Backgammon All About Backgammon

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In very general terms, there are three general plans employed. You must be agile enough to hop between strategies quickly as the action of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This is composed of assembling a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you might achieve, to barricade in the competitor's pieces that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most acceptable strategy at the begining of the game. You can create the wall anyplace between your 11-point and your two-point and then move it into your home board as the match advances.

The Blitz

This involves closing your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your competitor on the bar. For example, if your competitor tosses an early two and moves one checker from your one-point to your 3-point and you then roll a five-five, you can play 6/1 6/1 eight/three 8/3. Your opponent is then in serious difficulty seeing that they have two pieces on the bar and you have locked half your inner board!

The Backgame

This plan is where you have 2 or higher pieces in your competitor's inner board. (An anchor spot is a point consisting of at a minimum 2 of your checkers.) It would be played when you are extremely behind as it greatly improves your circumstances. The best areas for anchor spots are close to your competitor's smaller points and also on abutting points or with a single point in between. Timing is important for a competent 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 required to break apart this straight away, while your opposer is moving their pieces home, owing to the fact that you do not have other additional pieces to shift! In this case, it is more tolerable to have checkers on the bar so that you might maintain your position up till your opposer gives you an opportunity to hit, so it may be a good idea to try and get your opposer to hit them in this situation!