Backgammon Tips

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In extraordinarily simple terms, there are 3 chief techniques employed. You want to be agile enough to hop between strategies quickly as the course of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This is comprised of building a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at least as deep as you can achieve, to block in your competitor’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate strategy at the start of the game. You can build the wall anywhere inbetween your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the game advances.

The Blitz

This involves locking your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your opposer on the bar. e.g., if your challenger rolls an early two and shifts one piece from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a five-five, you can play 6/1 six/one 8/3 eight/three. Your opposer is now in big-time difficulty because they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inside board!

The Backgame

This strategy is where you have 2 or more pieces in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor is a point filled by at least 2 of your checkers.) It should be played when you are extremely behind as this action greatly improves your chances. The better places for anchors are towards your competitor’s lower points and either on adjacent points or with one point separating them. Timing is important for a powerful backgame: besides, there’s no point having 2 nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then required to break down this right away, while your challenger is moving their checkers home, taking into account that you do not have any other spare checkers to shift! In this case, it is better to have checkers on the bar so that you can preserve your position up till your competitor gives you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a good idea to try and get your challenger to get them in this situation!