Backgammon Strategy Backgammon Strategy for Dummies

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

The objective of a Backgammon game is to shift your chips around the Backgammon board and pull those pieces off the game board quicker than your opposing player who works harder to attempt the same buthowever they move in the opposite direction. Winning a match in Backgammon needsrequires both tactics and fortune. Just how far you can move your checkers is up to the numbers from tossing a pair of dice, and the way you move your chips are determined by your overall playing plans. Players use different techniques in the different parts of a match depending on your positions and opponent's.

The Running Game Tactic

The aim of the Running Game strategy is to bring all your chips into your inner board and get them off as quick as you could. This plan concentrates on the speed of advancing your pieces with little or no efforts to hit or stop your competitor's chips. The best scenario to employ this tactic is when you think you can shift your own checkers faster than the opposition does: when 1) you have a fewer chips on the board; 2) all your pieces have moved beyond your competitor's pieces; or 3) your opposing player doesn't use the hitting or blocking tactic.

The Blocking Game Strategy

The primary aim of the blocking technique, by its name, is to block your opponent's pieces, temporarily, not fretting about moving your checkers quickly. As soon as you've established the blockage for your competitor's movement with a couple of pieces, you can move your other checkers swiftly off the game board. You really should also have an apparent plan when to extract and shift the checkers that you employed for blocking. The game gets intriguing when your opposition uses the same blocking tactic.

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

In very general terms, there are 3 chief plans employed. You want to be able to switch strategies quickly as the action of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This is composed of creating a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as thick as you are able to manage, to block in your opponent's pieces that are on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most adequate procedure at the begining of the match. You can assemble the wall anyplace within your 11-point and your two-point and then move it into your home board as the game continues.

The Blitz

This is comprised of locking your home board as quick as possible while keeping your opposer on the bar. i.e., if your competitor tosses an early two and moves one piece from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then roll a five-five, you can play six/one six/one 8/3 8/3. Your challenger is now in big-time dire straits since they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!

The Backgame

This plan is where you have 2 or more checkers in your competitor's home board. (An anchor is a position consisting of at least 2 of your pieces.) It should be played when you are decidedly behind as this strategy greatly improves your opportunities. The best areas for anchor spots are near your opponent's lower points and either on adjoining points or with a single point separating them. Timing is critical for a powerful backgame: after all, there is no reason having 2 nice anchors and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to dismantle this right away, while your opponent is getting their checkers home, taking into account that you do not have any other additional pieces to shift! In this case, it is more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you might preserve your position until your challenger gives you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a great idea to try and get your opponent to get them in this situation!