Backgammon – Three General Techniques

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In very general terms, there are 3 chief strategies employed. You must be agile enough to hop between techniques quickly as the course of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This is comprised of assembling a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you are able to achieve, to barricade in the competitor’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most acceptable procedure at the start of the game. You can build the wall anywhere inbetween your 11-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the match continues.

The Blitz

This is comprised of locking your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your competitor on the bar. For example, if your challenger tosses an early two and moves one piece from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a 5-5, you can play six/one 6/1 eight/three eight/three. Your competitor is now in big-time calamity due to the fact that they have two pieces on the bar and you have locked half your home board!

The Backgame

This tactic is where you have 2 or more pieces in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor is a point consisting of at least two of your checkers.) It would be employed when you are extremely behind as it much improves your opportunities. The better areas for anchor spots are near your competitor’s smaller points and also on abutting points or with one point in between. Timing is essential for a powerful backgame: besides, there’s no reason having two nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then required to break down this right away, while your opposer is shifting their pieces home, considering that you don’t have any other spare pieces to move! In this situation, it’s more tolerable to have checkers on the bar so that you might preserve your position up till your opposer provides you a chance to hit, so it may be a wonderful idea to try and get your opposer to get them in this situation!