The Lover's Leap

The opening play of 24/13, otherwise known as the lover's leap, is the only way to correctly play an opening roll of six-five. Of all the running plays in backgammon, this play lets you run a back checker the farthest. Since that is the obvious benefit we gain from this backgammon opening roll the only thing we can ever do therefore is to capitalize on that in the opening play.

Besides the lover's leap, the other backgammon plays for this opening roll would advocate a balanced development of the board or to bring down checkers from the mid-point. Splitting your back checkers using the six invites trouble. Since you are definitely challenging your opponent over control of the really important bar-point on the backgammon board.

What's more, your backgammon checker on that point (i.e. 18-point when you play 24/18 to split the back men) is vulnerable to attack. The same may hold true for your builders if you opt for the other opening play for the six-five opening roll. You are also slotting a bar-point, this time it's yours. This backgammon play is not any safer than doing an opening play with a 24/18 on it. Your opponent's backgammon checkers can hit you if the dice turns up a six, double threes, or a four-two.

The other opening plays for an opening roll of six-five will have to deal with the risk of getting a backgammon checker hit. A balanced play should sound good since it brings down a builder. Bringing down a couple of builders from your mid-point may seem great too. But the relative weakness of an exposed checker seems quite a turn off considering the benefits of the lover's leap.

One advantage the lover's leap has over the other candidate opening plays for a six-five is that it is really safe. There is no other safe alternative given this opening roll in backgammon. Your runner lands exactly on the 13-point and you can't hope for anything better for any running play in a backgammon game.

You need not worry about the blot on the 24-point. Your opponent will hardly bother to hit that backgammon checker this early in the game. The most you can expect is for your opponent to make preparations to contain that single backgammon checker (which is quite a tough job).

If your opponent does decide to hit the blot on the 24-point this early in the backgammon game you can easily reenter since your opponent has relatively few home board points.

The absence of threats from your opponent and the pip-count lead that the lover's leap provides are enough reasons to make this backgammon play the only choice for this opening roll.

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