Backgammon – 3 Main Plans
In extraordinarily simple terms, there are three fundamental strategies employed. You must be agile enough to switch tactics instantly as the course of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This is composed of assembling a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at a minimum as deep as you can manage, to lock in your competitor’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most adequate procedure 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 game progresses.
The Blitz
This involves locking your home board as quick as possible while keeping your opposer on the bar. i.e., if your challenger rolls an early 2 and shifts one checker from your 1-point to your three-point and you then toss a 5-5, you will be able to play 6/1 6/1 eight/three eight/three. Your competitor is then in serious difficulty considering that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inner board!
The Backgame
This plan is where you have 2 or higher anchors in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor spot is a point consisting of at least two of your pieces.) It would be used when you are significantly behind as this strategy greatly improves your circumstances. The best areas for anchors are near your competitor’s lower points and either on abutting points or with a single point separating them. Timing is integral for a powerful backgame: at the end of the day, there is no point having 2 nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then required to break apart this straight away, while your opponent is getting their pieces home, owing to the fact that you don’t have any other extra checkers to move! In this situation, it is more favorable to have pieces on the bar so that you can maintain your position until your competitor provides you a chance to hit, so it may be a great idea to try and get your challenger to hit them in this situation!