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Low Number Non-Double Reply to the Opening Roll
The opening play in backgammon is a well-studied part of the game. There have been hundreds of expert players who have studied the backgammon opening rolls and the replies to the opening rolls.
When you get to play the first move in a game of backgammon you only get 15 possible dice combinations to worry about. Some of these combinations may have more than one appropriate plays and there are those that only have a single favorite play. But if you get to reply to any of the 15 opening rolls you've got another thing coming. You have more dice combinations and possible best plays to choose from.
There are two categories of replies to the opening rolls. The first group of replies is the double rolls (e.g. Two-Two, Five-Five). This group gives you the opportunity to control a point on the backgammon board. The second group has non-double combinations. We'll discuss the second group and deal with the low number dice rolls and the recommended correct play.
The first non-double reply is a Two-One combination. The first recommended correct play for this combination is 13/11 6/5, which involves slotting your own five-point. The second recommended play for this combination in backgammon is a split play by doing 24/23 13/11.
The next non-double reply combination is a Three-One. The only recommended move for this combination is to do 8/5 6/5, which gives you control over your own five-point. This is the best way to play this combination and is one of the best non-double replies to the opening roll since it gives you a chance to make the five-point.
Our next non-double reply combination is a Three-Two on the dice. We have a couple of recommendations for this reply to the opening roll. The first one is to do a 24/21 13/11, which is a good split play in backgammon. The second play is to do 13/10 13/11 bringing down a couple of builders from your mid-point.
Our recommended move for the Four-One combination is to do 24/23 13/9, while our recommendation for a Four-Two combination is to reply with 8/4 6/4 making your four-point.
We have a couple of recommendations for the Four-Three non-double reply. First is to do a 13/10 13/9 (the favorite) and the other is 24/20 13/10 (the second favorite) though neither play gets a significant lead if you take a vote.
Finally, we have three recommendations for the Five-One non-double reply in backgammon. The first is to do a 24/23 13/8, the second is 13/8 6/5, and the third one 24/18.
The non-double combination reply to the opening rolls may not always give you the opportunity to make a point, but they give you other strategic options. It will take time for a player to memorize them by rote but with a little patience you'll get them.