Hi! I have a backgammon puzzle and am not sure how to go about solving it. You must go from A) standard starting board to B) Dack starting board layout in 6 moves (3 each player). We are told that the difference between player 1's dice decreases by one each turn. So player 1 could roll 5-3 (difference of two), and then 6-5 (difference of one), and then maybe 3-3 (difference of zero) for example. We also know rolls 4 and 5 are doubles and there is a rumor that also in roll 4, 2 checkers come back on the board. (I'm not sure if that's true)

I take it this means player 1's first roll has to be either:13,35,24,or 46;
second roll:12, 23, 34, 45, or 56, and third roll is a double that is probably double 1's? Is my logic flawed? The final roll 6 is also probably double 1's or 12? Is 16 or 26 an option? I'm not a very good player and have no idea how this is possible or how to go about figuring it out. I have seen a solution with 11 moves total but not 6. Can anyone help?

This was posted on a forum as a solution with 11 moves. I need 6. Any ideas?


Zorba : 0 ------------------------------Hardy : 0
1) 41: 13/9 6/5 ----------------------22: 24/22 22/20* 20/18 18/16*
2) 22: 25/23 25/23 13/9*-----------21: 25/23 6/5
3) 21: 23/20* -----------------------21: 25/24 13/11
4) 64: 20/14* 6/2*-------------------66:
5) 21: 9/6-----------------------------11: 25/23 (2)
6) 21: 25/23 14/13

What is a 'dack' starting position?

OMG it's supposed to say Nackgammon not Dackgammon! Nackgammon is a version of backgammon by Nack Ballard with 2 extra checkers from the 5 stacks next to your starting 2. bkgm.com/variants/Nackgammon.html
*facepalm*

64: 13/7 6/2 .............41: 24/23* 8/4
54: b/21* 7/2*..........22: b/23*(2) 6/4*/2
11: b/23*(2)...............51: b/24 13/8