Make your opponent think you're going to destroy him.

When you are playing a live opponent, even one you can’t see and don’t know anything about, there is a mental game as well as a physical game. You want her to picture you as a ferocious competitor who will bury her at the first opportunity. Here are some tips that will help you psych out your opponent.

Don’t chat. Microsoft has provided a chat option that lets you send messages to your opponent. These messages are canned—you can’t write them yourself. They are also inane. Samples are “It’s your turn,” and “It was luck.” If your opponent sends you a message, don’t answer it. You don’t want your opponent to picture you as warm and fuzzy. I leave the chat option on, but there are only two instances in which I send messages to my opponent. One is a heads-up if I have to leave a match before it’s finished. I’ve also said “Good game” on my last move of a hard-fought match my opponent was about to win. I figure that’s good sportsmanship.

Don’t take it easy on your opponent. I was guilty of this mistake after my opponent made a bad move at the start of a game, and I lived to regret it. Your job is to slaughter your opponent, not be kind to her. Play as if you were in the Super Bowl. Never show mercy.

Nudge your opponent if he takes too long to move. The “nudge” button is available when he hasn’t moved for a certain period of time. If you nudge him he will be kicked out of the game if he continues to delay. You don’t want to lose because your opponent bores you to death, since that can also be a psychological ploy.

Don’t offer deals. The computer allows you to offer your opponent a certain number of points in exchange for resigning from a game. Don’t do this. The person who is ahead should double to shorten a game that’s a foregone conclusion. If I’m behind and my opponent doesn’t double, I play the game out, moving carefully, just as if I had a chance to win. If your opponent offers you a deal that is suspect, don’t accept it. For example, I was offered one point to end a game in which I still had a chance of getting a gammon. I rejected it. My opponent immediately left the match.

Make a judgment as to your opponent’s ability. The first few moves can help you do this. If he moves very cautiously at the start of the game instead of using my recommended moves (see “Opening Moves”), or if he takes a long time to make what should be fairly simple moves, that can give you a clue about his ability and experience. You may be able to use this knowledge later when you’re contemplating a double, for example. Many players don’t know how to use the doubling cube properly. On the other hand, if your opponent moves confidently and correctly, she’s a player, and you’re going to have to be at your best to beat her.

Never give up. If you persist in playing a strong game even when your opponent is ahead, you may achieve a comeback victory. I’ve had opponents who left the match even when they were ahead, because I made a run at them.

If you’re playing too well, as I said, some opponents will leave the match. Tough. Your job isn’t to be nice, it’s to win. This is war. On the other hand, I will never leave a match just because I’m behind. The difficult matches are the ones from which you learn the most. Stick them out. Persistence pays. Sometimes you’ll surprise yourself and come back to win. Sometimes your opponent will quit before they’re finished. This is at least a psychological victory as you kill the Microsoft computer game that replaces your opponent (see “Playing the Microsoft Computer Backgammon Program.”