Backgammon All About Backgammon

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In exceptionally simple terms, there are three general strategies used. You must be agile enough to hop between game plans quickly as the action of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This involves assembling a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as thick as you are able to manage, to lock in your opponent's checkers that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate procedure at the start of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere between your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the game progresses.

The Blitz

This involves locking your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. e.g., if your challenger tosses an early 2 and shifts one piece from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a 5-5, you are able to play six/one six/one 8/3 eight/three. Your challenger is then in big-time dire straits since they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!

The Backgame

This course of action is where you have two or more checkers in your opponent's inner board. (An anchor spot is a point consisting of at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It needs to be played when you are decidedly behind as this plan much improves your circumstances. The best locations for anchor spots are close to your opponent's smaller points and also on adjacent points or with a single point in between. Timing is critical for a competent backgame: after all, there's no point having two nice anchors and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to dismantle this straight away, while your opponent is getting their checkers home, seeing that you do not have other spare checkers to move! In this case, it is better to have checkers on the bar so that you might preserve your position until your opposer provides you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a wonderful idea to attempt and get your opposer to hit them in this case!