Backgammon – 3 Basic Techniques

[ English ]

In exceptionally general terms, there are three chief plans employed. You must be agile enough to hop between strategies almost instantly as the course of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This is composed of creating a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as deep as you might manage, to lock in the opponent’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate tactic at the begining of the game. You can create the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the game continues.

The Blitz

This consists of closing your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. e.g., if your competitor rolls an early two and moves one checker from your one-point to your 3-point and you then roll a 5-5, you are able to play six/one 6/1 eight/three eight/three. Your opposer is then in serious dire straits because they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inside board!

The Backgame

This course of action is where you have two or higher anchors in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor spot is a position filled by at a minimum two of your pieces.) It would be played when you are significantly behind as this plan much improves your chances. The best areas for anchors are near your opponent’s smaller points and either on adjoining points or with one point separating them. Timing is crucial for an effectual backgame: besides, there is no point having 2 nice anchors and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then required to break apart this right away, while your opposer is moving their pieces home, because you do not have any other additional pieces to shift! In this case, it is more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position until your competitor provides you a chance to hit, so it will be a wonderful idea to try and get your opponent to get them in this case!