I’m becoming more willing to offer to double in hopes of making the computer resign in backgammon. Case in point: I thought a double-and-resign was my best chance at victory, frankly, as my position was not a good one. I was unlikely to get those two pieces out of white’s home quadrant, and it wasContinue reading “A Satisfying Victory”
Tag Archives: Backgammon
A Case Study
I’m getting better at backgammon, winning about half the time I play now. Sometimes I can even demolish xgammon pretty thoroughly. This morning’s game was like that… until the moment that it wasn’t. I thought I was going to have it in the bag, until I didn’t. Let’s go through it. Here’s an interesting position.Continue reading “A Case Study”
A Hard-Fought Victory
It seems unlikely, but I won this game of backgammon. Look at that. I have four pieces pinned in white’s home quadrant. I would have to roll a seven — an impossibility on a D6 — to even get one piece out, let alone four. But things developed quickly. White began consolidating his pieces intoContinue reading “A Hard-Fought Victory”
Getting Better all the Time
I’m getting the hang of this backgammon thing. I still will not say I’m great, I’m not even sure that I’m good, but I’m seeing regular success. This one was pretty straightforward. Nothing remarkable here. I’ve moved five pieces off the board, while white is still moving pieces toward its home. This one was definitelyContinue reading “Getting Better all the Time”
The Lottery Kiosk
As I was leaving the grocery store yesterday, an elderly man stopped me at the self-serve lottery kiosk. He was buying scratch-off tickets — he was organized, he had a plastic envelope — and there was one, something like Monster Mash, that he didn’t understand. There was something about the logo on the touchscreen thatContinue reading “The Lottery Kiosk”
A Near-Run Thing
It wasn’t as world-historical as Waterloo, but this game of backgammon was closer than it had any right to be. Look at that! White is trapped and unable to put his piece back on the board. I should have had an easy time of it. But no, some lucky rolls on white’s part, and whiteContinue reading “A Near-Run Thing”
Getting Better
I’m getting better at this backgammon thing. I still lose half the time, but I’m getting the hang of it. I do think xgammon cheats, because it comes up with just the right role to do damage far too often to be chance, but broadly speaking, I’m holding my own. I cannot access Facebook onContinue reading “Getting Better”
A Near Run Thing
This game of backgammon ended up being far closer than it had any right to be. I was meticulous not to leave anything unprotected… until a series of bad dice rolls left one piece unprotected, white would have to roll a 1 to take it, and white did. I won, but like Waterloo, it wasContinue reading “A Near Run Thing”
Adventures in Backgammoning
I was losing this game of backgammon badly, then I came back to win it, with white leaving five pieces on the board. How badly was I losing? At one point, I had five pieces pinned in white’s home quadrant, white offered a double or resign (and I did not resign), and white had alreadyContinue reading “Adventures in Backgammoning”