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The pip count

One number that tells you who is winning the race.

Your pip count is the total number of points you would have to move to bring every checker home and off. A checker on your 6-point is 6 pips; a checker on the bar is 25. Add them up and you have a single number describing how far you have left to go. Lower is better.

Counting without losing your place

Counting checker by checker is slow and error-prone. Two habits make it manageable:

• Count by point, not by checker — five checkers on the 13-point is 65, done in one step.
• Count only the difference. You rarely need both totals; you need to know who is ahead and by how much, so cancel matching positions on both sides and count what's left.

What the number means

The pip count only tells the whole story once there is no contact — when the two sides have passed each other and no hit is possible. Then the game is a pure race and the count decides it. While contact remains, a pip lead can be irrelevant: being ahead in the race is no comfort with a checker trapped behind a prime.

Rough race thresholds

In a pure race, with the roll, the traditional rules of thumb are stated as percentages of the leader's count:

• About 10% ahead — enough to consider doubling.
• About 12% ahead — usually a clear double.
• About 15% ahead — likely too much for the opponent to take.