Backgammon – 3 Basic Strategies
by Karla on Saturday, September 6th, 2008
In extraordinarily simple terms, there are three main strategies employed. You need to be agile enough to hop between techniques quickly as the course of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This involves assembling a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at least as thick as you are able to achieve, to barricade in the competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most acceptable course of action at the begining of the match. You can create the wall anyplace inbetween your 11-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the match progresses.
The Blitz
This involves closing your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. i.e., if your challenger tosses an early two and moves one piece from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a 5-5, you are able to play 6/1 6/1 eight/three 8/3. Your challenger is now in serious difficulty taking into account that they have two pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!
The Backgame
This strategy is where you have two or higher checkers in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor is a point consisting of at a minimum two of your pieces.) It would be used when you are decidedly behind as it greatly improves your circumstances. The better areas for anchors are near your competitor’s smaller points and either on abutting points or with a single point separating them. Timing is integral for a powerful backgame: after all, there’s no reason having two nice anchors and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to dismantle this straight away, while your opponent is shifting their checkers home, considering that you do not have other additional pieces to shift! In this case, it’s more favorable to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position up until your competitor gives you a chance to hit, so it may be a wonderful idea to attempt and get your opponent to hit them in this situation!
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