You will find yourself bearing off in two
different situations. The first is the
straight race. Your opponent is past you,
and the game will be decided on the throw of
the dice. You must ensure that you use every
pip you throw to your best advantage. First,
concentrate on playing your men in from your
outer board, even of it means piling men up
on your six point. When you are taking men
off, a double 6 with four men on the six
point means four men off double 6: with no
men on the six point but four on the five
point it may also mean four men off, but you
have wasted four points.
Pip count and the doubling cubeOpportunities will present themselves for doubling during bearing off. If both you and your opponent have an equal distribution of men, you should apply the rule of 15 to determine whether you should offer, accept or refuse a double. Leaving a bolt whilst bearing offThe other situation you may find yourself in while bearing off happens when one of your home-board points is held by your opponent. Until you have moved all your men past him he will pose a threat for you as long as you leave a blot. Thus you have to be careful to play your men so that there is the least possible exposure to unkind dice. When playing your men onto your board, guard against a high double 6 or 5 by keeping an even number on your two highest points. Similarly, as you bear off, avoid playing your men so that two high throws or high doubles will leave a blot- even if this means moving a man down your board rather than taking one off a low point and possibly passing the opportunity for a double game. It is better to win a single than to take risks for the sake of a double. |
