| |
|---|---|
| Opening 53D | |
Jim said: I see 53D all the time
Interesting -- in this day and age!
Historical notes
I saw 53D a lot in the late 70s and early 80s.
Backgammon Master Games (Bill Kennedy and Chuck Papazian, 1981) is a collection of 64 annotated expert games played in 1978 and 1979. On the first two rolls of the game, 53 was rolled ten times.
First roll (six times):
D (Down, 13/10 13/8) played three times.
P (Point, 8/3 6/3) played three times.
Second roll (four times) -- sequences:
64R-53D
62S-53P
62S-53X
53P-53P
In the last 25 years or so, the only time I can recall seeing 53D is when it was played against me was in Vegas about five years ago (three times in the same match).
Opening 53D is a borderline whopper. It is interesting that opening 53S (24/21 13/8), which is only a borderline blunder, never caught on; I've heard only that long ago Gary Garabedian (from Boston?), and maybe one other expert, used to play it.
During the slot mania of the mid to late 70s, not long after Backgammon for Blood (Bruce Becker, 1974?) was published, I saw opening 53$ (13/5 -- fifth best, behind 53R, and a clear whopper) played competitively a few times.
Nack