Backgammon – Three Basic Plans
Wednesday, 1. June 2022
In astonishingly simple terms, there are 3 main strategies used. You must be agile enough to hop between strategies quickly as the course of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This comprises of creating a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as deep as you are able to manage, to block in the opponent’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most adequate tactic at the begining of the game. You can build the wall anyplace between your 11-point and your 2-point and then shift 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 opposer on the bar. e.g., if your competitor tosses an early two and moves one piece from your 1-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you are able to play 6/1 6/1 8/3 8/3. Your opposer is now in big-time dire straits taking into account that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have locked half your home board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have 2 or more pieces in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a point occupied by at least 2 of your checkers.) It must be played when you are decidedly behind as this action much improves your chances. The best locations for anchors are close to your competitor’s smaller points and also on adjoining points or with a single point separating them. Timing is integral for a competent backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no point having 2 nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break down this straight away, while your opposer is shifting their pieces home, owing to the fact that you don’t have other spare pieces to move! In this case, it is more favorable to have checkers on the bar so that you are able to preserve your position until your opposer provides you a chance to hit, so it will be a wonderful idea to try and get your challenger to hit them in this situation!
Posted in Backgammon by Jada