Backgammon – 3 General Techniques

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In astonishingly simple terms, there are 3 fundamental plans used. You need to be able to hop between strategies quickly as the course of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This is composed of assembling a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at least as thick as you can manage, to barricade in your competitor’s checkers that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most acceptable strategy at the begining of the match. You can build the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the match continues.

The Blitz

This is comprised of closing your home board as quick as as you can while keeping your competitor on the bar. For example, if your opponent rolls an early 2 and moves one piece from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then roll a 5-5, you can play six/one six/one eight/three 8/3. Your opponent is then in serious dire straits since they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your home board!

The Backgame

This course of action is where you have two or higher anchors in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position occupied by at least two of your checkers.) It would be employed when you are decidedly behind as this strategy greatly improves your opportunities. The best places for anchor spots are close to your opponent’s smaller 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’s no reason having 2 nice anchors and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break up this straight away, while your competitor is shifting their checkers home, considering that you don’t have any other spare checkers to move! In this case, it’s better to have checkers on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position up till your challenger provides you a chance to hit, so it can be a great idea to try and get your competitor to hit them in this situation!