Backgammon Tips on the Double

Description: Using a doubling cube is the best strategy to gain points from behind a backgammon match play. Offer a double and play to win when you're behind two points and take a double then redouble when you're behind four! It's your prerogative to take the risk and that's better than wishing in vain for a triple game win.

Backgammon is a strategy game wherein most contests follow a match play. Two players hope to get a backgammon victory by accumulating the predetermined points in the match. A point can either be a single, a gammon (double) or backgammon (triple). Each win has its own points and each point is multiplied by the number on the doubling cube, if used, at the end of each game. The double is an offer to incrementally raise the game points twofold, fourfold, and so on.

The double is initially offered by one player and accepted by the other at twofold. The player who accepts becomes the owner of the cube. Whoever is the owner can offer to redouble and, if accepted, the ownership of the cube shifts hands. If the offer is refused, the refusing player loses that game in the match.

It's always a wise strategy to double when there's nothing to lose. In a match play to seven, for example, the player who's behind four points to the leader's six will have to work this into play. The next game's a Crawford game and it's crucial that the trailing player win it.

If that trailing player wins, the scores are then five to six. It's important to use the doubling cube in the post-Crawford game. If you're the trailing player, you should double. Now, you might think that this game's the deciding game and it's best to wait when your chances are great. You're absolutely right that this is the 11th hour. But you're wrong if you intend to wait. If you lose this game with or without the doubling cube, you've lost the match anyway. The truth is that if you don't offer and you win, you've only tied. But if you double and win, you've won the match!

If you're down in a match to five with a tally of three to one and the leading player offers the doubling cube, take it. Then redouble it! Don't forget that you can and it's always better to have a set-up where you're playing to win. It's a very nice idea to practice the doubling cube when playing online backgammon.