Backgammon according to the normal movement rules. The first player to bear off all fifteen of his/her own checkers wins the game. If the opponent has not yet borne off any checkers when the game ends, the winner scores a "gammon", which counts for double stakes. If the opponent has not yet borne off any checkers and has some on the bar or in the winner's home board, the winner scores a "backgammon", which counts for triple stakes. To speed up match play and to provide an added dimension for strategy, a doubling cube is usually used. The doubling cube is
Backgammon match strategy in any post-Crawford game in which the trailer is an even number of points away from victory. For example 1-away, 6-away post-Crawford is equivalent to 1-away, 5-away save for the leader's free drop. In this case the leader may elect to "save" his free drop if he is at only a minimal disadvantage (e.g. having a sound position but losing the opening roll). Backgammon match strategy In backgammon, there are a number of strategies that are distinct to match play as opposed to money play. These differences are most apparent when a player is within a few points of winning