Backgammon Openings That Make Home Board Points
Out of the 15 possible dice combinations for backgammon openings, only four of them permit us to make home board points. And we can't take the value of making points in our inner board too lightly because it's one of the basic tactics under a holding or priming strategy in the game.
Making home board points as soon as possible - and it doesn't get any sooner than at the opening - is highly beneficial in more ways than one. First of all, it allows us to be more assertive with our plays since our opponent would have a hard time re-entering if they were hit. Also, it effectively and safely bears in a piece that gives us the opportunity to bear off sooner than if made points were outside our inner board.
These four backgammon openings use spare pieces from our six-point and eight-point to bear in and close a point. At starting positions, our ace-point is closed and our six-point is already made. With that in mind, only the five-, four-, three- and two-points are targets for that play.
A three-one opening makes our five-point. Out of all the recommended opening moves in the game, this is one of the few that requires no negotiation. It's because making this particular home board point is key to setting up a prime as well as coveting a key point that holds its value from beginning to end.
A four-two opening makes our four-point. Again, it's another key point that's valuable if made because it also sets up a potential blockade. And to follow through, a five-three opening makes our three-point and a six-four opening makes our two-point.
Out of these backgammon openings that make home board points, a six-four opening has more viable alternatives than just making the two-point. But whichever alternative you decide to use, making the two-point is still a safe move though it is less flexible than its other options.
Inner board points are important to own as soon as possible because they close out points that leave less room for your opponent to re-enter if they were hit. And backgammon openings that make home board points include the three-one, four-two, five-three, and six-four dice rolls. The first three rolls mentioned above make key points that are highly recommended plays for openings. The last combination (the six-four roll), however, even though it makes the two-point without a hitch, it doesn't leave much room for flexibility on the board.
