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Backgammon – 3 General Schemes

Posted in Backgammon on 10/18/2015 10:21 am by Lillie
[ English ]

In very simple terms, there are three general strategies used. You want to be able to hop between game plans almost instantly as the course of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This involves building a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at least as deep as you might manage, to barricade in the opponent’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most acceptable tactic at the begining of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere within your 11-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the game continues.

The Blitz

This involves closing your home board as fast as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. i.e., if your competitor tosses an early two and moves one checker from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you are able to play six/one six/one 8/3 eight/three. Your opponent is now in big-time trouble due to the fact that they have two pieces on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!

The Backgame

This course of action is where you have two or more anchors in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor is a position filled by at a minimum two of your checkers.) It would be played when you are significantly behind as this plan much improves your opportunities. The strongest places for anchor spots are towards your competitor’s smaller points and either on abutting points or with one point separating them. Timing is essential for a powerful backgame: after all, there’s no point having two nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break apart this straight away, while your challenger is shifting their checkers home, taking into account that you do not have any other additional checkers to shift! In this situation, it’s better to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to preserve your position up till your opponent provides you a chance to hit, so it can be a great idea to try and get your opponent to hit them in this situation!