Backgammon Strategy Backgammon Strategy for Dummies

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In astonishingly general terms, there are three main game plans used. You want to be agile enough to switch strategies quickly as the course of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This involves assembling a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as deep as you are able to achieve, to lock in your competitor's pieces that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most adequate procedure at the begining of the match. You can build the wall anywhere within your 11-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the match progresses.

The Blitz

This is composed of locking your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your competitor on the bar. For example, if your competitor rolls an early two and moves one checker from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then roll a 5-5, you are able to play six/one six/one 8/3 eight/three. Your opponent is now in big-time calamity seeing that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your home board!

The Backgame

This course of action is where you have 2 or higher anchors in your competitor's home board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at least 2 of your checkers.) It would be employed when you are extremely behind as this plan greatly improves your chances. The best places for anchor spots are towards your competitor's smaller points and either on abutting points or with a single point in between. Timing is integral for an effective backgame: at the end of the day, there's no point having two nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then required to break apart this straight away, while your opposer is moving their checkers home, owing to the fact that you don't have other spare checkers to shift! In this case, it's more favorable to have pieces on the bar so that you can preserve your position up till your challenger gives you an opportunity to hit, so it will be a wonderful idea to attempt and get your competitor to get them in this case!