Backgammon Strategy Backgammon Strategy for Dummies

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

In exceptionally general terms, there are 3 chief techniques used. You need to be agile enough to hop between game plans instantly as the action of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This involves building a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as deep as you might manage, to barricade in your competitor's pieces that are on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most suitable strategy at the begining of the game. You can create the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your two-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the match advances.

The Blitz

This is composed of locking your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. e.g., if your challenger tosses an early two and shifts one checker from your 1-point to your three-point and you then toss a 5-5, you will be able to play 6/1 6/1 8/3 eight/three. Your opposer is now in serious dire straits taking into account that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!

The Backgame

This course of action is where you have 2 or more checkers in your competitor's home board. (An anchor spot is a position filled by at a minimum two of your checkers.) It would be used when you are decidedly behind as it much improves your opportunities. The strongest areas for anchor spots are close to your opponent's smaller points and either on adjoining points or with one point separating them. Timing is critical for an effective backgame: at the end of the day, there's no point having two nice anchors and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break apart this right away, while your challenger is moving their pieces home, seeing that you don't have any other spare pieces to shift! In this situation, it is more tolerable to have checkers on the bar so that you might preserve your position up till your opposer provides you a chance to hit, so it will be a good idea to try and get your opponent to hit them in this situation!