There’s nothing quite like sitting down with friends on a sunny winter afternoon for rounds of backgammon. Anyone passing by tables of competitors would likely hear good-humored curses and raucous shouting. During one such Sunday afternoon, after watching a streak of wins and observing different playing strategies, I began to notice exactly what differentiated a winning tactic from a losing one. In the game of backgammon, players maneuver their pieces across the board, each move carefully calculated to advance their position while simultaneously thwarting their opponents’ progress. The winner is able to advance their own pieces quickly while dodging their opponent’s attempts to slow their progress. Yet, there exists a subtle balance between strategic disruption and focused advancement. A player fixated solely on disrupting their opponent’s strategy often loses sight of their own objectives, squandering valuable time and resources in a futile pursuit. While some of my friends tried to
