Archive for June 1st, 2020

Backgammon – Three Main Strategies

[ English ]

In extraordinarily general terms, there are 3 chief game plans used. You must be able to hop between techniques quickly as the action of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This comprises of creating a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you might manage, to barricade in the competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most adequate procedure at the start of the game. You can assemble the wall anyplace within your 11-point and your two-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the match progresses.

The Blitz

This is composed of locking your home board as fast as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. i.e., if your opponent rolls an early two and shifts one checker from your 1-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you are able to play 6/1 6/1 8/3 8/3. Your competitor is now in serious difficulty due to the fact that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inside board!

The Backgame

This strategy is where you have 2 or more checkers in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor is a position occupied by at a minimum two of your pieces.) It must be employed when you are extremely behind as this strategy much improves your opportunities. The strongest areas for anchor spots are near your opponent’s lower points and either on adjacent points or with a single point in between. Timing is crucial for a powerful backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having 2 nice anchors and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then required to dismantle this right away, while your challenger is moving their pieces home, owing to the fact that you don’t have any other extra checkers to shift! In this situation, it’s more favorable to have checkers on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position up until your challenger provides you a chance to hit, so it may be a good idea to try and get your opposer to get them in this case!