Backgammon – Three Basic Techniques
In very general terms, there are three general game plans employed. You need to be agile enough to hop between game plans instantly as the action of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This is comprised of creating a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at least as thick as you are able to manage, to barricade in the competitor’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate procedure at the begining of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere between your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the game advances.
The Blitz
This involves locking your home board as quick as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. i.e., if your opposer rolls an early 2 and moves one checker from your 1-point to your three-point and you then toss a five-five, you can play six/one six/one eight/three eight/three. Your opponent is then in big-time difficulty considering that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have two or more checkers in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a point occupied by at a minimum two of your pieces.) It must be used when you are extremely behind as it greatly improves your opportunities. The better places for anchors are towards your opponent’s smaller points and also on adjacent points or with a single point separating them. Timing is important for an effective backgame: at the end of the day, there is no point having two nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then forced to dismantle this right away, while your competitor is moving their checkers home, taking into account that you don’t have any other spare checkers to move! In this situation, it is better to have checkers on the bar so that you might maintain your position until your competitor gives you a chance to hit, so it may be a great idea to attempt and get your challenger to hit them in this case!