Hrqls: I would have made the same move in this position.

grenv: i guess i am learning (although i was tempted to capture both as i know i am playing too defensive sometimes)

btw i failed to capture his piece on the 7th spot, but i captured 2 pieces in the next move, just hope he wont send me back :)

Hrqls: I'm not too familiar with crowded, but it occurs to me that with 5 opponent pieces on the bar, closing the 5 point is more important than hitting twice.

grenv: well the other pieces on the bar dont have to come into the game first .. so capturing 1 piece does the same as in regular bg, close the 5 point is nice though because your opponent has to get those pieces into play (which i often forget to do myself :)) .. but 2 blocked points isnt enough to make him worry ... but its a start :)

grenv: I agree. In regular backgammon, a double tap can be devastating. In crowded (though I, like grenv, have limited experience with the latter) closing up the inner table is important, as you do not want your opponent using those extra pieces to create a strong "back" position (more than one point made in your inner table). The latter can easily lead to getting hit/locked up on the bar toward the end of the game, which is when that really matters, in crowded.

Having said all that, I have completed all of 4 games of crowded (though my record is 3-1). So take that for what it's worth.