Backgammon – 3 Main Techniques
Posted in Backgammon on 07/21/2018 10:33 am by Madisyn
In astonishingly simple terms, there are 3 chief game plans employed. You want to be agile enough to switch techniques instantly as the course of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This is comprised of assembling a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at a minimum as thick as you can manage, to lock in your competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most suitable tactic at the begining of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere inbetween your 11-point and your two-point and then move it into your home board as the match progresses.
The Blitz
This involves closing your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. e.g., if your opponent rolls an early two and shifts one piece from your 1-point to your three-point and you then toss a five-five, you will be able to play 6/1 six/one eight/three 8/3. Your opponent is then in big-time difficulty because they have two checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!
The Backgame
This plan is where you have two or higher anchors in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position filled by at a minimum two of your pieces.) It should be played when you are significantly behind as it greatly improves your circumstances. The best locations for anchors are towards your competitor’s lower points and also on adjacent points or with a single point separating them. Timing is critical for an effective backgame: after all, there is no reason having 2 nice anchors and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then required to dismantle this straight away, while your opposer is getting their pieces home, taking into account that you do not have any other spare checkers to move! In this case, it is more favorable to have checkers on the bar so that you might preserve your position until your competitor provides you a chance to hit, so it can be a good idea to try and get your competitor to get them in this situation!