Backgammon – Three Main Schemes
Posted in Backgammon on 02/08/2018 11:25 am by Lillie
In extraordinarily general terms, there are three general game plans used. You want to be agile enough to hop between game plans quickly as the action of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This is comprised of building a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you can manage, to lock in your competitor’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most acceptable tactic at the start of the match. You can assemble the wall anywhere inbetween your 11-point and your 2-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the match continues.
The Blitz
This involves closing your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your opponent on the bar. For example, if your opponent tosses 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 opposer is then in serious trouble due to the fact that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!
The Backgame
This tactic is where you have 2 or more pieces in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor is a position consisting of at a minimum 2 of your checkers.) It should be played when you are decidedly behind as it greatly improves your chances. The better locations for anchors are close to your competitor’s smaller points and also on adjacent points or with one point in between. Timing is critical for an effective backgame: besides, there’s no reason having 2 nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break down this right away, while your opponent is shifting their pieces home, taking into account that you don’t have any other additional checkers to shift! In this case, it is better to have pieces on the bar so that you can maintain your position until your opponent provides you an opportunity to hit, so it may be a great idea to attempt and get your opponent to get them in this situation!