Boldly Go on a Gammon-Go
In backgammon, a finished game where the loser's entire checkers are still on the board is called a gammon or a double game. The gammon victor automatically wins twice the value of the doubling cube. And because the points won at the end of each game in a match play can range from a single point to as high as the doubling cube and completed game product, each player often deals with deciding gammon situations. One of which is called a gammon-go. A gammon-go is a player situation where winning a gammon ensures match victory but losing the double game (or even the single game) means match defeat.
A gammon-go is so named because you're truly going in, full force, to win a double game in a match play. Here's an example of a gammon-go situation:
Your opponent is one point away and you're two points away from winning the match. The next game then turns into a gammon-go for you. You now have to win a double game to get two points to be the match winner. But if you don't win (regardless of whether it ends in a single or a double game), the match is through and your opponent will walk away the victor.
If you're in a gammon-go situation, you have to play boldly and aggressively. Remember, you don't want to give your opponent the chance to bear a single checker off the board.
An aggressive play to win a double game is carried out in many ways. Hit blots as often as possible even if it means breaking a valuable point. Make home or inner board points as soon as you can. Bring down your builders to slot points to make points quickly. And don't worry about splitting your runners just yet. You want to hit, block and immobilize your opponent's checkers. Remember, none of them should get off the board. Keep in mind that the last thing you want is to break contact and turn the game into a pure race because if that happens, you can kiss winning a gammon goodbye.
When winning a gammon is crucial for you to win a backgammon match, you're said to be in a gammon-go situation and you should boldly go on a gammon-go. Hit blots and build a blockade to immobilize your opponent's checkers. Remember, an aggressive play is called for to win a valuable double game in a match play.