The Crawford rule.

When a player first reaches one point from winning a match, the next game is played without the doubling cube. The restriction lasts for that one game only.

Exactly when it applies

In a match to 7, suppose the score becomes 6-4. The player on 6 is one-away, so the next game is the Crawford game. Neither player may double during it. If the trailing player wins and the match continues, later games are post-Crawford and the cube returns.

The rule occurs only once in a match. Reaching one-away again after the Crawford game does not trigger a second cube-free game.

Why the rule exists

Without Crawford, the trailing player would have little reason not to double immediately when the leader needs only one point. Removing the cube for one game preserves the value of the leader's earned match advantage while still allowing the trailer to fight back through checker play and gammons.

How strategy changes

The player who is one-away does not need extra points. A single win, gammon, or backgammon all end the match. That usually makes unnecessary gammon risk unattractive. The trailer, by contrast, can gain substantial value from a gammon because two points may transform the score or win the match.

• The leader often emphasizes winning the game and reducing volatility.
• The trailer may pursue gammon-rich structures more aggressively.
• Checker-play choices can differ from money play even though the cube is absent.
• After Crawford, immediate cube action can be correct because the score has changed the cost of waiting.

Common Crawford mistakes

The most frequent errors are allowing a cube during the Crawford game, treating all one-away scores as Crawford, forgetting that the rule applies only once, and using money-game checker priorities when gammons have sharply unequal value.