Backgammon Strategy Backgammon Strategy for Dummies

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In very simple terms, there are three chief game plans employed. You want to be able to hop between tactics almost instantly as the action of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This consists of assembling a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at least as thick as you might achieve, to lock in your competitor'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 create the wall anywhere within your 11-point and your 2-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the match advances.

The Blitz

This involves locking your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. For example, if your competitor rolls an early 2 and moves one piece from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then toss a five-five, you can play 6/1 6/1 8/3 8/3. Your challenger is now in serious trouble since they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have locked half your inner board!

The Backgame

This plan is where you have 2 or more checkers in your competitor's inner board. (An anchor is a position filled by at least two of your checkers.) It needs to be employed when you are significantly behind as this plan greatly improves your opportunities. The better locations for anchors are near your opponent's smaller points and either on adjacent points or with a single point in between. Timing is critical for an effectual backgame: besides, there is no point having 2 nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break apart this straight away, while your opposer is getting their checkers home, owing to the fact that you do not have any other spare checkers to move! In this situation, it's more favorable to have checkers on the bar so that you might preserve your position up until your opposer gives you a chance to hit, so it may be a great idea to try and get your opponent to hit them in this case!