What backgammon can teach you about patience

Waiting for the right roll, and why the best move is sometimes the quiet one.

Most of us aren't short on patience because we were born without it. We're short on it because so little asks us to practise. Food turns up in twenty minutes, messages in seconds, and a loading bar that lasts three seconds feels like it's doing it on purpose.

Backgammon asks. Politely, one turn at a time, and usually with a roll you didn't want. Here are five things it teaches about waiting well.

1. You can't hurry the dice

Every turn starts with something you don't control. You roll, and you get what you get. Blowing on the dice, asking nicely, switching hands: none of it makes double sixes turn up any sooner.

What you can do is make the best of this roll, then wait for the next one. The lesson repeats all game: do your part, then let go of the part that isn't yours.

2. Good positions take several turns to build

A point is a triangle you hold with two or more of your checkers. Your opponent can't land there. Line up several points in a row and you've built a prime: a wall your opponent's checkers will be staring at for a while.

Nobody builds a prime in one move. You make a point here, nudge a checker there, and sometimes spend a turn on something that looks like nothing at all. The payoff comes later.

Beginners want every move to feel like progress. Experienced players know some moves are simply preparation, like laying the table before dinner.

3. Not every chance is worth taking

A single checker on its own is called a blot. When your opponent leaves one, it sits there looking tempting. Often, hitting it is right. Sometimes it scatters your own checkers, leaves you open to a return shot, and suddenly you're the one heading back to the start.

Before you pounce, ask one question: what happens next? Waiting for a stronger move isn't timid. It's patient. Your checkers can tell the difference.

4. Being behind isn't the same as losing

Backgammon swings. A game that looks lost can turn on a single roll, especially if you've kept an anchor (two of your checkers holding a point in your opponent's home board) and are waiting for a chance to hit.

Players who stay calm keep looking for chances. And every so often, the dice decide the person in the lead has been winning for long enough.

5. One game doesn't tell you much

Luck decides a lot of single games. Over dozens of games, skill shows up. That's worth remembering after a loss that stings, or a win that was mostly the dice's doing.

You notice your own improvement months later, when a position that used to baffle you suddenly looks obvious. It's a nice feeling.

Patience with each other, too

Playing asynchronously, where you each take your turn whenever you have time, adds another kind of waiting: for your opponent.

Your friend might move over breakfast. You might reply on the train home. The gap isn't an interruption. It's part of the game, and it gives you both something small to look forward to. Like a letter, only with more dice.

The short version

• You pick your moves. The dice pick your rolls.
• Strong positions are built over several turns.
• The first chance isn't always the best one.
• Behind isn't the same as beaten.
• One game proves little. Fifty start to.
• Waiting for a friend's move is half the fun.