Backgammon – Three Basic Techniques
In astonishingly general terms, there are three main game plans employed. You want to be agile enough to hop between tactics instantly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This is comprised of building a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at least as thick as you might manage, to barricade in the competitor’s checkers that are located on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate course of action at the start of the match. You can build the wall anywhere between your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the game progresses.
The Blitz
This is comprised of closing your home board as quick as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. i.e., if your opponent rolls an early 2 and shifts one piece from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you will be able to play 6/1 six/one 8/3 eight/three. Your opponent is then in serious calamity due to the fact that they have two checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inner board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have 2 or more checkers in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a point occupied by at least two of your checkers.) It must be employed when you are extremely behind as this strategy greatly improves your opportunities. The best locations for anchor spots are close to your opponent’s lower points and also on adjacent points or with one point separating them. Timing is essential for a competent backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having 2 nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then required to dismantle this right away, while your challenger is getting their pieces home, considering that you do not have other additional checkers to shift! In this case, it’s better to have checkers on the bar so that you might maintain your position up until your challenger provides you a chance to hit, so it can be a good idea to try and get your challenger to hit them in this case!