Backgammon – Three General Strategies

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In extraordinarily general terms, there are three basic plans employed. You want to be agile enough to hop between tactics instantly as the action of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This is composed of building a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at least as deep as you can manage, to block in your competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most adequate tactic at the begining of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere inbetween your eleven-point and your two-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the game progresses.

The Blitz

This consists of closing your home board as quick as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. i.e., if your opponent rolls an early two and shifts one piece from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a 5-5, you are able to play six/one 6/1 8/3 8/3. Your opponent is then in serious trouble taking into account that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your home board!

The Backgame

This plan is where you have two or more pieces in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a point consisting of at a minimum 2 of your checkers.) It needs to be played when you are extremely behind as it much improves your chances. The strongest locations for anchors are close to your opponent’s lower points and also on adjacent points or with one point in between. Timing is critical for a competent backgame: at the end of the day, there is no reason having 2 nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then required to break apart this straight away, while your challenger is moving their checkers home, because you don’t have any other additional pieces to move! In this situation, it’s more favorable to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position up until your opponent provides you an opportunity to hit, so it may be a wonderful idea to attempt and get your challenger to get them in this case!