away, 2-away post-Crawford. Similarly, if the trailer is an even number of points away from victory in a post-Crawford game, the leader can choose to “save” their free drop if they are at only a minimal disadvantage (such as having a sound position but losing the opening roll). An example of this is 1-away, 6-away post-Crawford, which is equal to 1-away, 5-away save for the free drop.

1-away, 3-away (post Crawford game)

Even though it is considered correct for the trailing player to cube at the first opportunity, the leader’s take point is less than 10% at this score, so it can sometimes be beneficial for the trailer to wait for a larger advantage to arise. Since the 1-away 2-away and 1-away 1-away scores are almost equal in terms of advantage, the leader loses almost nothing by accepting the cube.

By waiting, the trailing player gives the leader the possibility of dropping a cube mistakenly. This allows the trailer to engineer a free point. Nevertheless, while the leader’s take point is very low from single-point losses, gammons are incredibly costly when the cube is on 2, so the leader should not take positions that have a substantial chance of losing by a gammon.

Summary

The basic principles of doubling in match play are actually quite simple. Remember that for most scores, especially when both players have a long way to go, the backgammon match play strategy is quite similar to money play. Here are the main points to remember:

Double aggressively when the opponent has a large lead and any time they are two points away from victory.

After the Crawford game, double at the first opportunity in each game. However, only do this if you are behind in the match.

Be aware of the gammon potential of the game. Remember what the result will be if you or your opponent wins a gammon or backgammon.

Take care in offering and accepting doubles when you have a large lead.

Related content

Match play articles at Backgammon Galore.

Scoring a backgammon match.