Backgammon – Three Main Strategies
Thursday, 4. November 2021
In extraordinarily general terms, there are 3 main tactics used. You want to be agile enough to hop between techniques quickly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This involves building a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at a minimum as thick as you might achieve, to barricade in the competitor’s checkers that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most adequate strategy at the begining of the game. You can assemble the wall anyplace inbetween your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the game progresses.
The Blitz
This consists of closing your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. e.g., if your opposer tosses an early two and moves one checker from your 1-point to your three-point and you then toss a 5-5, you can play six/one 6/1 8/3 8/3. Your opposer is then in big-time difficulty considering that they have two pieces on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have 2 or more anchors in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at a minimum 2 of your checkers.) It needs to be employed when you are decidedly behind as this strategy much improves your chances. The better places for anchors are towards your competitor’s smaller points and also on abutting points or with one point in between. Timing is integral for an effectual backgame: besides, there is no point having two nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break down this right away, while your opponent is moving their checkers home, because you don’t have any other additional checkers to move! In this case, it’s better to have checkers on the bar so that you might maintain your position up until your opposer gives you an opportunity to hit, so it will be a good idea to try and get your competitor to hit them in this case!
Posted in Backgammon by Jada