Backgammon – 3 General Plans

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

In very general terms, there are 3 main techniques employed. You want to be agile enough to switch tactics almost instantly as the action of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This consists of assembling a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at least as thick as you can achieve, to barricade in the competitor’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most acceptable course of action at the begining of the match. You can assemble the wall anywhere within your 11-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the game advances.

The Blitz

This is composed of closing your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. i.e., if your competitor rolls an early 2 and moves one piece from your 1-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you will be able to play 6/1 six/one eight/three eight/three. Your opponent is now in big-time calamity considering that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have locked half your home board!

The Backgame

This strategy is where you have 2 or higher anchors in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor is a point consisting of at a minimum two of your checkers.) It should be employed when you are decidedly behind as it much improves your circumstances. The better locations for anchors are towards your opponent’s lower points and either on adjacent points or with a single point separating them. Timing is critical for a powerful backgame: after all, there’s no point having two nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then required to break up this straight away, while your opposer is shifting their pieces home, because you do not have any other spare checkers to move! In this case, it is better to have pieces on the bar so that you might maintain your position up until your opposer provides you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a wonderful idea to try and get your opponent to hit them in this situation!