Backgammon All About Backgammon

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

In extraordinarily general terms, there are 3 main tactics used. You need to be agile enough to switch techniques quickly as the course of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This involves building a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you are able to achieve, to block in the competitor's pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most suitable strategy at the begining of the game. You can create the wall anywhere inbetween your 11-point and your two-point and then move it into your home board as the match advances.

The Blitz

This is composed of locking your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your challenger on the bar. For example, if your opponent tosses an early 2 and moves one piece from your 1-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you can play 6/1 six/one 8/3 8/3. Your opposer is now in serious trouble due to the fact that they have two checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!

The Backgame

This plan is where you have two or higher checkers in your opponent's home board. (An anchor spot is a point filled by at a minimum two of your checkers.) It needs to be played when you are significantly behind as this action greatly improves your circumstances. The better places for anchors are close to your opponent's lower points and also on abutting points or with one point in between. Timing is integral for an effectual backgame: at the end of the day, there's no point having two nice anchors and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break apart this right away, while your challenger is moving their pieces home, taking into account that you do not have any other spare checkers to shift! In this situation, it's more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you can maintain your position until your competitor provides you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a good idea to attempt and get your opponent to get them in this case!