| Advanced Backgammon Games: The Jail
Jail rules, playing tips, techniques, strategy... advice!Jail is an advanced version of straight backgammon with different rules, and played mostly by old and advanced players. It may be more difficult, and may need more skills and experience.
The opening of Jail is different than straight backgammon, to start the game, players will place all checkers in "r1" ("r" used as abbreviation of "row" or "slot" in your home area) and "r24" adversely (you are free to put 2-3 checkers in the row and keep the rest in your hand, because with 15 checkers the row looks crowded).
Same of the straight backgammon, you can play from left to right or move your checkers from right to left, as you like. One checker in a row is a weak one or the blot. Although there is weak checker, there is no hit, and instead, you will block the checker as a prisoner, your rival can't move this blocked checker until you let it free! Furthermore this block will serve you as a gate also. You are playing with black checkers and the rows marked with red color: "r1 to r7" are your risky areas. That means, if one of your checkers is blocked in "r2" or in "r3" you can not move it, and to be able to play with it again you must wait until your opponent moves his checkers and let it free. In this case moving is bearing off. Most probably he will have only 2 or 3 checkers left to bear off when he let yours free, and you won't have enough time to reach and enter into your home area, and you will loose 2 games (Gammoned).
If your checker is caught on "r4 - r7" your chance is better as you will have a little more time to enter your checker into your home board and start to bear off. Probably you will lose only one game.
Same is valid for your rival, his/her risky area is between "r18" and "r24".
Let's see the above position. To start the game you rolled a "3", and your rival rolled a "5". Your rival will start as a backgammon rule and play "5+3", and moved one checker from "r24" 5 steps to left and parked on "r19", and one checker from "r24" to "r21".
Then, you have rolled a "double6", played one checker from "r1" 18 steps left and caught your rivals checker on the "r19", (that makes 3 x "6") and for the last "6" one checker to "r7" from "r1". It's a lucky opening. Now your rival must be very careful to play in his home area because you can easily jump forward and block checkers in more dangerous rows as "r20 - r23".
As you have noticed, there is a possibility for you or for your rival to roll a "double6" at the beginning, and the checker in "r6" or "r19" will be at the target! Therefore play carefully the "5"; and the "3" which is reachable with a "double5". Advanced Backgammon: Jail - strategy!
Jail rules, playing tips, techniques, strategy... advice!The main strategy of Jail is to form blocks as near as possible to your home area, and catch as more prisoners as possible to close the route of your rival. When you form continuous blocks of 6 rows, your rival won't have a pass and will be forced to leave weak checkers. As seen on the below picture. Suppose that you have played all your checkers (15) as seen on the above board. You have blocked 6 rows and closed the route of your rival. Your rival moved 10 checkers and has 3 checkers in "r24" and 2 in the hand. (he/she can place all checkers in the "r24"). And now it's your rival's turn to roll dices.
A "double4" won't produce pleasures! A new blot at "r16", and a chance for you to move your Chinese wall one step further.
If he rolls a "double5" he can play only 3 checkers from "r23" to "r18". But if he rolls a "double6" he will play 3 checkers from "r24" to "r18", and one checker from "r23" to "r17", leaving 2 checkers in "r23". This is critical because if he rolls a "5+1", "5+2" or the worst, a "5+4" on the next hand, he will be obliged to leave nice blots to you! Advanced Backgammon: Jail - how to be secure?
Jail rules, playing tips, techniques, strategy... advice!Pay attention to pile your checkers on the rows which you kept prisoners. This will give the possibility to keep your prisoner longer while you enter your checkers in your home area. Now, return back to previous board and play a "5+2". You can play one checker from "r10" to "r12" and one checker from "r10" to "r15", this move will destroy your 6 blocks and you will offer to your rival the possibility to run a checker from "r20" to "r10" with a "6+4".
Instead, you can add one more checker to "r19" by moving one checker from "r12" to "r19". Let's study another example on the below board. In this position you have only one prisoner in "r19" which is not a very important hostage! To increase your chance you have to pile up as much checkers as possible on the top of your single prisoner.
Suppose that you roll a "double4". You can enter 3 checkers from "r17" to "r21" and one from "r15" to "r19", which will be a mistake!
Pile your checkers on the "r19", move 3 checkers from "r15" to "r19" and one checker from "r20" to "r24". Now you have 6 checkers on "r19" and one on "r24". Keep this strategy for the next hands! Advanced Backgammon: Jail - how to bear off?
Jail rules, playing tips, techniques, strategy... advice!You have all your checkers into your home area and you have started to bear off while your rival is still waiting the freedom for one checker. Suppose that you have rolled a "6+1". What are you going to do? You'll bear off one checker from "r19" naturally, and you'll bear off one from "r24"? Wrong! You must put one more checker on "r20"! On next turns you may have chances to bear off the
checkers from "r23" and "r24" without moving those on "r20".
How to play a "double1"? 2 checkers from "r19" to "r20" and bear off 2 checkers from "r24".
A "double4"
will not be your lucky number! You'll bring 2 checkers from "r19" to "r23" and
2 checkers from your precious pile to "r24"!
How to play
"double2"? Bring one checker from "r19" to "r23" and bear off 2 checkers from
"r23".
How to play "3+2"? Bring one checker from "r19" to "r22" and bear off 1 checker from "r23".
We hope you like Jail and you will play it. On the next page you will learn another backgammon game: The DoubleOne. For any information or assistance contact Backgammon Support
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